The phrase "golden fleece" allegorically means the wealth that everyone wants to master. This concept is closely related to Greek mythology and the brave Argonauts who went to distant Colchis to fight the terrible dragon and get a magical sheepskin - a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
What is the Golden Fleece?
The very word "fleece" means the sheep's wool, which is sheared from the animal, without harming it. Previously, the precious metal in the Caucasus was mined by dropping a sheepskin into the water of a gold-bearing river, and grains of precious metal settled in long wool. This way of mining is not confirmed, so it is not completely clear what the golden fleece looks like: whether it really was or is one of the many legends of Hellas.
Golden Fleece - Myths of Ancient Greece
There are several variations of the ancient Greek myths that tell us about the Golden Fleece: the legend says that King Ahmamant lived in the Greek city of Orchomen, the goddess of the clouds of Nefel fell in love with him, and they had children - the son of Frick and the daughter of Gell. However, Nephela was a goddess eternally sad, melancholic and therefore bored with the king, and he married the daughter of the Theban king. The wicked stepmother disliked the children of Afamanta and decided to ruin them.
Nephela learned about this and sent her children from heaven a wonderful ram, on the back of which Frix and Gella fleeing from the persecution of the evil stepmother. The son of the king managed to escape the chase off the coast of Colchis (present-day Georgia). Афамант as gratitude has brought this ram in a victim, and a skin has presented to the governor of this country. Subsequently, the wool of a magic ram became a symbol of the prosperity of the country of the Kolkhs. She was guarded by a fierce, eternally awake dragon in a mysterious grove. It was almost impossible to get the relic, and only one hero dared to do it.
Where was the golden fleece?
The Golden Fleece, the myth of which the ancient Greeks had laid, was actually on the shores of the Black Sea, in the territory of modern western Georgia, in the state of Colchis. This is the ancestor of the first feudal Georgian state, which had a great influence on the formation of the Georgian people. There, on the territory of the city of Seneti, during excavations, materials were found that shed light on the history of this extraordinary sheep skin and its abduction.
Who guarded the golden fleece?
As a symbol of wealth and prosperity, the wool of a magical sheep was carefully guarded by the Colchians, hung on a sacred oak tree in a mysterious grove, and next to it stood a breathing fire-breathing dragon. The Golden Fleece obtained the Greek hero Jason by cunning. With the help of the daughter of the goddess of witch Medea, the hero crept to the guard of the magical artifact, put him to sleep and took possession of the treasure. To find out who went for the golden fleece, let us turn again to Ancient Greece.
Who extracted the golden fleece?
The flows of King Aamant could not share power. The great grandson of King Yason had to hide in the mountains from the persecution of his uncle - the insidious Pelia. Having spent 20 years in education with the wise centaur Chiron, the young man became brave and strong, so in battle he was no longer defeated, and Pelius decided to act cunning. He told his nephew that to renounce the throne, it is necessary to return to his homeland the famous golden fleece. The brave hero immediately undertook to carry out the assignment and recruited a whole team of brave warriors.
The ship of brave souls who sailed for the golden fleece was called "fast" - "Argo", and the volunteers themselves called themselves Argonauts. A lot of obstacles had to be overcome by Jason before he managed to swim to the country of the Colchians, where the golden fleece was located, and the Argonauts helped him in this: they fought with giants and terrible harpies, relieved Bethany of the despotic king and helped all who needed help in their path. Only after many years the soldiers managed to finally reach the shores of Colchis and seize the cherished artifact. Jason and the golden fleece, which he extracted, glorified the ancient Hellas.