It was guarded by a dragon that never slept. Phrixus sacrificed the ram to Zeus and gave the Golden Fleece to the king, who placed it in an oak tree in a sacred grove. But Phrixus reached the land of Colchis and was welcomed by its ruler, King Aeetes (pronounced ye-EE-teez). While flying over the water on the ram, Helle fell off and drowned. She then arranged to have blame for the famine placed on her stepchildren and convinced Athamas that he must sacrifice Phrixus to Zeus (pronounced ZOOS), the king of the gods, to restore the kingdom's prosperity.įearful for her children's lives, Nephele sought help from the god Hermes (pronounced HUR-meez), and he sent a winged ram with a fleece of gold to carry Phrixus and Helle to safety. First, she cunningly had seeds destroyed so that crops would not grow, resulting in a famine. Jealous of Phrixus and Helle, Ino plotted against them. After a time, Athamas grew tired of Nephele and took a new wife, Ino (pronounced EYE-noh), with whom he had two sons. Jason's adventure, however, was only one part of the story of the Golden Fleece, which began years earlier.Īccording to legend, King Athamas (pronounced ATH-uh-mas) of Boeotia (pronounced bee-OH-shuh) in Greece had two children by his wife Nephele (pronounced NEF-uh-lee): a son, Phrixus (pronounced FRIK-suhs), and a daughter, Helle (pronounced HEL-ee). The fleece, which came from a magic ram, hung in a sacred grove of trees in the distant land of Colchis (pronounced KOL-kis).

One of the best-known stories in Greek mythology concerns the hero Jason and his quest for the Golden Fleece.

Pindar's Pythian Ode, Apollonius Rhodius's Argonautica, Euripides' Medea Myth Overview

The Golden Fleece by Robert Graves