Myths, Fairytales and Legends

A political rival sends Jason on a hopeless errand, to fetch the golden fleece.

Jason has been denied the crown of Iolcus which is his by right. Nonetheless, he gamely agrees to win it back, by fetching the legendary golden fleece from the Kingdom of Colchis on the Black Sea.

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Long before Jason came to claim it, the golden fleece had already saved a boy’s life.

King Athamas’s first wife was the cloud-goddess Nephele, but she grew restless and left him. His choice of Ino as her successor proved even more disastrous.

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When Polydectes, King of Seriphos, sent Perseus to get the Gorgon’s head, he hoped the boy would never come back.

Polydectes, King of Seriphos, sent Perseus to get the vile Gorgon’s head, thinking it was a hopeless errand that would lead to the boy’s death.

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A casual act of mercy brought an unexpected reward.

When the King of Jungle let a lippy little mouse go, he had no idea that he was saving his own life too.

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Some people disparage what they can’t have.

In this Aesop’s Fable, a hungry fox tries to hide his own failings by laying the blame on someone else.

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A fox tries to save herself from a fall, but finds she would have been better off taking the tumble.

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