The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles facts for kids

The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles is an exciting children's book. It was written by Padraic Colum, with amazing pictures drawn by Willy Pogany. This book shares many ancient stories from Greek myths, retold in English. It was first published in 1921. In 1922, it received a special award, becoming a Newbery Medal Honor Book.

The Quest for the Golden Fleece

This book tells the story of a brave young man named Jason. He goes on a big adventure far from his home. Jason's main goal is to find the famous Golden Fleece. He doesn't go alone! He takes fifty friends with him. These friends are the strongest and bravest people in the world. They are known as the Argonauts. This is because they sail on a special ship called the Argo.

Meet the Argonauts

One of Jason's most important friends is Orpheus. Orpheus is the best singer and music maker in the whole world. As Jason and his friends travel, Orpheus tells them many other stories. These stories are about the places they visit and the people they meet.

Stories Along the Journey

While searching for the Golden Fleece, the Argonauts hear many tales. Here are some of the stories told in the book:

• Jason's mother tells Jason and his fifty friends the story of the Golden Fleece itself.
• Orpheus shares how the world first began.
• The Argonauts land on an island where only women live. Orpheus tells these women the story of the goddess Demeter. He explains how she lost her daughter Persephone. This story helps explain why winter happens every year.
• Atalanta, who is one of the Argonauts, tells a story about another girl also named Atalanta. This girl was tricked into losing a race.
• Castor and Pollux tell the story of Pandora, Epimetheus, and Pandora's box. This story explains why bad things sometimes happen in the world.
• The Argonauts pass a mountain where Prometheus is chained up. Orpheus tells how Prometheus bravely stole fire from the gods. He then gave this fire to human beings. This story teaches people not to desire things they should not have.
• Orpheus also tells the story of how Perseus killed Medusa. Medusa was a scary monster called a Gorgon. Her hair was made of snakes. She was so terrifying that anyone who looked at her would turn into stone.

Adventures After the Fleece

After Jason finally gets the Golden Fleece, he learns something worrying. If he goes home right away, his mean uncle might try to kill him. So, Jason and his fifty friends decide to go on more adventures instead.

More Heroic Tales

Here are some of the other exciting adventures they have:

• They hunt a giant animal called the Calydonian boar. During this hunt, Atalanta falls in love. Sadly, the man she loves is killed before they can get married.
• One of the Argonauts, Peleus, marries a beautiful sea nymph. They have a son who grows up to be the famous hero, Achilles.
• Theseus, another Argonaut, bravely kills a monster called the Minotaur.
• Hercules is also one of the Argonauts. He performs his well-known labors, which are very difficult jobs. Hercules also hears a funny story about frogs and mice fighting a big battle.
• Orpheus gets married, but his wife sadly dies. Orpheus goes down to the place where dead people stay. He tries to bring his wife back to life. However, he does not succeed.

Finally, it becomes safe for Jason to go back home. He returns and lives happily ever after. He also teaches younger people to have their own exciting adventures.