This fleece was the skin of a golden ram which hung in a sacred orchard, guarded by a dragon, at the far

end of the earth. Jason, who was the hero, was given the task of retrieving the fleece, and he plead for the aid of the other Greeks. He was helped by renowned heroes of the past, including Orpheus and Hercules. These 50 heroes were called the Argonauts, because they sailed with Jason in the ship Argo. After many adventures they reached the land of the fleece; and here Jason was aided by the king's daughter, Medea, who was a mighty sorceress. She charmed and then drugged the dragon, so that she and Jason escaped with the treasured prize. Being pursued by Medea's father and his followers, the heroes fled in the Argo and sailed onward. They kept following the coast-line, until at length they encircled the world, that is, the world of Europe as the ancients knew it, and in this manner got back to Greece, having been the first men to see all the wonders of the world. Jason deserted Medea, and she in revenge slew their children. Then, according to one form of the story, she persuaded him to sleep under the shade of the old, rotting hull of the Argo, so that its timbers fell on him, and the ship which had been his glory caused his death.