In Greek mythology, Jason led the Argonauts on the quest for the Golden Fleece.
Jason was the rightful heir to Iolcos, but his uncle Pelias held the throne. Pelias sent Jason on what he expected to be an impossible mission: retrieving the Golden Fleece from Colchis on the eastern edge of the Black Sea. Jason assembled a crew of heroes known as the Argonauts and sailed aboard the Argo.
The crew included Heracles, Orpheus, Castor, Polydeuces, and the Boreads in many versions, although ancient lists vary. In Colchis, King Aeetes demanded difficult tasks involving fire-breathing bulls and dragon’s teeth. Medea, Aeetes’s daughter and a skilled sorceress, helped Jason complete them and escape with the fleece.
The Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius is the fullest surviving ancient literary account of the voyage. Jason is the leader, while Heracles is one of the famous companions; confusing those roles is a common mistake when identifying the expedition’s hero.