FAQ

The Greek myth stories were originally learned by heart and performed orally by travelling storytellers at a time before Greek was a written language. It's not surprising that different versions got told and when mythographers later started to write them down, these different versions survived, so that some versions of the Golden Fleece story include Atalanta as an Argonaut, while others do not. However, the same is true of almost all the men. Only a few of them appear in every version of the story

In Greek myth, Atalanta is an A-list hero, the swiftest mortal, an expert archer, hunter and wrestler, who played a pivotal role in that other assembly of great heroes, the Calydonian Boar-hunt. Jason managed to assemble all the greatest heroes of Greece (apart from Theseus who was trapped in the underworld at the time) and Atalanta would have been on anyone's first team. The versions which omit her say Jason was concerned about sexual tensions arising from including an attractive young woman on a long sea-voyage (maybe a bit surprising as Heracles had his beautiful (male) lover along) but the versions which include her mention no problems of this type.

No doubt another reason for including her in this movie is the lack of other women in the story. In the 1963 version (made at a time when strong female roles weren't considered important) she doesn't appear.

Of course it isn't completely faithful but it is close to the myth. Here is what doesn't appear in the myth:

*Hercules is actually the Roman name for the hero. His Greek name was Heracles

*the Argonauts encounter the sirens and a bronze giant called Talos after they have left Colchis

*Jason actually had to yoke two bulls and neither were mechanical. Also he didn't fight the warriors from the dragon's teeth, he threw a stone into them and they attacked each other.

*Atalanta never had feelings for Jason. However an Argonaut called Meleager had feelings for her although they were never reciprocated.

*Pelias also had three other daughters who don't seem to appear.

*Hercules was a son of Zeus, not Hera

*Acastus was not Jason's brother, merely his cousin instead. Also he did not betray the Argonauts, he took over the throne when Pelias died (see below).

*the entire last part of the feature is untrue. Jason did not kill Pelias, Medea tricked his three daughters to kill him and she and Jason were driven into exile. They did not live happily ever after.

Added to the above: The answers above cover many of the most important discrepancies, though it's worth pointing out that the various ancient mythographers give different accounts of various incidents along the way, and all kinds of other things have been missed out, too many to list here. My favourite source is Pseudo-Apollodorus, who writes well and tends to deal with things in more depth than some of the others.

If we're quibbling over Greek names, it's worth pointing out that Castor's brother was Polydeuces, not Pollux.

It may well be the case that 'the entire last part of the feature' does not accord with any myth version. The other poster is correct that Jason and Medea didn't live 'happily ever after' but nor did they just get 'driven into exile'. In fact they did live happily, for a while at least, as Medea got Jason installed as King of Corinth, a far more important kingdom than Iolcos. However Jason later betrayed her with another woman and ended up a broken old man, killed when the timbers of the rotting Argo collapsed on him. Meanwhile the formidable Medea, after numerous adventures, headed back to Colchis, where her father had been deposed, and restored him to the throne.

In addition to changing the name of Jason's home from Iolcos to Ioclos, they changed the name of the king of Colchis from Aeetes to Aertes.