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    THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES 



                   THE GOLDEN 

      FLEECE AND THE 

HEROES WHO LIVED 

   BEFORE ACHILLES 



                        BY PADRAIC COLUM 



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         THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES 



                                        Part I。 



                                 The Voyage to Colchis 



                                   I。 The Youth Jason 

     A man in the garb of a slave went up the side of that mountain that is 

all covered with forest察the Mountain Pelion。 He carried in his arms a little 

child。 

     When it was full noon the slave came into a clearing of the forest so 

silent that it seemed empty of all life。 He laid the child down on the soft 

moss察and then察trembling with the fear of what might come before him察he 

raised a horn to his lips and blew three blasts upon it。 

     Then   he   waited。   The   blue   sky   was   above   him察  the   great   trees   stood 

away from him察and the little child lay at his feet。 He waited察and then he 

heard the thud´thud of great hooves。 And then from between the trees he 

saw coming toward him the strangest of all beings察one who was half man 

and half horse察this was Chiron the centaur。 

     Chiron came toward the trembling slave。 Greater than any horse was 

Chiron察  taller   than   any   man。   The   hair   of   his   head   flowed   back   into   his 

horse's mane察his great beard flowed over his horse's chest察in his man's 

hand he held a great spear。 

    Not swiftly he came察but the slave could see that in those great limbs 

of his there  was speed like  to the wind's。 The slave fell   upon his   knees。 

And with eyes that were full of majesty and wisdom and limbs that were 

full of strength and speed察the king´centaur stood above him。 ;O my lord察─

the slave said察 I have come before thee sent by Aeson察my master察who 

told me where to come and what blasts to blow upon the horn。 And Aeson察

once King of Iolcus察bade me say to thee that if thou dost remember his 

ancient friendship with thee thou wilt察perchance察take this child and guard 

and foster him察and察as he grows察instruct him with thy wisdom。; 

     ;For Aeson's   sake   I   will   rear   and   foster   this   child察─  said   Chiron   the 



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         THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES 



king´centaur in a deep voice。 

     The child lying on the moss had been looking up at the four´footed and 

two´handed   centaur。   Now   the   slave   lifted   him  up   and   placed   him  in   the 

centaur's arms。 He said此

     ;Aeson bade me tell thee that the child's name is Jason。 He bade me 

give thee this ring with the great ruby in it that thou mayst give it to the 

child    when    he   is  grown。   By    this  ring  with   its  ruby   and   the  images 

engraved on it Aeson may know his son when they meet after many years 

and many changes。 And another thing Aeson bade me say to thee察O my 

lord Chiron此not presumptuous is he察but he knows that this child has the 

regard of the immortal Goddess Hera察the wife of Zeus。; 

     Chiron held Aeson's son in his arms察and the little child put hands into 

his great beard。 Then the centaur said察 Let Aeson know that his son will 

be reared and fostered by me察and that察when they meet again察there will 

be ways by which they will be known to each other。; 

     Saying   this   Chiron   the   centaur察  holding   the   child   in   his   arms察  went 

swiftly toward the forest arches察then the slave took up the horn and went 

down   the   side   of   the   Mountain   Pelion。   He   came   to   where   a   horse   was 

hidden察and he mounted and rode察first to a city察and then to a village that 

was beyond the city。 

     All this was before the famous walls of Troy were built察before King 

Priam had come to the throne of his father and while he was still known察

not as Priam察but as Podarces。 And the beginning of all these happenings 

was in Iolcus察a city in Thessaly。 

     Cretheus founded the   city and had   ruled over it in days before   King 

Priam was born。 He left two sons察Aeson and Pelias。 Aeson succeeded his 

father。 And because he was a mild and gentle man察the men of war did not 

love Aeson察they wanted a hard king who would lead them to conquests。 

     Pelias察the brother of Aeson察was ever with the men of war察he knew 

what mind they had toward Aeson and he plotted with them to overthrow 

his   brother。   This   they   did察  and   they   brought   Pelias   to   reign   as   king   in 

Iolcus。 

     The   people   loved   Aeson察  and   they   feared   Pelias。   And   because   the 



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         THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES 



people loved him and would be maddened by his slaying察Pelias and the 

men of war left him  living。 With his wife察Alcimide察and his infant  son察

Aeson   went   from   the   city察  and   in   a   village   that   was   at   a   distance   from 

Iolcus he found a hidden house and went to dwell in it。 

     Aeson would have lived content there were it not that he was fearful 

for Jason察his infant son。 Jason察he knew察would grow into a strong and a 

bold youth察and Pelias察the king察would be made uneasy on his account。 

Pelias would slay the son察and perhaps would slay the father for the son's 

sake when his memory would come to be less loved by the people。 Aeson 

thought of such things in his hidden house察and he pondered on ways to 

have his son reared away from Iolcus and the dread and the power of King 

Pelias。 

     He had for a friend one who was the wisest of all creatures Chiron the 

centaur察Chiron who was half man and half horse察Chiron who had lived 

and was yet to live measureless years。 Chiron had fostered Heracles察and it 

might be that he would not refuse to foster Jason察Aeson's child。 

     Away in the fastnesses of Mount Pelion Chiron dwelt察once Aeson had 

been with him and had seen the centaur hunt with his great bow and his 

great spears。 And Aeson knew a way that one might come to him察Chiron 

himself had told him of the way。 

     Now there was a slave in his house who had been a huntsman and who 

knew  all the   ways   of   the   Mountain   Pelion。 Aeson   talked   with   this   slave 

one day察and after he had talked with him he sat for a long time over the 

cradle   of   his   sleeping   infant。 And   then   he   spoke   to Alcimide察  his   wife察

telling her of a parting that made her weep。 That evening the slave came in 

and Aeson took the child from the arms of the mournful´eyed mother and 

put   him  in   the   slave's   arms。 Also   he   gave him  a   horn   and   a   ring   with   a 

great ruby in it and mystic images engraved on its gold。 Then when   the 

ways were dark the slave mounted a horse察and察with the child in his arms察

rode through the city that King Pelias ruled over。 In the morning he came 

to that mountain that is all covered with forest察the Mountain Pelion。 And 

that evening he came back to the village and to Aeson's hidden house察and 

he told his master how he had prospered。 



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         THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED BEFORE ACHILLES 



     Aeson was content thereafter although he was lonely and although his 

wife    was   lonely   in   their  childlessness。    But   the  time   came    when     they 

rejoiced   that   their   child   had   been   sent   into  an   unreachable   place。   For 

messengers from King Pelias came inquiring about the boy。 They told the 

king's messengers that the child had strayed off from his nurse察and that 

whether   he   had   been   slain   by   a   wild   beast   or   had   been   drowned   in   the 

swift River Anaurus they did not know。 

     The years went by and Pelias felt secure upon the throne he had taken 

from his brother。 Once he sent to the oracle of the gods to ask of it whether 

he should be fearful of anything。 What the oracle answered was this此that 

King Pelias had but one thing to dreadthe coming of a halfshod man。 

     The centaur nourished the child Jason on roots and fruits and honey察

for shelter they had a great cave that Chiron had lived in for numberless 

years。 When he had grown big enough to leave the cave Chiron would let 

Jason mount on his back察with the child holding on to his great mane he 

would trot gently through the ways of the forest。 

     Jason   began   to    know   the   creatures   of   the   forest  and   their  haunts。 

Sometimes Chiron would bring his great bow with him察then Jason察on his 

back察would hold the quiver and would hand him the arrows。 The centaur 

would let the boy see him kill with a single arrow t

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