Pelias' Trick

A few days later Jason arrived at Pelias' castle. Jason was a brave man, but he was young and had a hot heart. He did not fear any man, but he was not yet wise like an old man. Because of this he ran straight into Pelias' castle and demanded, "Pelias, my uncle, I am the son of Iolcus. I have come to become king and rule this land!"

Now, Pelias was not young and strong like Jason, but he had the wisdom of an old king. He did not wish to give up his power and let Jason rule the land. Though he could not beat Jason in a fight, Pelias felt that he could beat him with his mind. He decided to pretend to be friendly to Jason and invited him to eat a great meal.

During the meal, Pelias and Jason had much conversation together. "I am so glad you have come, Jason," said the king. "I am too old to rule, and I need a strong and wise young man to become king after I die. You say that you are able to rule a kingdom, so I am sure that you can handle any difficult problems that appear. For example, how would you go about getting rid of a strong, young man who was giving you difficulties?"

Jason wanted to show Pelias that he was smart and wise enough to fix any problem "I would send him on a difficult journey—one so difficult that he would never return," he suggested.

"That is a great idea," responded Pelias. "What journey would you send him on?"

"I would ask him to find the Golden Fleece," answered Jason.

"That is a great idea!" said Pelias. "Any true hero would be very excited for that task. If a hero succeeded in finding the Golden Fleece, he would win great fame and all men would sing songs about him."

"Do you think so?" asked Jason. "Then I will go myself to find the Golden Fleece."

"You are truly a brave man," said the king. "If you return, you will deserve to be king and I will give you the kingdom willingly." Pelias laughed to himself, because he felt that Jason would certainly die trying to get the Golden Fleece. The fleece was guarded by a large dragon. Also, many dangers would face Jason on the way to the fleece. Surely, Pelias felt, he would not have to give Jason the kingdom.

(end of section)