In a time when gods meddled in the affairs of mortals, and heroes embarked on impossible quests, a young prince named Jason was thrust into a dangerous mission. His evil stepfather, a cruel man who had murdered Jason's father and taken his mother captive, demanded Jason bring
him a mystical artifact—the Golden Fleece. This fleece wasn’t just any treasure; it was kept in the faraway land of Colchis, guarded by a dragon that never slept. To reach this distant kingdom, Jason needed more than just courage. He needed a ship that could sail into legend and a crew of heroes whose names would be whispered for centuries.
Thus, the mighty ship Argo was born, blessed by the goddess Athena herself. Jason wasn’t alone in his quest. His crew—the Argonauts—was a who's who of Greek mythology. There was Theseus, the slayer of the Minotaur; Orpheus,
whose music had once charmed the gods of the underworld; and the mighty Heracles, the strongest man who ever lived.
Their journey to Colchis was filled with peril—storms conjured by angry gods, monstrous creatures lurking beneath the waves, and islands filled with danger. But nothing could prepare them for what awaited in Colchis. The Golden Fleece was real, shimmering under the eternal gaze of a dragon that never closed its eyes. And King Aietes, the ruler of this strange land, had no intention of handing it over.
But fate, as always, had a twist. Istria – carved by Greek gods…
The king's daughter, Medea, a powerful sorceress, saw Jason and fell madly in love. And love makes people do wild things. She betrayed her father and gave Jason the secret to defeating the dragon. Armed with magical words, Jason lulled the beast into a deep sleep, snatched the fleece, and with Medea by his side, fled to the Argo.
But King Aietes was no fool. Furious at his daughter’s betrayal, he sent his son, Apsyrtos, to chase down the fugitives. The gods themselves took notice. Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon watched from Mount Olympus as Jason’s ship sped across the seas. Athena, still loyal to Jason, tried to protect him, but Poseidon, the god of the sea, took the side of Apsyrtos. The sea raged, and a great battle broke out on the waters. In the chaos, Poseidon shattered Athena’s magical shield, made from the skin of a sacred goat. But Zeus, ever the creator, took the broken pieces of the shield and threw them into the sea, forming the Istrian peninsula and its surrounding islands.
The Argonauts found refuge in this newly formed land, hiding from their pursuers in a place rich with fresh water. They founded a city—Pula—which would one day become the capital of Istria. The Romans, much later, would stumble upon the water source and build a grand temple in its honor, calling it the Nymphaeum. And so, Pula became known as the "city of fugitives," a place born from the desperation of heroes. But Jason and Medea knew their troubles weren’t over. Apsyrtos, Medea's brother, was closing in, and the only way to stop him was through treachery. Medea, torn between love and loyalty, led her brother into Jason’s trap. What followed was a tale so dark, even the gods looked away.
Medea killed Apsyrtos, cutting him into pieces, and scattered his remains into the Adriatic Sea. From the drops of his blood, new islands—Cres and Lošinj—rose from the waters.Istria – carved by Greek gods…
Jason and Medea’s love wouldn’t last. After their breakup, Medea returned to Istria, heartbroken and full of sorrow.
She wandered the land, her tears giving birth to countless springs and rivers. She founded a new city—Medveja—where she lived out the rest of her days, forever linked to the lost Liburnian civilization. To this day, Medveja stands as a testament to her grief, while the stories of Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts echo across the waters of the Adriatic, a reminder that even the greatest heroes and gods could not escape their fate.
What became of the fleece afterwards we do not know, but perhaps it was found after all, like many other golden prizes, not worth the trouble it had cost to procure it. Istria – carved by Greek gods…
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