Jason was the son of Aeson, the rightful heir to the kingdom of Iolcus, whose brother Pelias had usurped his position. To protect the young Jason, his mother sent him to the hills where he was “home-schooled” by the centaur Chiron. So it was that Jason, like so many heroes, was threatened in childhood by a representative of the status quo. When, after twenty years of exile, Jason returned to claim his rights as heir to Aeson, Pelias agreed to give up the throne if Jason would bring him the famous Golden Fleece.