Golden Fleece hangs from an apple tree. Jason's helper in the Athenian vase-paintings is not Medea— who had a history in Athens as the opponent of Theseus— but Athena. The very early origin of the myth in preliterate times means that during the more than a millennium when it was to some degree part of the fabric of culture, its perceived significance likely passed through numerous developments. Several euhemeristic attempts to interpret the Golden Fleece "realistically" as reflecting some physical cultural object or alleged historical practice have been made. For example, in the 20th century, some scholars suggested that the story of
Golden Fleece (horse) and Pebbles, maintained the view for the rest of his life that Golden Fleece was the best horse he had ever ridden. In their book "A Century of Champions", John Randall and Tony Morris rated Golden Fleece as an "average" Derby winner and the seventeenth best Irish racehorse of the 20th century. Golden Fleece stood at the Coolmore Stud, Ireland for just one season. He died from complications after intestinal cancer surgery in March 1984. Golden Fleece (horse) Golden Fleece (1979–1984) was an American-bred and Irish-trained Thoroughbred race horse and sire. In a career which consisted of only four races,