Back story
Before Jason there lives a sister and brother, Helle and Phryxus who were born to the king of Bœotia, Athamas, and a cloud-nymph, Nephele. As the story goes King Athamas fell to the seduction of another woman, possibly Queen of Thebes, Ino, and left his wife. Nephele, being a nymph, had to leave her children with her husband. Ino, Athamas' new wife, despised her step-children and planned their downfall. To get rid of the children that were not her own, Ino ruined all the seeds that the farmers had for the crops. Afraid of the famine that had befallen them, the farmers went to an oracle for advice. It was here where Ino intervened and bribed the oracle to lie and say that they needed to sacrifice Phyyxus, her step-son, to the Gods in order to get help.
Nephele, seeing the danger that her children faced in the mortal world, went to Hermes for help, who gave her a golden ram. Nephele sent the ram to save her children from ther fate and Helle and Phryxus were flown off during the sacrifice ritual. The ram flew the children to the land of King Aeëtes, but before they could reach safety, Helle fell of the golden creatures back, falling into the sea and drowning in what is now called Hellespont. Phryxus landed saftley and was taken in by Aeëtes who took him in as a son, and gave Phryxus Chalciope, the kings daughter, for marrige.
Phryxus sacrificed the ram, in the gods honor, and gave the fleece to Aeëtes as a gift of his hospitality, who nailed it up in a tree in the field of Ares, dedicated to the god of war. The story ends with an oracle who declared that the life of Aeëtes depended on the fact that the fleece was kept safe. wanting to keep his life, Aeëtes placed a dragon, who never slept, around the tree to protect the fleece.
Nephele, seeing the danger that her children faced in the mortal world, went to Hermes for help, who gave her a golden ram. Nephele sent the ram to save her children from ther fate and Helle and Phryxus were flown off during the sacrifice ritual. The ram flew the children to the land of King Aeëtes, but before they could reach safety, Helle fell of the golden creatures back, falling into the sea and drowning in what is now called Hellespont. Phryxus landed saftley and was taken in by Aeëtes who took him in as a son, and gave Phryxus Chalciope, the kings daughter, for marrige.
Phryxus sacrificed the ram, in the gods honor, and gave the fleece to Aeëtes as a gift of his hospitality, who nailed it up in a tree in the field of Ares, dedicated to the god of war. The story ends with an oracle who declared that the life of Aeëtes depended on the fact that the fleece was kept safe. wanting to keep his life, Aeëtes placed a dragon, who never slept, around the tree to protect the fleece.