Introduction
Aeson was the legitimate king of Iolcos, overthrown by his ambitious half-brother Pelias. His infant son Jason was smuggled away to be raised safely by the centaur Chiron.
Family
- Children: Jason
Restoration Denied
When Jason returned as a young man to reclaim his father's throne, Pelias set him the seemingly impossible task of retrieving the Golden Fleece, hoping he would perish in the attempt. In some tellings, Aeson was murdered by Pelias while Jason was away; in others, Medea later restored his youth with her sorcery before his death, one of her first demonstrations of magical power in the saga.
As with all figures of Greek heroic legend, sources diverge on many particulars; the account above follows the most widely transmitted classical tradition.