Golden Fleece
fleece of the gold-haired winged ram in Greek mythology
AI overview
The Golden Fleece is a legendary object from ancient Greek mythology—the wool of a magical, winged ram with golden hair. It became famous as the ultimate prize in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, who undertook a dangerous quest to find and retrieve it.
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Article
Jason returns with the Golden Fleece, shown on an Apulian red-figure calyx krater, c. 340–330 BC In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece (Ancient Greek: Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, romanized: Khrysómallon déras, lit. 'Golden-haired pelt') is the fleece of the golden-woolled, winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where Phrixus then sacrificed it to Zeus. Phrixus gave the fleece to King Aeëtes who kept it in a sacred grove, whence Jason and the Argonauts stole it with the help of Medea, Aeëtes' daughter. The fleece is a symbol of authority and kingship.
In the historical account, the hero Jason and his crew of Argonauts set out on a quest for the fleece by order of King Pelias in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus in Thessaly. Through the help of Medea, they acquire the Golden Fleece. The story is of great antiquity and was current in the time of Homer (eighth century BC). It survives in various forms, among which the details vary.