Photo: Archaeological Park of Pompeii.
A well-preserved fresco depicting the myth of Phrixus and Helle was recently uncovered at Pompeii, a city buried in 79 CE.
Have you ever felt curious about a Greek myth? Once you start digging in, you find there’s always another story behind the story. Consider the Golden Fleece of Jason and the Argonauts‘ quest. That’s a tale stirred up anew by a discovery at Pompeii.
As Rhea Nayyar reports at Hyperallergic, “Archaeologists in Italy recently uncovered a 2,000-year-old fresco in remarkable condition on the walls of the House of Leda, a Pompeii mansion under excavation since 2018 that’s recognized for its exquisite art. Painted as if it were a framed artwork on a yellow wall, the fresco depicts the Greek mythological tale of Phrixus and Helle with vibrant pigments and crisp dimensions that have been preserved beneath volcanic ash since 79 CE, after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
“According to the tale, Phrixus and Helle were twin children born to the Boeotian king Athamas and a nymph named Nephele. Athamas remarried to a mortal woman named Ino who hated her step-children and devised a plan to have Phrixus sacrificed by the order of an oracle so she could secure her own son’s right to the throne. Phrixus [the boy] and Helle [the girl] escaped from Boeotia with the help of the Golden Ram that flew them across the sea, but Helle sadly fell off of its back mid-flight and drowned in the ocean. Phrixus found safety with King Aeëtes of Colchis, and later married his daughter Chalciope. The fresco depicts the frequently referenced scene of Helle drowning while reaching out for her brother’s hand as the Golden Ram prepares to soar away.
“Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of the Pompeii Archaeological Park [says] ‘history has repeated itself’ … Phrixus and Helle were ‘two refugees at sea.’ …
“The discovery came along during the conclusion of the Great Pompeii Project that was spearheaded by the Italian government in 2012 to further excavate, stabilize, and restore structures across the ancient city amidst research efforts, climate emergencies, and increased tourism. Earlier this month, Zuchtriegel shared in an official statement that the next phase for Pompeii was to develop it from an urban planning standpoint that engages surrounding towns and cities and promotes further educational opportunities for history and culture.”
More at Hyperallergic, here. No paywall. Subscriptions welcomed.
More on the Greek myth from Greek: “Helle, for unknown reasons, fell off the ram and drowned in the strait between Europe and Asia, which was named after her the Hellespont, meaning the sea of Helle (now Dardanelles). Phrixus survived all the way to Colchis, where King Aeëtes, the son of the sun god Helios, took him in and treated him kindly, giving Phrixus his daughter, Chalciope, in marriage. In gratitude, Phrixus sacrificed the ram to Poseidon and gave the king the Golden Fleece of the ram, which Aeëtes hung in a tree in the holy grove of Ares in his kingdom, guarded by a dragon that never slept. Phrixus and Chalciope had four sons, who later joined forces with the Argonauts.”
See what I mean about the way each myth makes you want to research another myth? I’m quite intrigued by a “dragon that never slept.” Even Smaug sleeps, for goodness’ sake!