Jason and the Argonauts quest for the Golden Fleece is one of the most renowned stories in Greek mythology. The son of Aeson and rightful heir to the kingdom of Iolcos, Jason would have to retrieve the Golden Fleece in order to reclaim his homeland, with the famous witch Medea, the great hero Hercules, and the renowned poet Orpheus all joining him on the adventure.

Long ago, in the region of Boetia, King Athamas ruled with his wife Nephili and had two twin children. Athamas later deserted his family, marrying Eno. Eno became jealous and devised a plan to get rid of the twins. She secretly burned all the city's seeds, causing a famine. Desperate, the people sought assistance from the oracle of Delphi, but Eno had bribed the messengers to lie and tell Athamas that the only way to avoid famine was to sacrifice his first-born son, Phryxus. As Phryxus was about to be sacrificed, his mother, Nephili, appeared with a winged ram and instructed him to escape. Phryxus and his twin sister Heli flew east on the ram, but Heli fell into the water and drowned. The waterway was named the Hellespont in her honor. Phryxus continued his journey and landed in the kingdom of Colchis.