Golden fleece - Definition

For the order of chivalry, see Order of the Golden Fleece.

In Greek mythology, the ram with the Golden Fleece was given to Nephele of Thessaly by Hermes for her to transport her children, Helle and Phrixus, away from Ino. The ram flew eastwards and while Helle fell into the sea (at the point named Hellespont) Phrixus was carried to Colchis. Phrixus sacrificed the ram to Zeus and presented its fleece to the King of Colchis, Aeetes.

The legend of the Argonauts relates that once upon a time in Aea-Colchis there ruled the mighty King Aeetes, son of Helios and father of Medea. Alongside with other numerous riches he possessed the Golden Fleece - the skin of a sheep with golden fleece. Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus on the ship "Argo" and tried to take the fleece from Colchis to enable Jason to claim his inheritance. Overcoming many hazards, they eventually recovered the fleece with the help of Medea, who married Jason.

See also

• Jason
• Aeetes
• Medea
• Apsyrtus
• Argonauts

Literature

• Franz Grillparzer, "Das goldene Vlies" (trilogy of plays, 1821)
• Akaki Urushadze. "The Country of the Enchantress Medea", Tbilisi, 1984, 25 pp (in Russian and English)