# Pelias — The Argonautica character guide

> Pelias in The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0000-book-i

## Snapshot

The usurping king of Iolcus who reads doom in a single sandal and answers it by sending Jason to fetch the Golden Fleece, hoping the sea will do what he dare not.

## Who they are

Pelias holds the throne of Iolcus that rightfully belongs to Jason's line, and he knows it — an oracle has warned him that a man wearing one sandal will bring his downfall. When Jason arrives exactly so, Pelias conceals his fear behind hospitality and a royal commission, dispatching the young hero on a voyage from which no one expects him to return. His quiet, calculating malice sets the entire poem in motion, making the Argo's launch less an adventure than a sentence handed down by a nervous tyrant.

## Relationships

### [Aeson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/characters/aeson)

_rivalry_

Aeson and Pelias are bitter enemies, with Pelias having usurped Aeson's throne.

### [Aeson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/characters/aeson)

_rivalry_

Aeson and Pelias are bitter enemies, with Pelias having usurped Aeson's throne.

## In the story

### [Book I: The Gathering of Heroes and the Voyage Begins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/chapters/book-i)

King who receives the oracle and devises the dangerous voyage for Jason to prevent his return.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/characters/pelias
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_argonautica_se/characters