Helle's Sea—generally associated with the modern Dardanelles.
During the Trojan War, Akamas (Acamas) and Peiroos (Peirous) commanded an undisclosed number of Trojan allies from Thrace within the bounds of the Hellespont.
Two generations before the Trojan War, Helle and her brother Phrixus were fleeing the machinations of their stepmother, Ino. The god Hermes gave Helle and Phrixus a flying ram with a golden fleece to make their escape. Helle fell from the ram's back and drowned. Phrixus flew on to Kolchis (Colchis) at the eastern edge of the Pontis (Black Sea) and placed the golden fleece in the Grove of Ares. A generation later, Ieson (Jason) and the Argonauts retrieved the golden fleece and took it back to Greece.
The sea where Helle drowned was named Hellespont (Helle's Sea) and is now associated with the Dardanelles, the narrow body of water separating Europe and Asia. The Hellespont of antiquity was undoubtably much larger and probably included the Propontis and a large portion of the northern Aigean (Aegean) Sea.
| References: Homer, Iliad book 2, line 845 book 7, line 86 book 9, line 360 book 12, line 30 book 15, line 233 book 17, line 432 book 18, line 150 book 23, line 2 book 24, lines 346 and 545 |