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The Golden Fleece and the Golden-Fleeced Ram: Testimony and Interpretation of Ancient Literary Sources

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The Golden Fleece and the Golden-Fleeced Ram: Testimony and Interpretation of Ancient Literary Sources ISSN 0258-0802. LITERATŪRA 2017 59 (3) DOI: https://doi.org/10.15388/Litera.2017.3.11836 THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE GOLDEN-FLEECED RAM: TESTIMONY AND INTERPRETATION OF ANCIENT LITERARY SOURCES Vita Paparinska University of Latvia, Faculty of Humanities Abstract. The Golden Fleece figures in Greek mythology as the objective of the voyage of the Argo- nauts. The incompatability of the object of the search with the effort invested in its acquisition has furthered discussion of the real meaning of the Golden Fleece, which has generally been accepted to be a metaphor since antiquity. Modernity, especially at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, has been productive and inventive in the decipherment attempts of the metaphor’s hidden mea- ning. A number of interpretation theories has been developed, which, though interesting and well- argumented, are sometimes highly divergent from the interpretation of the Golden Fleece in the ancient sources. A proper understanding of the original or close to original meaning of the me- taphor of the Golden Fleece requires a scrupulous look at ancient Greek and Roman testimony, an overview of which the paper intends to provide. Keywords: the Argonaut myth, the Golden Fleece, metaphor, gold / wealth of Colchis, royal power. The story of the Argonaut voyage sur- mythographic material of the Library of vives in three epic poems: the Argonau- Pseudo-Apollodorus (1st/2nd century AD) tica (Ἀργοναυτικά) of Apollonius Rhodi- and the Fabulae of Hyginus (1st century us (3rd century BC), the Argonautica of BC–early 1st century AD), then the story Gaius Valerius Flaccus (1st century AD) of the Argonaut myth can be reconstructed and the Argonautica Orphica (Ὀρφέως with some certainty. Ἀργοναυτικά) by an unknown author, The reconstructed Argonaut myth cor- probably datable to 5th/6th century AD. responds to the template proposed by the All the three poems speak of the Argo- Russian scholar Vladimir Propp in his nauts’ adventurous voyage to the fabulous study Morphology of the Folktale (Propp land of Colchis in search of the Golden 2009). Namely, the hero undertakes a quest Fleece. Although the Argonautica Orphi- in order to obtain something. The object ca, with its focus on the figure of Orpheus of the quest can be something new, some- and the presentation of the narrative from thing that fulfils a lack in his life or some- Orpheus’ perspective, stands somewhat thing that the hero has been deprived of. apart (Bacon 1925, 37–41), the poems The quest may be the hero’s initiative or of are similar content-wise. If the narrative someone who may have dispatched him. In of the poems is supplemented with the the latter case, the dispatcher may be actu- 68 ally sending the hero off in the hopes of Fleece was a metaphor for religious ex- his death. The quest poses many obstacles piation and purification, for P. W. Forch- and requires an investment of considerable hammer – a metaphor for rain clouds that effort on the part of the hero. During the are brought to Greece in early spring from quest, the hero encounters a magical help- the East, for W. Mannhardt – a metaphor er/donor who provides help in the form of for sunlight, for A. Faust – a metaphor for a material object or critical knowledge that the land of golden grain. M. Svoronos ex- is necessary for the hero to complete his plained the Golden Fleece as a metaphor mission. The hero meets the villain, who for a trophy, the gilded ram-like prow of is a worthy opponent, and he is subjected the ship, which Phrixus, after his escape to an arduous test. The hero battles with the villain, either directly or indirectly, the to Colchis, dedicated in a sanctuary. The outcome being either his victory or death. British classical scholar Janet Ruth Bacon, The hero emerges from the combat as a in her study The Voyage of the Argonauts, winner and, after the victory, though pur- makes a thorough analysis of the above- sued by an adversary, he returns home with mentioned theories, outlining their mer- the object of his quest. The hero’s prize for its and deficiencies, and finally refutes his valorous deeds may be kingship and/or them with good arguments (Bacon 1925, marriage with a princess. 42–66). In Bacon’s opinion, the Argonaut In the Argonaut story, the unusual ele- voyage basically reverberates the explora- ment is the object of the quest – the Golden tions of the Greek mariners in the Mediter- Fleece. Taken at face value, an animal’s ranean sea and beyond: fleece, even if it is golden, seems incom- In its original form the Argonaut story was patible with the efforts invested in its ac- a narrative of a real voyage in the Euxine quisition, even more so as the fleece, after Sea, made by Minyans of Thessaly in the it is procured, disappears from the story. It late fourteenth or early thirteenth c. B. C. is obvious that in the Argonaut story, the This feat, marvellous in itself, became very focus is on the enterprise itself, and the soon embellished with many of the stock quest serves as a theatre for ascertaining incidents of the fairy tales about quests and the heroic status of an outstanding protag- journeys. […] Very early also the voyage onist. The nominal object of the quest is of Jason became connected with another not important. Minyan story, that of Phrixus and the ram, In the second half of the 19th century a myth enshrining the cessation of human and early 20th centuries, the general inter- sacrifice in the royal family of Orchomen- us. […] From Phrixus’ ram came the idea est in the myth and the study of this unique of the fleece, which became golden in as- phenomenon did not bypass the Argonaut sociation with the gold of Colchis (Bacon story. The Golden Fleece was the element 1925, 168–169). of the myth that provoked interpretation attempts. Different theories appeared, gen- Bacon proposes the idea that the erally explaining the Golden Fleece as a Golden Fleece stands for riches imported metaphor. through trade connections from the East For K. O. Müller in his study Or- (Bacon 1925, 138–167). Her argument is chomenos un die Mynier, the Golden based on the evidence of archaeology. 69 The diverse interpretation attempts of ophane, a formosissima virgo whom Nep- the metaphoric meaning of the Golden tune had turned into a female sheep (Hygi- Fleece, which were made in the second nus 1872, 188). The only episode in which half of the 19th century and early 20th the ram appears is the flight of Phrixus and century, have subsided. In the latest philo- Helle, the children of Athamas, the Boe- logical studies (Brill’s Companion to Apol- otian king, and his former wife, Nephele, lonius Rhodius (2008) and the Flavian to Colchis. In the Library of Ps.-Apollo- Epic in the Oxford Readings in Classical dorus, Nephele saves Phrixus from being Studies series (2016)), the shift of focus on sacrificed by giving him a golden-fleeced paratextual aspects promotes more inter- ram, whom she had received from Hermes, est in the motivation of an ancient author and the ram carries Phrixus and Helle to select a particular myth. The Golden away to Colchis (Apollodorus 1921, 1.9.1) Fleece is accepted to be a metaphor with- In Hyginus’ Fabulae, the golden-fleeced out much discussion of its meaning. On ram is sent as a saviour by Nebula to her the one hand, it is understandable. The di- children Phrixus and Helle who, overcome versity of the Golden Fleece interpretation by madness, are wandering in a forest (Hy- options proves that from a (comparatively) ginus 1872, 3). modern perspective, an ancient concept or The manner of Prixus and Helle’s es- phenomenon can be interpreted in a num- cape, but for the decisive help of the gold- ber of ways. On the other hand, digression en-fleeced ram, was not firmly established from the modern theories and an exclusive in antiquity – this is convincingly proven consideration of the views that antiquity by the British scholar D. Robertson. His had of the Golden Fleece is of scholarly study shows that the majority of literary interest. texts speak of Phrixus and Helle swim- A possible start would be the figure of ming on the back of the ram or beside him. the golden ram, the carrier of the Golden Swimming scenes have been identified on Fleece, κριὸς χρυσόμαλλος (Diodorus Sic- vases, coins and other objects. Flying on ulus 1935, 4.47.1) or aries inauratus, (Hy- the back of the ram is supported by few ginus 1872, 3) itself. literary references (Robertson 1940, 1–8). The ancient texts do not say much When the ram had completed his res- about this miraculous animal. Sophocles cue mission, Phrixus had sacrificed him and Euripides had tragedies with the name (Diodorus Siculus 1935, 4.47.1; Palaepha- Phrixus – the ram could be expected to tus 1902, 30) – to Zeus in the Greek sourc- appear in these texts; yet, the surviving es (Apollonius Rhodius 1912, 2.1143–47; material is insufficient to make definite Apollodorus 1921, 1.9.1) and to either Ju- conclusions (Sophocles 1889, fr.654–656; piter (Hyginus 1875, 2.20) or to Mars (Hy- Euripides 1889, fr.819–838). ginus 1872, 3) in the Latin texts. There are Some short casual remarks about the also more exotic variants – the ram sheds ram can be found in the mythographic his golden fleece and ascends to the stars texts. Namely, this miraculous animal was (Pseudo-Eratosthenes 1847, 19) or, after born from the union of Neptune, who had immolation, he is conveyed to the sky transformed himself into a ram, and The- (Hyginus 1875, 2.20), becoming the con- 70 stellation Aries.
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