Aries (constellation)

Originally posted to Shrubbery, 9 Oct 2003

Aries is the first zodiacal constellation and is said to represent the golden ram.

King Athamas of Orchomenus (or all of Boetia, depending on who you read) had sent away his former wife (the nymph Nephele) to marry Ino. Ino was extremely jealous of her stepchildren Phrixus and Helle and was soon plotting to have them destroyed.

It happened that the land was suffering through a famine, and Ino managed to bribe the oracle to twist her words in such a way that Athamas would believe he had to sacrifice his children to bring rain. The preparations for the sacrifice were already in full swing when Nephele begged Zeus to somehow rescue her children from this fate.

Just as the children were about to die, a magic golden ram came running through the procession and boosted the two children onto its back, taking off at a gallop and flying through the air to take them away from the danger.

The ram flew quickly toward safety in the land of Colchis, but as they passed over the narrow strip of water between the two countries young Helle lost her grip and fell to her death. To this day the strait is called the Hellespont.

Phrixus soon landed in Colchis and was adopted as a son by King Aeetes there. In thankfulness Phrixus sacrificed the golden ram (I guess that's one way to thank your rescuer...) and gave its fleece to the king. He in turn hung it in a sacred grove and set an unsleeping dragon over it to guard it.

Many years later the golden fleece became the quest of Jason and the Argonauts. And no, I'm not going to type that whole story -- you can look it up on your own if you like.