Long ago, in the land of Boeotia lived Athamas the Minyan — founder of Halos and king of Boetia. Athamas was not a king for the people. He was infatuated with the worldly desires that besought men, and as such, had no time for the mundane squabbles of his people. The lands of Boetia were abundant with food and lush with life. The king spent his days hosting great feasts, and attending the theater.
The king was content with his life, but he felt he should take a wife to produce an heir.
Many noble men traveled to the kingdom to present their daughter to the king. While many of the girls were indeed fair, the king was not impressed by any, and he turned them all away. He returned to feasting and the theater to stifle his woes.
One day, upon returning home from the theater, he found himself walking along the isolated river bank. Drawn to the waters of the river, he noticed a woman bathing in its stream.
Athamas could not take his eyes off of her. Never before had he seen such beauty. It was as if the beauty of the goddesses combined stood before him.
His assumption was close. Bathing in the river was the cloud nymph Nephele — created by Zeus in the image of Hera.
Athamas decided he had to have her, and he stole her away to his palace. There, they were married and celebrations of the union lasted for days.
Out of this marriage, two children were born: the twins Phrixus and Helle. As the first born son, Phrixus was the heir to the throne of Boetia. Phrixus and his sister Helle were doted on, and loved by both of their parents.
This happiness lasted for many years, but soon the king found himself bored of his familial life. During a diplomatic visit from Cadmus, the king of Thebes, Athamas became enamored with the king's daughter, Ino.
The affair between the king and Ino soon became public knowledge, and Cadmus demanded reparations. Athamas gleefully divorced his wife, and married Ino. The wedding celebrations lasted a month.
Nephele, having been forced to marry a man who so readily threw her away, wasn't so gleeful about the divorce. In anger, she cursed Boeotia, and a drought came upon the land.
For many years the people struggled with famine. Despite their prayers and sacrifice, the rains never came. They blamed the king for damning them, and the only crop that grew in Boetia was resentment. Resentment, as it were, could grow in even the driest of climates.
Ino, the queen of Boetia, bore two sons from the king: Learchus and Melicertes. Athamas loved his children by Ino, but his true pride was his first born Phrixus.
Ino had no love for the king's first born children. She despised the twins, and did everything she could to make them miserable. She considered her first born son, Learchus, to be the rightful heir. Ino begged the king to declare him thus, but to her dismay he declined.
Ino, in a state of contempt, could not bear the thought of Phrixus sitting on the throne. She began to plot his demise, and cleverly began to sow the seeds of his destruction.
Her handmaids were daughters of farmers. They left every week to visit their families. Thinking of the anger amongst the commoners, Ino planted a thought into her handmaids heads: a sacrifice of royal blood may surely bring the rains.
Her deceit worked, and the idea spread throughout the land until the commoners stood outside the palace, demanding the lives of Phrixus and Helle.
The king wasn't keen on the idea, and attempted to persuade the commoners into sacrificing a virgin, or a pig — anything other than his beloved children. The mob would not relent, and the king desperately turned to his wife for ideas. Alas, Athamas was unaware of the source of the conundrum, and the queen's silver tongue convinced him there was no other way to end the drought.
An altar was erected, and the children were led to it. They cried to their father for mercy, but he looked away in shame. Their cries reached the ears of their mother, Nephele, who begged the god Poseidon to save them. Feeling pity for the children, Poseidon summoned the winged ram Chrysomallos, and instructed him to fly the children to safety.
Chrysomallos did as he was bid, and upon his arrival at the altar, his golden fleece reflected the rays of the sun so that the mob was blinded. The children climbed aboard his back, rose into the air, and flew over the sea.
As the trio flew, the golden ram instructed the children not to look down toward the Earth, for they would surely get dizzy and fall. Helle couldn't help but look down, and upon doing so, lost her grip and fell into the sea. There was no saving her, and Chrysomallos encouraged Phrixus to carry on.
The remaining two arrived on the shores of Colchis, and were greeted by the king Aeetes. Aeetes, son of the god Helios, knew of the boy's arrival and prepared accordingly. He welcomed Phrixus into his home as if he were his own son.
In gratitude, Phrixus sacrificed Chrysomallos to Poseidon. He then gave the Golden Fleece of the ram to Aeetes. The Golden Fleece was preserved in the sacred grove of Ares. It hung on an oak tree, guarded by a dragon who never slept. This dragon would later spare off with the hero, Jason.
In recognition of the ram's deed, the Gods placed him amongst the stars, where he become the constellation Aries.
