In
Greek mythology, Helle figured prominently in the story of
Jason and the
Argonauts.
Phrixus, son of
Athamus and
Nephele, along with his twin Helle, were hated by their stepmother,
Ino. Ino hatched a devious plot to get rid of the twins, roasting all the town's crop seeds so they would not grow. The local farmers, frightened of famine, asked a nearby oracle for assistance. Ino bribed the men sent to the
oracle to lie and tell the others that the oracle required the sacrifice of Phrixus. Before he was killed though, Phrixus and Helle were rescued by a flying golden ram sent by Nephele, their natural mother. Helle fell off the ram into the
Hellespont (which was named after her) and died, but Phrixus survived all the way to
Colchis, where King
Aeetes took him in and treated him kindly, giving Phrixus his daughter,
Chalciope, in marriage. In gratitude, Phrixus gave the king the golden fleece of the ram, which Aeetes hung in a tree in his kingdom.
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