Greek mythology has been a favourite source of story-telling for three thousand years. “The Clashing Rocks” by Ian Serraillier tells the story of Jason and The Argonauts.

Avid readers of Harry Potter will be familiar with centaurs, and the story opens with Chiron the centaur, who brings up Jason, whose father was held prisoner by his half-brother and denied his right to be King of Iolcos. As a young man, Jason is forced on a long and perilous journey to restore his father’s rights, the ultimate task of which is to bring the Golden Fleece back to Iolcos. Jason, together with 50 volunteers, set sail in a galley named Argo. The Gods are kind to Jason and his Argonauts and help them in their battles against the likes of Harpies, Sirens, and other fearsome and magical creatures. Stories like these are never too old to be retold, nor to be revisited.

A couple of efforts have been made to make a film of this story, the earlier one (1963) by far the more successful. This book and film were released in the same year.

The BBC has a terrific website that gives a very thorough historical perspective to the story – a superb educational resource.