Home

Phrixus

Phrixus is a figure from Greek mythology, a Boeotian prince, the son of Athamas and Nephele, and the brother of Helle. When his stepmother Ino plotted against them—fomenting famine to remove the children—the gods sent a miraculous golden ram to rescue Phrixus and Helle. During the flight, Helle fell into the sea, and the strait was named the Hellespont after her.

Phrixus reached Colchis with the ram and sacrificed it to Zeus. As a token of gratitude, he

In some versions of the myth, Phrixus’s escape is tied to the divine intervention of the gods,

Legacy and name variants: In later antiquity, Phrixus is sometimes rendered as Phrixos. His story is generally

presented
the
Golden
Fleece
to
King
Aeetes.
Aeetes
welcomed
Phrixus,
who
married
Aeetes’
daughter
Chalciope,
and
they
had
a
son
named
Argus.
The
fleece
was
placed
in
a
sacred
site
in
Colchis,
guarded
by
a
dragon,
where
it
remained
until
Jason
and
the
Argonauts
later
sought
it.
and
the
details
of
Ino’s
schemes
and
the
fate
of
Helle
vary.
The
Golden
Fleece
itself
became
a
powerful
symbol
of
kingship
and
legitimate
rule,
and
its
quest
formed
a
central
part
of
the
later
Argonautica.
viewed
as
a
prelude
to
the
voyage
of
the
Argonauts,
framing
the
origin
of
the
quest
for
the
Golden
Fleece
within
a
broader
mythic
genealogy.