THE VOYAGE OF THE ARGONAUTS. 27

was told that if he wished to prove his descent from
the gods and their sanction of his voyage, he must
harness these terrible animals, plough with them a
large field, and sow it with dragons’ teeth.

Perilous as this task seemed, each of the heroes
was eager to undertake it, but Jason, as the leader
of the expedition, took it upon himself. Fortune
favored him in the desperate undertaking. Medea,
the daughter of Metes, who knew all the arts of
magic, had seen the handsome youth and fallen in
love with him at sight. She now came to his aid
with all her magic. Gathering an herb which had
grown where the blood of Prometheus had fallen,
she prepared from it a magical ointment which,
when rubbed on Jason’s body, made him invulner-
able either to fire or weapons of war. Thus pre-
pared, he fearlessly approached the fire-breathing
bulls, yoked them unharmed, and ploughed the field,
in whose furrows he then sowed the dragons’ teeth.
Instantly from the latter sprang up a crop of armed
men, who turned their weapons against the hero.
But Jason, who had been further instructed by Me-
dea, flung a great stone in their midst, upon which
they began to fight each other, and he easily subdued
them all.

Jason had accomplished his task, but Aetes proved
unfaithful to his words. He not only withheld the
prize, but took steps to kill the Argonauts and burn
their vessel. They were invited to a banquet, and
armed men were prepared to murder them during
the night after the feast. Fortunately, sleep over-
came the treacherous king, and the adventurers,