The Golden Fleece | Page 3

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THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE HEROES WHO LIVED
BEFORE ACHILLES BY PADRAIC COLUM
1921

Part I. The Voyage to Colchis

I. The Youth Jason
A man in the garb of a slave went up the side of that mountain that is
all covered with forest, the Mountain Pelion. He carried in his arms a
little child.
When it was full noon the slave came into a clearing of the forest so
silent that it seemed empty of all life. He laid the child down on the soft
moss, and then, trembling with the fear of what might come before him,
he raised a horn to his lips and blew three blasts upon it.
Then he waited. The blue sky was above him, the great trees stood
away from him, and the little child lay at his feet. He waited, and then
he heard the thud-thud of great hooves. And then from between the
trees he saw coming toward him the strangest of all beings, one who
was half man and half horse; this was Chiron the centaur.
Chiron came toward the trembling slave. Greater than any horse was
Chiron, taller than any man. The hair of his head flowed back into his
horse's mane, his great beard flowed over his horse's chest; in his man's
hand he held a great spear.

Not swiftly he came, but the slave could see that in those great limbs of
his there was speed like to the wind's. The slave fell upon his knees.
And with eyes that were full of majesty and wisdom and limbs that
were full of strength and speed, the king-centaur stood above him. "O
my lord," the slave said, "I have come before thee sent by Aeson, my
master, who told me where to come and what blasts to blow upon the
horn. And Aeson, once King of Iolcus, bade me say to thee that if thou
dost remember his ancient friendship with thee thou wilt, perchance,
take this child and guard and foster him, and, as he grows, instruct him
with thy wisdom."
"For Aeson's sake I will rear and foster this child," said Chiron the
king-centaur in a deep voice.
The child lying on the moss had been looking up at the four-footed and
two-handed centaur. Now the slave lifted him up and placed him in the
centaur's arms. He said:
"Aeson bade me tell thee that the child's name is Jason. He bade me
give thee this ring with the great ruby in it that thou mayst give it to the
child when he is grown. By this ring with its ruby and the images
engraved on it Aeson may know his son when they meet after many
years and many changes. And another thing Aeson bade me say to thee,
O my lord Chiron: not presumptuous is he,