Triumphant Jason holds the radiant Golden Fleece aloft as the Argonauts gather behind him at the harbor of Iolcos. The golden light of dawn shines on classical columns and anchored ships. On the right, a sinister subplot unfolds: Medea, draped in dark robes, whispers to King Pelias’s daughters, drawing them toward a bubbling cauldron. Their eyes flicker with doubt and fascination.
The Argonauts returned with the Fleece to Iolocas to claim Jason’s rule; Medea tricked King Pelias’s daughters to kill him.
The Argonauts Return ~ Jason Claims His Throne – Medea Enacts Her Revenge
A close-up variation emphasizing Jason’s determined expression as he raises the Fleece. The harbor teems with activity behind him. Medea stands further off, subtly casting her influence over Pelias’s daughters, the tension between glory and treachery visually palpable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uayzzYls_E&t=5s
There is a dark, candlelit chamber inside the palace. Medea stands over a glowing cauldron, her expression intense, hands raised mid-incantation. Strange herbs and potions litter the floor. The daughters of Pelias, in ornate robes, watch nervously, clutching ceremonial blades. Behind them, the king rests unaware, moments from being betrayed by his blood.
The ARGONAUTS* RETURNED WITH THE FLEECE to Iolocas to claim Jason’s rule; Medea tricked King Pelias’s daughters to kill him.
By Sasha Alex Lessin, Ph.D. (Anthropology, UCLA)
EUPHEMUS, sleeping aboard the Argo, dreamed he made love with and impregnated the NYMPH LIBYA, daughter of Enki/Poseidon’s son Triton (who’d towed the Argo from Libya back across the Mediterranean back toward Crete).In Euphemus’ dream, Libya said, “Into the sea, throw a clod of earth from the isle of Anaphe [in the Aegean Sea’s Cyclades Islands].
Aboard the moonlit deck of the Argo, Euphemus lies in deep slumber, bathed in starlight. Above him, the nymph Libya, radiant and semi-transparent, floats in an embrace of divine serenity. Her seafoam robes shimmer with an ethereal glow. Behind her, the god Triton, half-man and half-fish, guides the Argo through magical waters. The Cyclades rise in the distance as spectral outlines. Across the sky, Libya’s whispered prophecy appears in glowing script: “Into the sea, throw a clod of earth from the isle of Anaphe.”
When he did, SANTORINI, a new island, emerged. Euphemus called Santorini Kalliste (“most beautiful”). When Theras, the son of Euphemus and Libya, was born, Euphemus renamed the island Thera.
As twilight settles over the Aegean, Euphemus stands at the bow of the Argo, casting the clod of earth into the sea. From the water, glowing and veiled in mist, the island of Santorini—Kalliste—emerges in a surge of divine light. Behind him, the luminous form of Libya watches gently. The newborn island, still pulsing with the magic of its creation, bears the name “Kalliste” etched subtly into the waves.
Dawn breaks over the lush, volcanic island. Young Theras, son of Euphemus and Libya, stands on a rise above the sea, staff in hand, with a gaze of purpose and legacy. Around him, settlers begin building a new life on the island he will name after himself—Thera. The divine glow of his lineage lingers around him as the Argo disappears into the horizon, its task complete.
From Iolocas, ailing King Pelias watched the Argonauts’ ship approach. Jason stood on the bow, holding up the golden Ram’s fleece, which Pelias had vowed would compel him to abdicate his crown to Jason, whom Greek custom designated as legally entitled to rule Iolocas.
The Argonauts’ ship glides into Iolcos’ harbor under golden skies. Heroic and unyielding Jason raises the shining Golden Fleece above him at the ship’s prow. On a stone balcony overlooking the sea, King Pelias, aged and ill, stares down in resignation, knowing his oath now binds him to abdicate. Around him, murmuring citizens witness a prophecy fulfilled as the rightful heir returns.
Bathed in warm sunlight atop the volcanic cliffs of Thera, young Theras stands confidently with a clear, open expression. His dark eyes meet the viewer directly, his noble face unshadowed, revealing calm strength and divine purpose. Clad in a white chiton trimmed with gold, and holding a staff adorned with olive leaves, he embodies the promise of a new legacy. Behind him, the Aegean Sea sparkles, and the sacred land he will name rises under a clear sky — a future king in the light of his mythic inheritance.
Pelias had jailed Jason’s dad, AESON, who committed suicide in his captivity.
The Argo nears the harbor, her sails golden in the afternoon light. At the prow, Jason raises the gleaming Golden Fleece high, his figure noble and commanding. On a stone terrace above the docks, King Pelias watches in grim silence, his aged frame supported by a staff, his crown tilting as if already slipping from his grasp. Citizens gather beneath colonnades, murmuring in awe. The moment of reckoning has come — the rightful heir has returned, and the oath-bound king stands at the edge of surrender.
From Iolocas, ailing King Pelias watched the Argonauts’ ship approach. Jason stood on the bow, holding up the golden Ram’s fleece, which Pelias had vowed would compel him to abdicate his crown to Jason, whom Greek custom designated as legally entitled to rule Iolocas.
Lit by golden light, Jason stands resolute on the prow of the Argo, the Golden Fleece lifted high. His face is calm but commanding, and his eyes are sharp and purposeful. His windswept hair and confident posture mark him as the returning hero—the rightful ruler, fulfilling prophecy and oath alike as the shores of Iolcos draw near.
After the Argonauts dispersed to their homelands, Jason told Pelias, It’s time you abdicate Iolocas’ Kingship to me as you vowed.”Bullshit. I never made any such vow. Take your ship and go elsewhere, growled the King.
Inside the marble halls of Iolcos, Jason confronts the aged King Pelias. The hero stands tall, the Golden Fleece draped over his arm, his gaze locked on the king. Though withered by age, Pelias leans forward with unexpected fire, eyes blazing as he snarls his denial. Attendants look on in stunned silence, shadows stretching beneath tall columns. The torchlit air crackles with betrayal as the rightful claim collides with royal stubbornness.
Without his Argonauts to fight for him against Pelias, Jason couldn’t forcibly take control of the Kingdom.
Medea performs her infamous deception in the torchlit palace of Iolcos. With a cauldron bubbling before her, she theatrically lowers an old goat into the brew. Pelias’ daughters stand nearby, eyes wide with awe and tension. Greek frescoes and marble columns frame the magical spectacle as, moments later, Medea triumphantly lifts a healthy young goat from the cauldron. Her performance is flawless — a spellbinding lie set to deadly purpose.
Medea tricked Pelias’ two daughters into killing him. As they watched, she threw an old goat into a caldron that boiled with what she said was a rejuvenation brew. The old goat sank from sight. Medea then pulled a healthy baby goat from the brew, which Medea said was the old one restored to its youth.
A close-up captures the psychological turning point. Medea’s face radiates controlled intensity as she presents the young goat. Her eyes gleam with confident cunning. Behind her, the daughters of Pelias stare in astonishment — one awestruck, the other uncertain — their expressions caught between wonder and growing unease. The lighting clearly reveals every emotion, as illusion blurs into fatal conviction.
Medea then had the daughters stab Pelias to death in his sleep, cut his body into pieces, and throw his parts into her caldron that boiled with her supposed restorative potion. Pelias failed to reassemble and rejuvenate.
In the dim throne room of Iolcos, Pelias’ daughters kneel in silent shock before an empty, blood-stained bed. Their ceremonial daggers lie forgotten at their feet. Behind them, Medea stands poised beside her bubbling cauldron, her face unreadable, her presence quietly dominating the room. Torchlight flickers across frescoed walls and broken trust — the weight of guilt and betrayal settling into the silence.
This is a close-up of one daughter’s tear-streaked face as she stares at the steaming cauldron, her eyes wide with disbelief and horror. The emotion on her face is raw: sorrow, confusion, and a dawning realization of what she’s done. Behind her, Medea stands in soft focus, her expression calm and faintly satisfied. The image captures the moment the truth sinks in—the promise of resurrection was a lie.
In the flickering torchlight of Iolcos’ throne room, Jason arrives at a nightmare. Pelias is gone—only the blood-stained bed remains. His daughters kneel in grief and shock, blades abandoned. Medea stands apart, her expression distant and composed beside the simmering cauldron. Jason’s face shows devastation and disbelief as he takes in the scene. His stride falters, caught between horror and responsibility. The air is heavy with betrayal and irreversible consequences.
King Pelias’s son, ACASTUS, inherited the throne of Iolcus after his father was killed by his daughters, orchestrated by Medea.
Within the solemn throne room of Iolcos, Acastus stands before the ancient seat of his father, now draped in regal crimson. Crowned in gold and robed in purple, he is proclaimed king by priests and nobles. Jason and Medea stand apart, their expressions unreadable. The room, adorned with torches and frescoes, echoes with formal chants. Yet beneath the ceremony lies a current of tension — a kingship born not of triumph, but of blood.
Acastus banished Jason and Medea to CORINTH, whose King, CREON, gave them refuge.
____
Jason and Medea walk away from the city of Iolcos beneath a darkening sky. Jason glances back with a face full of bitter memory, while Medea walks forward, a small chest of magic in hand, her expression unreadable. Behind them, guards close the city gates under the newly crowned King Acastus. The city that once welcomed their triumph now casts them out — a hero and a sorceress, burdened by consequence.
Along a windswept coastal path, Jason and Medea walk side by side in twilight, the sea crashing below and the distant ruins of Iolcos fading in the light. Jason looks back with sorrow, while Medea stares forward, calm and resolved. Their cloaks ripple in the sea breeze. This is not a moment of triumph, but one of consequence — the weight of choices, exile, and legacy borne together.
*I illustrate the story of Jason and the Argonauts with videos from See U in History.
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A dreamlike composition: Euphemus asleep with a peaceful expression, while Libya reaches out from above like a celestial vision. The sea around the Argo shimmers with divine energy as Triton’s massive and shadowed form drags the ship forward. The mystical connection between Euphemus and Libya pulses through the image, while the dream’s message glows in the sky like a constellation-bound omen.
The Glorious Return of the Argonauts and the Betrayal of King Pelias – Ep 14 Jason and the Argonauts
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