Golden Fleece

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

He was the son of ^Eson, king of loclus, was brought up by the centaur, Chiron, and when he demanded his kingdom from his half-brother, Pelias, who had de- prived him of it, was told he could have it in return for the Golden Fleece.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Golden Fleece” mean?

He was the son of ^Eson, king of loclus, was brought up by the centaur, Chiron, and when he demanded his kingdom from his half-brother, Pelias, who had de- prived him of it, was told he could have it in return for the Golden Fleece.

Is “Golden Fleece” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.