One of the most ancient and enduring of myths is that of the hero’s quest. Today on Far Future Horizons we present the second installment of Michael Wood’s acclaimed television series In Search of Myths and Heroes.
In this episode we follow in the wake of the sailing ship Argo and follow Jason and the Argonauts on an intrepid odyssey that will take them to the ends of the known world of classical antiquity.
In this episode we follow in the wake of the sailing ship Argo and follow Jason and the Argonauts on an intrepid odyssey that will take them to the ends of the known world of classical antiquity.
The tale of Jason, the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece is one of the oldest stories in all of Greek myth. In this episode, Michael Wood traces the route of Jason and his famous boat, the Argo, along its route from Greece to Turkey and Georgia. The story of Jason can be traced back to the town of Volos in modern day Greece. The probable site of ancient Iolkos, it was here that King Pelias feared Jason a contender to this throne and so sent him on an impossible mission to finish him off. The mission was to travel to the far away kingdom of Colchis — in the Black Sea — to retrieve the magical Golden Fleece that had been taken there. But Jason proved courageous and strong and set out on an epic route.
Wood similarly travels by boat from Greek island to Greek island, stopping off to explore the history behind certain nodes in the story. From Greece, he journeys on to Turkey and struggles up the massive currents of Istanbul's River Bosphorous. Once out into Turkish countryside, Wood discovers whole communities of Pontic Greek — still living and speaking Greek in modern day Turkey. Are they the hangover from hordes of ancient Greeks pushing east and exploring the Black Sea? Is the whole Jason myth an explanation of that exploration? In Georgia, Wood travels to Vani, an archaeological dig that has revealed an Iron Age kingdom rich in gold. Finally in the remote north west region called Svaneti, Wood finds the true source of the myth. Here tribesmen have for centuries panned for gold in the river using sheep's fleece.
Jason and the Golden Fleece
Michael Wood's
In Search of Myths and Heroes is available on DVD
from Amazon.com.
BBC.In.Search.of.Myths.and.Heroes.3of4.Jason... by topkevin_qq
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