Jason was an Ancient Greek hero from Thessaly. He should have been ruler of a local kingdom (Iolcus) which was taken over by his uncle Pelias. Pelias saw Jason as a threat, and decided to get rid of him by sending him on an impossible quest. This was to bring back the fleece of a golden sheep from Colchis. With his fellow-sailors the Argonauts, Jason sailed to Colchis and, after many adventures, defeated the serpent that guarded the Fleece and brought it back to Iolcus. He was only able to do this with the help of Medea, princess of Colchis, who used her magic arts to capture the Fleece and then fled with him to Iolcus. To prevent her father from pursuing them, Medea cut up her small brother and threw the pieces overboard in the path of the pursuing ship. Years later, when Jason left her for another woman, Medea killed their children in revenge.
