This golden fleece was the skin of the magic winged ram, sent by the god Hermes to rescue the brother and sister Phrixus and Helle from death.  The ram carried them over the sea but Helle fell into the water below, thereafter known as the Hellespont.  Phrixus reached Colchis, in Asia Minor.  There he sacrificed the animal and gave it to Ae�tes, the King of that land, to thank him for his hospitality.  The King of Colchis dedicated the fleece to the god Ares and hung it from a holm-oak, guarded by a dragon.

Obeying his step-uncle's orders, Jason gathered together a group of brave men, and set sail with them aboard a ship called the Argos.  The men who took part in the expedition were called the Argonauts, after the ship.  When Jason and the heroes of the Argos arrived at Colchis, they told the king that they had come to remove the golden fleece.

Afraid of losing the precious treasure, King Ae�tes did not refuse to hind it over, but he made it a condition that Jason, unaided, must yoke some of the wild bulls of Hephaestus, which breathed fire from their nostrils and had bronze hooves.  The hero, dispirited, did not think he could accomplish the task, but the King's daughter Medea was prepared to help him.  The princess, who was a skilful sorceress, had fallen in love with the hero and made him promise that if he succeeded in his task thanks to her help, he would marry her and take her back to Greece with him.  Jason found the young woman very beautiful and appealing and agreed with alacrity.

Assisted by the clever princess, Jason yoked the bull of Hephaestus, and , in a second test, defeated some giant warriors.  The triumphant hero went to King Ae�tes to demand the golden fleece.  'You've done well,' said the King, 'you have successfully carried out the difficult task I set you.  I suspect that you did not do this alone, but you are entitled to try to gain possession of the thing you have come to seek.  So go and take the golden fleece, which is hanging from a tree guarded by a dragon who will not allow anybody to approach.  Do not wound him or hurt him in the slightest, for he is a dragon dedicated to the god Ares.  You must steal the fleece while he is asleep.  That is my last condition.'

The King knew that the clever dragon slept with his eyes open and closed them when he was awake, to deceive the unwary, and he thought that Jason would fall into the trap.  However, Medea overheard her father talking about the trick, and gave away the secret to her beloved hero.  And so, Jason and the Argonauts waited until night when the monster would open his eyes and sleep.  Stealthily they stole the golden fleece and fled to Iolcos aboard the Argos.  With them fled Princess Medea, and together they went on to face new dangers.