Helle

Helle

Helle was a mortal in Greek mythology, who played an important part in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, along with her twin brother Phrixus. She was the daughter of Athamas, king of Boeotia, and Nephele, a cloud nymph. She was the consort of the god Poseidon, with whom she had two children, Almops and Paeon.

Both siblings were hated by their stepmother Ino, who devised a plan to kill them. She destroyed the crops of the area, and when the locals asked an oracle for help, she bribed the messengers to say that the gods asked for Phrixus to be sacrificed. However, the twins' mother sent a flying golden ram to rescue her children. While on the air, Helle lost her grasp and fell into the sea, which was named Hellespont after her. Phrixus managed to reach the mythical land of Colchis where he was accepted by King Aeetes; to show his gratitude, Phrixus gifted the golden fleece of the ram to the king, which later became the artifact of desire for Jason and the Argonauts.

See Also: Phrixus, Jason, Argonauts, Athamas, Nephele, Poseidon, Ino, Aeetes

Helle Q&A

Who was Helle?

Helle was a mortal in Greek mythology, who played an important part in the myth of Jason and the Argonauts, along with her twin brother Phrixus. She was the daughter of Athamas, king of Boeotia, and Nephele, a cloud nymph.

Who were the parents of Helle?

The parents of Helle were Athamas and Nephele.

Link/Cite Helle Page

You can freely use the content on this page for non-commercial reasons (homework, lessons, school essays or college projects, free online courses) as long as you cite this page as the source.

Written by: The Editors of GreekMythology.com. GreekMythology.com editors write, review and revise subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge based on their working experience or advanced studies.

For MLA style citation use: GreekMythology.com, The Editors of Website. "Helle". GreekMythology.com Website, 29 Mar. 2015, https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Helle/helle.html. Accessed 18 March 2024.