In Thessaly there lived a King and Queen named Athamas and Nephele who had two beautiful children, a boy called Phrixus (his name means curly, as in ram's hair) and a girl named Helle.

But over time King Athamas tired of his wife and decided to take on a new younger one named Ino.

Needless to say, scorned Queen Nephele was crushed, for she truly loved her husband, but foremost in her mind was the welfare of her children. Their evil stepmother harbored ill intent towards them and wished to see them out of the way, so that her own son could inherit the kingdom once King Athamas died.

When the discarded ex-Queen Nephele - who just happened to be a cloud goddess - took her leave of the unfaithful King and his palace in anger and disgust, a terrible drought fell upon the land. All the crops failed, rivers and lakes dried out and great famine and discontent enveloped the kingdom of Thessaly.

Ino, the new Queen of Thessaly, finding opportunity in the midst of misery, seized the moment. The sly woman convinced her new husband King Athamas that the gods were angry, and the only way the drought could be lifted was if his boy Phrixus and his girl Helle were to be offered up in sacrifice.

The King was mortified.

'Say what? Order my own beloved son and daughter murdered on the altar? Can I get a second opinion please?'

When an unscrupulous oracle, who had been bribed by the Queen to corroborate her demented demand, confirmed that Phrixus and his sister Helle must perish for the sake of the kingdom, King Athamas felt he had no choice.

With a heavy heart, he commanded his palace guard to gather up the children and escort them to the temple.

Enter Hermes, who was the Olympian messenger god and all around good guy, truth be told. Clever Hermes had been dispatched by Zeus, the king of the Olympian gods, who was wise to Ino's ruse and wasn't about to let the children perish.

Hermes instructed Queen Nephele on a plan of action. Presenting her with a magical ram that sported a fleece of gold, he told her to place Phrixus and Helle on its back and swiftly they would be carried to safety.

It was Nephele's turn to be incredulous:

"With all due respect, let me get this straight, divine Hermes; you ask me to deposit my two little children on a flying ram, whose fleece is made of pure gold, and, in spite of all the weight, not to mention a lack of wings, you really expect it to fly?

"I understand that it's a magical ram, sent by glorious Zeus, and I realize my little Phrixus has dropped a few kilos since the Festivals, but won't it be just a tad too heavy for the poor ram?"

Hermes assured the concerned mother that all was well. Nephele, or perhaps her spirit, appeared to the children with the winged ram at her side.

The Golden Ram had been sired by Poseidon, lord of the seas, in his primitive ram-form, upon the nymph Theophane, who was the granddaughter of Helios, the sun-god, hence the golden fleece. Long story.

Nephele hugged and kissed her children one last time and sobbing she placed them on the twenty-four carat ram.

'Damn thing better get airborne!' she prayed, holding her breath.

Leaping into the air with ease, the Golden Ram headed east, flying at a great speed as the terrified kids hung on for dear life. Presently their fear left them and like all children, they were filled with exhilaration and wonderment at this magical golden carpet ride.

But as they crossed the strait that divides Europe and Asia, Helle got cocky and reckless and she let go of her brother's waist.

Helle shrieked with delight, raising her arms into the air as they soared through the clouds. Phrixus freaked and pleaded with her to hang on tight, but no, she was having way too much fun.

Suddenly the ram made a slight turn and Helle lost her balance and plunged screaming into the waters, as her petrified brother clung onto the ram in helpless terror, unable to aid his sister. The waters were thereafter named the Hellespont, in honor of Helle.

The ram spoke soothingly to the distraught Phrixus, quieting his fears, and it continued on its flight until it reached the prosperous kingdom of Colchis, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, where King Aetes hospitably received them.

Today the area is known as modern day Sochi, site of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

Phrixus proceeded to sacrifice the ram to his savior Zeus, who had safely delivered him from harm, and he presented its Golden Fleece to King Aetes in gratitude for his welcoming reception.

The king dedicated the fleece to the god of war Ares and placed it in a consecrated grove, under the care of a dragon that never slept.

I'm here to tell you that there's nothing worse than an insomniac, fire breathing dragon. This one was very moody. Its lair was littered with the bones of those unfortunate fools who tried to steal the priceless Fleece.

The dragon rested at the foot of the tree upon which the fleece was placed. Good luck getting near!

To make matters worse, the dragon had magical teeth which, when planted in the ground, would become human soldiers! And if that wasn't enough, the Golden Fleece was defended by bulls with hoofs of brass and fire coming from their breath.

Seriously?

Many years later the hero Jason, and his famous crew of strapping warriors called the Argonauts, sailed to Colchis on their ship the Argo. Their mission was to return the Golden Fleece to Greece, for only then would the ghost of Phrixus rest.

It's the stuff that legends are made of, this heroic voyage by Jason and his Argonauts to recover the Golden Fleece, and it merits its own telling! But this is not the place.

Suffice me to say that, following great challenge and adventure - including a torrid romance with Princess Medea and some scandalizing palace intrigue - Jason slew the dragon and triumphantly returned to Greece with the prized Golden Fleece.

Once Jason had completed his mission, Zeus in recognition of its contribution put the ram's Golden Fleece up in the heavens, where it still appears to this day as the constellation of Aries, joining the honored and exalted Little Animals in a Circle.

ZODIAC

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