Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Golden Fleece - Original Edition Nathaniel Hawthorne

In this delightful re-telling for children of the story of Jason, Medea, the Argonauts and the Quest for the Golden Fleece, Hawthorne starts with the upbringing of Jason at the hands of the centaur Chiron. One day, Jason leaves the cave in which he has been instructed to play the harp, to use sword and shield, and cure diseases. He sets off to regain the throne that has wrongly been taken from his family. The queen of the gods tests Jason at the river. He succeeds by taking her across on his back, but in the process uses one of his sandals. He lands in the country of King Pelias amid a festival to Poseidon and excites comments because of his odd footwear. Little does Jason know that the Speaking Oak of Dodona has made a prophecy to King Pelias about the one-sandaled man that he would oust him from the throne.