When Jason returned home Medea warned him that his wicked uncle Pelias probably hadn’t become any less wicked during Jason’s absence and to leave everything to her.
Medea went into the city of
Iolchus disguised as a witch.
1 She brought along with her a cauldron and an old ram.
Saying she knew how to make the old young again, she sprinkled magic herbs onto the boiling water and threw in the old ram; instantly out jumped a new lamb.
It didn’t take Pelias long to size up the potential of this demonstration; he didn’t know about Viagra, but if he had, he’d have said this beat it all to heck.
He said to his daughters, “Go down in the courtyard there and get me some of them magic herbs.”
They came back with the herbs and instructions for their use, and once they had a cauldron of water boiling they sprinkled on the herbs and threw in Pelias.
Then they were all like, “I don’t know what’s cooking, but it smells yummy.”
Turns out the herbs Pelias paid for were just rosemary and oregano or something and not magic herbs at all.
So Medea and Jason entered the city in safety BUT when the citizens discovered the trick Medea had pulled on Pelias they didn’t want anything to do with her, so after all Jason had gone through, he didn’t get to be king after all.
1. It didn't take that much disguising.
