in fabulous history, was a son of Athamas king of Thebes, by Nephele. When his mother was repudiated, he was persecuted with the most inextirpate fury by his step-mother Ino, because he was to sit on the throne of Athamas, in preference to the children of a second wife. His mother apprized him of Ino's intentions upon his life; or, according to others, his preceptor; and the better to make his escape, he secured part of his father's treasures, and privately left Boeotia with his sister Helle, to go to their friend and relation Æetes king of Colchis. They embarked on board a ship, or, as we are informed by the fabulous account of the poets and mythologists, they mounted on the back of a ram, whose fleece was of gold; and proceeded on their journey through the air. The height to which they were carried made Helle giddy, and she fell into the sea. Phryxus gave his sister a decent burial on the sea-shore, and after he had called the place Hellespont from her name, he continued his flight, and arrived safe in the kingdom of Æetes, where he offered the ram on the altar of Mars. The king received him with great tenderness, and gave him Chalciope his daughter in marriage. She had by him Phrontis Melas, Argos Cylindrus, whom some call Cytorus. He was afterwards murdered by his father-in-law, who envied him the possession of the golden fleece; and Chalciope, to prevent her children from sharing their father's fate, sent them privately from Colchis to Boeotia, as nothing was to be dreaded there from the jealousy or resentment of Ino, who was then dead. The fable of the flight of Phryxus to Colchis on a ram has been explained by some, who observe, that the ship on which he embarked was either called by that name, or carried on her prow a figure of that animal. The fleece of gold is accounted for, by observing that Phryxus carried away immense treasures from Thebes. Phryxus was placed among the constellations of heaven after death. The ram which carried him to Asia is said to have been the fruit of Neptune's amour with Theophane the daughter of Altis. This ram the gods had given to Athamas in order to reward his piety and religious life; and Nephele procured it for her.

(b) Goropius Becanus makes use of the same argument, to prove that the High Dutch is the original or mother-tongue of the world, because the word bēker in that language signifies "a baker." Phryxus her children, just as they were going to be sacrificed to the jealousy of Ino. Phryxus's murder was some time after amply revenged by the Greeks; it having occasioned the famous expedition achieved under Jason and many of the princes of Greece, which had for its object the recovery of the golden fleece, and the punishment of the king of Colchis for his cruelty to the son of Athamas.