The Golden Fleecing
Encyclopedia
The Golden Fleecing is a Scrooge McDuck
comic book
story from 1955, written and drawn by Carl Barks
. It's about Scrooge who wants the Golden Fleece
to make a jacket.
, who has never heard of Seikral, is suspicious of the Eikral's intentions, so he asks his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie
to look up the name Seikral in the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook. It mentions Jason
and the Argonauts
. The nephews figure out that "Seikral" is "Larkies" spelled backwards and Larkies are creatures who are half women, half birds
.
Donald and the nephews are about to warn Scrooge that he is walking into a trap set by Larkies, but at the last minute Donald gets captured with Scrooge and they are both prisoners on Mt. Colchis
. Huey, Dewey and Louie come to the rescue in a helicopter. One of the Larkies agrees to help Scrooge and Donald escape if Scrooge says that her recipe is the best. To Scrooge's chagrin, it happened to be parsnip
pudding and Scrooge hates parsnips. Later, the Larkie that cooked the parsnip pudding lets Scrooge and Donald go but regrets it, so she later tricks them into yelling the word "Seikral" to find the way into the cave. The Larkies find out that they escaped and bombard them near to the point of submission. However, the nephews arrive and drive the beasts off.
Eventually, Scrooge and Donald reunite with the nephews and they find the Golden Fleece and defeat the Sleepless Dragon. After that, they go back to Duckburg and Donald and the nephews watch Scrooge take his old coat out of the trash because his new one, being made of metal with no insulating value, is too cold to wear.
animated television episode. Donald was replaced with Launchpad McQuack and Ludwig von Drake
was added. Also, in the DuckTales version, Scrooge doesn't keep the Golden Fleece but leaves it in Colchis.
This story was originally printed in Uncle Scrooge #12 then reprinted in Gladstone Comic Album #19 and Uncle Scrooge Adventures #28 and then Carl Barks' Greatest DuckTales Stories #2.
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
story from 1955, written and drawn by Carl Barks
Carl Barks
Carl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
. It's about Scrooge who wants the Golden Fleece
Golden Fleece
In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the gold-haired winged ram, which can be procured in Colchis. It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest by order of King Pelias for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus...
to make a jacket.
Storyline
Scrooge wants a coat made of solid gold, but the coat merchant tells him there is no such thing. Despite that, Scrooge still wants one, so he meets a strange man who is known as an Eikral who is from the country of Seikral. Donald DuckDonald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
, who has never heard of Seikral, is suspicious of the Eikral's intentions, so he asks his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie
Huey, Dewey and Louie
Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck are a trio of fictional, anthropomorphic ducks who appear in animated cartoons and comic books published by the Walt Disney Company. Identical triplets, the three are Donald Duck's nephews. Huey, Dewey, and Louie were created by Ted Osborne and Al Taliaferro, and first...
to look up the name Seikral in the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook. It mentions Jason
Jason
Jason was a late ancient Greek mythological hero from the late 10th Century BC, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus...
and the Argonauts
Argonauts
The Argonauts ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts", therefore, literally means...
. The nephews figure out that "Seikral" is "Larkies" spelled backwards and Larkies are creatures who are half women, half birds
Harpy
In Greek mythology, a harpy was one of the winged spirits best known for constantly stealing all food from Phineas...
.
Donald and the nephews are about to warn Scrooge that he is walking into a trap set by Larkies, but at the last minute Donald gets captured with Scrooge and they are both prisoners on Mt. Colchis
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
. Huey, Dewey and Louie come to the rescue in a helicopter. One of the Larkies agrees to help Scrooge and Donald escape if Scrooge says that her recipe is the best. To Scrooge's chagrin, it happened to be parsnip
Parsnip
The parsnip is a root vegetable related to the carrot. Parsnips resemble carrots, but are paler than most carrots and have a sweeter taste, especially when cooked. The buttery, slightly spicy, sweet flavor of cooked mature parsnips is reminiscent of butterscotch, honey, and subtle cardamom...
pudding and Scrooge hates parsnips. Later, the Larkie that cooked the parsnip pudding lets Scrooge and Donald go but regrets it, so she later tricks them into yelling the word "Seikral" to find the way into the cave. The Larkies find out that they escaped and bombard them near to the point of submission. However, the nephews arrive and drive the beasts off.
Eventually, Scrooge and Donald reunite with the nephews and they find the Golden Fleece and defeat the Sleepless Dragon. After that, they go back to Duckburg and Donald and the nephews watch Scrooge take his old coat out of the trash because his new one, being made of metal with no insulating value, is too cold to wear.
Analysis
The moral of the story is to be happy with what you have if it makes you feel comfortable. This story was later adapted into a DuckTalesDuckTales
DuckTales is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Based on Carl Barks' Uncle Scrooge comic book series, it premiered on September 18, 1987 and ended on November 28, 1990 with a total of four seasons and 100 episodes...
animated television episode. Donald was replaced with Launchpad McQuack and Ludwig von Drake
Ludwig Von Drake
Professor Ludwig von Drake is one of Walt Disney's cartoon and comic book characters. He was first introduced on September 24, 1961, as the presenter in the cartoon An Adventure in Color, part of the first show of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on NBC...
was added. Also, in the DuckTales version, Scrooge doesn't keep the Golden Fleece but leaves it in Colchis.
This story was originally printed in Uncle Scrooge #12 then reprinted in Gladstone Comic Album #19 and Uncle Scrooge Adventures #28 and then Carl Barks' Greatest DuckTales Stories #2.
External links
- The Golden Fleecing in Carl Barks guidebook