The Colchian Dragon was tasked with guarding the Golden Fleece in the sacred grove of Ares in Colchis. The monster's teeth were harvested by King Aeetes for their magical properties. When they were seeded a tribe of warlike men (Spartoi) sprang up full-grown from the earth.
Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes []
When Jason and the Argonauts came to fetch the fleece, King Aeetes commanded Jason to sow the dragon's teeth in a sacred field of Ares with a plough drawn by fire-breathing bulls - an impossible task to kill the the annoying hero. However, (with the help of King Aeetes daughter, Medea), Jason succeeded, and when the King still refused to give up the fleece, the Argonauts snuck up to the beast, which was put to sleep by the witch Medea, and successfully stole the fleece.
Trivia[]
- There exist different variations of the myth. In some, the beast was slain by Jason instead of being put to sleep by Medea. In one version of the story--preserved only in vase painting--Jason was first devoured and disgorged by the dragon.
- The teeth of the closely related Ismenian Drakon of Thebes, sown by Cadmus, produced a similar crop of men.