The Golden Fleece is the fleece of a golden winged ram. The fleece resided in Colchis and was the object that Jason wanted as an order of King Pelias. To obtain it, he organized an expedition with the Argonauts. Athamas, a founder of Halos and king of Orchomenus, married the goddess of hospitality, Nephele. The couple brought two children into the world, a boy named Phrixus and a girl named Helle.
Later Athamas fell in love with a woman named Ino took her as his second wife. Nephele was outraged and left leaving drought. Ino wanted to kill her stepchildren out of jealousy. In order to save her children, Nephele’s spirit appeared to Phrixus and Helle and presented them with a winged ram with gold fleece. The ram was a child of Poseidon and Theophane, a nymph that was the grand-daughter of the sun-god Helios.
Poseidon transformed himself into a ram and Theophane into an ewe so no one would know of their relationship. Phrixus and Helle escaped across the sea. Nephele instructed her children not to look into the sea. Helle looked and fell into the part of the sea. That part was named after her and is known as Hellespont. The ram and Phrixus reached Colchis. There, the winged ram was sacrificed to Poseidon. Phrixus was welcomed by the king, Aeetes. For his generosity, Aeetes was entrusted with the golden fleece of the ram.
The fleece was placed on an oak in a garden dedicated to Ares and guarded by a dragon. When Jason arrived in Colchis, he received the fleece after completing Aeetes three trials.
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