The Dilettante's Guide to Jason Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Jason was on a quest to find a fleece. What colour was it?

Answer: Gold

Jason's father, Aeson, was the rightful King of Iolcus. He was overthrown and imprisoned by his brother, Pelias. Jason was smuggled out of the palace and brought up in safety. When he came of age he, set out to reclaim the throne. His Uncle agreed to give up the throne in his favour if he brought him the legendary golden fleece.

2. Jason had several companions on his voyage. What was the collective name for them?

Answer: Argonauts

The Argonauts were so called after the name of their ship, the Argo. Several of them appear in other myths. Heracles is familiar for his labours, Orpheus from the legend of Orpheus in the underworld. Peleus was the father of Achilles.

3. The group faced several trials on their way to find the fleece. Which mythical creatures did they chase away while at the court of King Phineas of Thrace?

Answer: Harpies

Zeus had sent the Harpies to steal the food from Phineas so that he never ate. This was punishment for revealing the future to mankind. Taking pity on him, Jason and his crew chased off the Harpies. In return, Phineas told them how to safely get through their next challenge, the clashing rocks.

4. Jason and his companions had to sail their ship through rocks that opened to allow a narrow passage but then clashed together again, crushing anything in between them. What bird did they send through first to see if they would have safe passage?

Answer: Dove

Jason was told by King Phineas to release a dove as they approached the rocks. If the dove flew through safely then, if they rowed strongly, they would make it. If the dove was crushed then they also would be crushed. The dove made it through with the loss of a few tail feathers.

The crew then rowed the Argo through the passage, suffering some damage to the rear of the boat. The rocks were then sealed forever, giving safe passage to everyone else.

5. When Jason arrived at Colchis where the fleece was kept, he had to perform three tasks to enable him to claim it. The daughter of the King of Colchis helped him in these. Who was she?

Answer: Medea

Medea was a sorceress. Jason had to yoke fire breathing oxen and plough a field with them; she provided him with a fire proof ointment. He then had to sow the field with dragons' teeth. These sprung up into an army that she told him how to defeat. He then had to get past the dragon that never slept to steal the fleece.

She gave him a potion to spray on to the dragon. When he had the fleece she left Colchis with him, killing her own brother in order to delay her father, who was chasing after them. Jason went through a form of marriage with her.

6. After getting the fleece, Jason, Medea and the rest of his crew escaped on the Argo. To get home they had to pass the Sirens, who sang songs that lured men to their death. Which of the crew played beautiful music that drowned out their song?

Answer: Orpheus

Orpheus was noted for his beautiful music. When the Argo came to the Sirens and they started singing he played his lute, and his music was so beautiful and so loud it covered the sound of the Sirens. The Argo was then able to pass safely.

7. Passing the island of Crete, the Argo had to contend with the guardian of the island, who was called Talos. What was he made of?

Answer: Bronze

The man of bronze guarded the entrance to, and the way past, Crete by hurling large rocks at any ship that came close. However, he had only one blood vessel that went the length of his body and was kept closed by one bronze nail. Medea cast a spell on him that sent him to sleep. The nail was then removed and he bled to death.

8. When he returned home Jason spurned Medea, choosing instead a political alliance with the daughter of the King of Corinth. As revenge Medea gave the girl what cursed item as a wedding gift?

Answer: Dress

On their return home, Medea persuaded the daughters of King Pelias to kill him, chop him into pieces and boil him in a cauldron, claiming she could renew his youth this way. She demonstrated this on a sheep, which leaped out of the cauldron as a lamb.

However, she left the magic herbs out of the cauldron that the king was in. His son, Acastus, exiled her and Jason for this murder and they settled in Corinth. Jason then became engaged to Creusa as a political alliance. Medea gave her a cursed dress that burned her to death as soon as she put it on.

The king of Corinth also burnt to death trying to save his daughter.

9. Medea killed the two sons she had borne Jason, and then fled in a chariot provided by the sun god, Helios. Where did she go?

Answer: Athens

Thinking that her sons might be murdered or sold as slaves because of her crime, Medea killed them. Her grandfather, the sun god Helios, sent a chariot for her that enable her to escape to Athens. She was gone before Jason knew what had happened. There are various versions of what happens to her after this.

In one she met and married Aegeus. In another she returned home and found her uncle had taken the throne from her father, so she killed him and returned the throne to her father.

10. Jason and which of the Argonauts returned to Ioclus, killed Acastus, son of King Pelias, and reclaimed the throne?

Answer: Peleus

This is where our legend ends. Jason died lonely and unloved. He was sleeping under the hull of the Argo, which was beached and rotting. The hull fell on him, killing him instantly. His son Thessalus became King of Ioclus.

Source: Author Christinap

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

The story of Jason and his quest is a Greek myth or folktale handed down through time. Much of it is familiar from films, but this quiz is based on the original legend.

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