The Argonautica (Greek: Ἀργοναυτικά) is a Greek epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BCE. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The ancient Greeks proposed many different ideas about primordial deities in their mythology, which would later be largely adapted by the In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon ( Greek: Δωδεκάθεον Pan ( Greek, Genitive) is the Greek god of shepherds and flocks of mountain wilds hunting and rustic music paein means to pasture In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman The ancient Greeks had a large number of sea deities. The philosopher Plato once remarked that the Greek people were like frogs sitting around a pond -- their Chthonic (from Greek χθόνιος khthonios "of the earth" from khthōn "earth" pertaining to the Earth; earthy subterranean In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or The Twelve Labours of Hercules (Greek Δωδεκαθλος, dodekathlos) age a series of archaic episodes connected by a later continuous narrative concerning "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs The Odyssey ( Greek: Ὀδύσσεια or Odússeia) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece (Χρυσόμαλλον Δέρας is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos (Χρυσόμαλλος Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas ( Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας) the Legendary founder In Greek mythology, Medusa ( Greek: Μέδουσα (Médousa "guardian protectress" was a monstrous Chthonic female character gazing upon In Greek mythology, a gorgon ( Greek: γοργώ or γοργών transl Oedipus (pronounced /ˈɛdəpəs/ in American English or /ˈiːdəpəs/ in British English; Greek: Oidípous meaning "swollen-footed" The Seven against Thebes (Επτά επί Θήβας Epta epi Thēbas) is a mythic narrative whose classic statement is found in the play by Aeschylus (467 BCE For other uses see Theseus (disambiguation Theseus (Θησεύς was a Legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( Greek:, Mīnṓtauros) was a creature that was part man and part bull. Buzyges redirects here For the Genus of Grass skipper Butterflies, see Buzyges (butterfly. The Eleusinian Mysteries (Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone Mystery Religions, Sacred Mysteries or simply Mysteries, were "religious cults of the Graeco-Roman In Greek mythology, satyrs (Σάτυροι Satyroi) are a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus – " Satyresses quot In Greek mythology, the centaurs (from Ancient Greek: Κένταυροι - Kéntauroi are a race of creatures composed of part Human Dragons play a role in Greek mythology. Ladon was a Dragon -like beast that was slain by Heracles in the garden of the Hesperides during the Twelve Greek religion encompasses the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in Ancient Greece in the form of both popular public religion and cult practices. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The Argonautica ( Greek:) is a Greek Epic poem written by Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BCE. Greek literature refers to those writings autochthonic to the areas of Greek influence typically though not necessarily in one of the Greek dialects throughout the An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC The only surviving Hellenistic epic, the Argonautica tells the myth of the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts to retrieve the Golden Fleece from the mythical land of Colchis. This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. Jason ( Greek: Ἰάσων, Etruscan: Easun, Laz: Yason) was a late ancient Greek mythological For other uses of this term see Argonaut. In Greek mythology, the Argonauts ( Ancient Greek:) were a band of heroes In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece (Χρυσόμαλλον Δέρας is the fleece of the winged ram Chrysomallos (Χρυσόμαλλος In ancient Geography, Colchis or Kolchis ( Georgian and Laz: კოლხეთი k'olxeti; Greek:, Kolchís Another, much less-known Argonautica, using the same body of myth, was composed by Valerius Flaccus during the time of Vespasian. Gaius Valerius Flaccus (died ca AD 90 was a Roman Poet who flourished in the " Silver Age " under the emperors Vespasian and Titus Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Vespasian ( November 17 9 &ndash June 23 79) was a Roman Emperor who

Summary

In the first book, the ship Argo is built and a crew of around fifty heroes is assembled in response to an oracle received by King Pelias. In Greek mythology, the Argo (Ἀργώ was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus to retrieve the Pelias was king of Iolcus in Greek mythology, the son of Tyro, daughter of Aleus, and of either Poseidon or Cretheus Led by Jason, the heroes include Heracles and his companion Hylas, Castor and Pollux (the Dioscuri: sons of Tyndareus and brothers of Helen and Clytemnestra), Orpheus, Meleager, Zetes and Calais (sons of Boreas), Peleus (father of Achilles), Laertes (supposed father of Odysseus), Telamon (father of Ajax), and the ship's builder, Argos. In Greek mythology, Heracles or Herakles ("glory of Hera " or In Greek mythology, Hylas ( Greek: Ὕλας) was the son of King Theiodamas of the Dryopians Other sources such as Ovid For the stars see Castor (star and Pollux (star, for the sculptural group in the Prado Museum, see Castor and Pollux (Prado, and for In Greek mythology, Tyndareus Τυνδαρεύς (or Tyndareos Τυνδάρεως) was a Spartan king son of Oebalus This article is about the mythological figure Helen of Troy For other uses see Helen (disambiguation and Helen of Troy (disambiguation. Clytemnestra (or Clytaemnestra (Eng /klaɪtəm'nɛstɹə/ Greek: Klytaimnéstra, "famed for her suitors" was the wife of Agamemnon, king Orpheus ( Greek: Ὀρφεύς ˈɔrfiəs ( OHR-fee-uhs) or /ˈɔrfjuːs/ ( OHR'-fews) in English is a figure from Greek mythology born in This article is about the mythological figure for other uses see Meleager (disambiguation. For the Genus of Noctuid Moths see Zethes (moth. The Boreads, in Greek mythology, were Calais (kaˈlɛ in English often kæˈleɪ traditional English pronunciation /ˈkælɨs/ Kales is a town in northern France. In Greek Mythology, the Anemoi (in Greek, Άνεμοι &mdash " winds " were Wind gods who were each ascribed In Greek mythology, Pēleús (Πηλεύς was a hero who was already known to Homer. "Achilleus" redirects here For the emperor with this name see Achilleus (emperor. In Greek mythology, Laërtes (Λαέρτης was the son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa. grc-Latn Odysseus or la Ulysses ( Greek grc-Latn Odysseus; Latin: la Ulixes or more commonly Ulysses) oʊˈdɪsiəs In Greek mythology, Telamon (in Greek, Τελαμών) son of the king Aeacus, of Aegina, and Endeis and brother of "Aias" redirects here For other uses of this name see AIAS and Ajax. Their goal is to travel to Colchis and to obtain the Golden Fleece. After Jason suggests the election of a leader, Hercules recommends Jason himself, and the heroes agree.

Setting sail from the eastern coast of Thessaly, the Argonauts first reach Lemnos, where the women, led by their Queen Hypsipyle, have murdered all of their husbands. Thessalia redirects here For the Butterfly Genus, see Thessalia (butterfly. Lemnos (Λήμνος is an island in the northern part of the Aegean Sea. In Greek mythology, Hypsipyle was the Queen of Lemnos.During her reign Aphrodite cursed the women of the island for having neglected her shrines Omitting the murder from her story, Hypsipyle convinces the men (except for Hercules) to breed with the women in order to repopulate the island. Hercules is the Roman name for the Mythical Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. If Hypsipyle, Jason’s choice of consort, has a son, he tells her, send him to my parents; then the Argo sets sail. Traveling through the Hellespont, they reach land of the Doliones; though the King, Cyzicus, is friendly, the Argonauts accidentally fight with the Doliones and kill Cyzicus, and his widow Cleite then commits suicide, and Jason makes sacrifices in order to appease the gods. See also Dardanelles Hellespont ( Turkish, Greek; ie "Sea of Helle" variously named in classical literature Hellespontium Pelagus The Argonauts’ next destination is Cius, where Heracles’s companion Hylas is abducted by nymphs. Cius-Kios ( Greek: Kίος, or Kείος, also Transliterated as Kios and Keios, and later Prusa, Prusias In Greek mythology, Hylas ( Greek: Ὕλας) was the son of King Theiodamas of the Dryopians Other sources such as Ovid In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form Heracles becomes upset and the Argo is obliged to leave him behind, though Glaucus appears from the sea to reassure its crew that they made the right decision. In Greek mythology, Glaucus ("shiny" "bright" or "bluish-green" (Γλαῦκος was the name of several different figures including

The second book begins in Bebryces, where King Amycus challenges the heroes to a boxing match. In Greek mythology, the Bebryces were a mythical tribe of people in Bithynia. For the centaur of this name see Amycus (centaur, and other meanings see Amycus (disambiguation. Pollux accepts, killing the king. At Bosporus, Zetes and Calais drive the Harpies away from Phineas, a former king being punished for the misuse of his prophetic gifts; Phineas rewards them with the secret to passing through the Clashing Rocks. The Bosporus or Bosphorus, also known as the Istanbul Strait, (İstanbul Boğazı (Βόσπορος is a Strait that forms the boundary between the In Greek mythology, a harpy ("snatcher" from harpȳia ἅρπυια harpūia) was any one of the mainly winged death-spirits best known for constantly Greek mythology, Phineas (also spelled Phineus was a King of Thrace. In Greek mythology, the Symplegades (pronounced /sɪmˈplɛgəˌdiz/ also known as the Cyanean Rocks or Clashing Rocks, were a pair of rocks at the Passing through the Clashing Rocks, using this secret and the aid of Athena, they visit many strange lands: the land of the Amazons, led by Hippolyte; the land of Mossynoikoi, who make love in public; an island sacred to Ares, where they are attacked by Ares’ birds. ATHENA was an Antimatter research project that took place at the AD Ring at CERN. The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte (Ἱππολύτη is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical Girdle she was given by her father Passing near the place where Prometheus is chained, they rescue the survivors of a ship from Colchis, and the Argonauts gain the grateful sons of Phrixus as accomplices in their bid to steal the Golden Fleece. In Greek mythology, Prometheus (Προμηθεύς "forethought" is a Titan known for his wily intelligence who stole Fire from Zeus In Greek mythology Phrixus (also Phryxus) was the son of Athamus, king of Boiotia and Nephele (a goddess of Clouds Arriving in Colchis, Jason considers the best way of approaching the cruel King Aeëtes. In Greek mythology, Aeëtes ( Greek: Αἰήτης was a son of the king-god Helios and the Nymph Perseis (a daughter of Oceanus

Athena helps build the Argo; Roman moulded terracotta plaque, first century CE

The third book begins with Hera and Athena, determined to help Jason in his quest, asking Eros to cause Aeëtes’ daughter Medea to fall in love with Jason. In Greek mythology, the Argo (Ἀργώ was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcus to retrieve the In the Olympian pantheon of classical Greek Mythology, Hera (ˈhɪərə or /ˈhɛrə/ Greek) or Here ( in Ionic and Homer Medea (Μήδεια Mēdeia) in Greek mythology was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of Jason goes to the Aietes's accompanied by Phrixus' sons, who Aeëtes is suspicious to see home so early, and who tell him of their shipwreck and rescue by the Argonauts. Aeëtes sees a conspiracy in this story, and tells Jason he can take the fleece if he passes a test of strength and courage: harness the bulls with bronze hooves, plow the plain of Ares, and plant the teeth of a serpent, giving rise to an army of soldiers. The Khalkotauroi ( tauroi khalkeoi, "bronze bulls" are mythical creatures that appear in the Greek myth of Jason and the Golden Medea, powerful and skilled with drugs and magic, sees the hopelessness of the task and prays to Hecate. Hecate ( Greek: Ἑκάτη, "far-shooting") Hekate ( Hekátê Jason, seeing that Medea is a useful tool although not knowing that she is under a divine love spell, asks her for drugs and aid and receives them; he returns her affection, asking her to follow him to Greece and to be his wife.

After he sacrifices to Hecate, Medea’s favored goddess, Jason sprinkles Medea’s drug on his skin, clothing, spear, and sword. Protected by the drug, he is able to withstand the charge of the bulls, and to harness them to plow the field. Planting the teeth in the plowed field, the earth-born warriors rise from the ground, and Jason places a great round rock among them. They go to war over this rock, and Jason joins in the fighting until all are slain. Jason has succeeded at his task, but Aietes does not intend to release the Golden Fleece.

In the last book, Medea offers to put the dragon guarding the fleece to sleep in exchange for the Argonauts taking her aboard their ship and away from the father she has betrayed. Jason agrees, promising again to marry her, and she uses her skill with drugs to neutralize the dragon. Departing with the Golden Fleece, the Argo is pursued by Aietes and by Medea’s older brother Absyrtus. Absyrtus, or Apsyrtus ( Greek:) was in Greek mythology the son of Aeëtes and a brother of Medea and Chalciope. Jason proposes to leave Medea to Artemis, protector of virgins, an idea which causes an enraged Medea to threaten setting fire to the ships until Jason explains she is the bait in a trap set out for Absyrtus; the trap works, and Absyrtus is ambushed and killed by Jason, causing the Colchians to scatter. In Greek mythology, Artemis language|Greek] ( Nominative), ( Genitive))] was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister ^[1]

A few incidental adventures later, the Colchians return, demanding the return of Medea. They are persuaded that Medea, since she left voluntarily, may stay with Jason if their marriage has been consummated, but she may not if she is still a virgin; Medea and Jason then consummate their marriage and Medea is allowed to remain with her husband. At Lake Triton, possibly the Nile, they come across a serpent killed by Hercules, but are unable to find the hero himself. The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River On Crete, the Argonauts encounter Talos, the last survivor of an ancient race of men, who attacks them; Medea comes to the rescue with her spells, and slays Talos, who bleeds ichor as he dies. In the Cretan tales incorporated into Greek mythology, Tálos (Greek Τάλως Latin Talus or Tálon (Greek Τάλων was a giant man of bronze In Greek mythology, ichor (Greek) is the Mineral that is the Greek gods' Blood, sometimes said to have been present in Ambrosia or nectar Euphemus, son of Poseidon, casts a clod of earth he received at Lake Triton into the sea, creating the island of Kalliste (Thera); and at long last, the Argo reaches the coast of Thessaly and home.

Style

The Argonautica differs in some respects from traditional or Homeric Greek epic, though Apollonius certainly used Homer as a model. The Argonautica is much shorter than Homer’s epics, with four books totaling less than 6,000 lines, while the Iliad runs to more than 15,000. The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient Apollonius may have been influenced here by Callimachus' brevity, or by Aristotle’s demand for "poems on a smaller scale than the old epics, and answering in length to the group of tragedies presented at a single sitting" (Poetics). Callimachus ( Greek:, 310 BC/305 BC-240 BC was a native of the Greek colony of Cyrene, Libya. Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. Argonautica meets Aristotle's requirements; each of the Argonautica's four books are around the same length as a tragedy. Tragedies were traditionally performed in groups of four, three tragedies and a satyr play, whose total length was very nearly that of the Argonautica. Satyr plays were an ancient Greek form of tragicomedy similar to the modern-day Burlesque style Though critics have concentrated on Homeric echoes in Argonautica, direct borrowings from tragedy, such as Euripedes' Medea, can be found. Euripides ( Ancient Greek:) (ca 480 BC–406 BC was the last of the three great tragedians of classical Athens (the other two being Aeschylus Medea (Μήδεια / Mēdeia) is a tragedy play written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced ^[2]

Apollonius’ epic also differs from the more traditional epic in its weaker, more human protagonist Jason^[3] J. F. Carspecken noted his character traits, which are more characteristic of the genre of realism than epic, in that he was:

"chosen leader because his superior declines the honour,subordinate to his comrades, except once, in every trial of strength, skill or courage, a great warrior only with the help of magical charms, jealous of honour but incapable of asserting it, passive in the face of crisis, timid and confused before trouble, tearful at insult, easily despondent, gracefully treacherous in his dealings with the love-sick Medea. An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation . . "^[4]

Argonautica is often placed in a literary tradition that leads to the Hellenistic novel. ^[5] It is also unlike the archaic Epic tradition in its many discursions into local custom, aetiology, and other popular subjects of Hellenistic poetry. The Epic Cycle (Επικός Κύκλος was a collection of Ancient Greek Epic poems that related the story of the Trojan War, which includes the Apollonius also chooses the less shocking versions of some myths, having Medea, for example, merely watch the murder of Absyrtus instead of murdering him herself. Medea (Μήδεια Mēdeia) in Greek mythology was the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, niece of Circe, granddaughter of Absyrtus, or Apsyrtus ( Greek:) was in Greek mythology the son of Aeëtes and a brother of Medea and Chalciope. The gods are relatively distant and inactive throughout much of the epic, following the Hellenistic trend to allegorize and rationalize religion. Heterosexual loves such as Jason’s are more emphasized than homosexual loves such as that of Heracles and Hylas, another trend in Hellenistic literature, as heterosexual love gained prestige.

Many critics^[6] name the love of Jason and Medea in this book as the best and most beautiful part of the Argonautica, inspiring some of Apollonius' finest writing:

So Love the Destroyer Blazed in a coil around her heart, her mind's keen anguish Now flushed her soft cheeks, now drained them of all color. ^[7]

Notes

Selected references

• Editio princeps (Florence, 1496). In Classical scholarship, editio princeps is a Term of art. It means roughly the first printed edition of a work that previously had existed only in
• Merkel-Keil (with scholia, 1854).
• Seaton (1900).
• 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Green, Alexander to Actium: The political evolution of the Hellenistic age (1990), particularly Ch. 11 and 13.
• Longinus (De Sublim, p. 54, 19)
• Quintilian (Instit, x. 1, 54)
• Aristotle (Poetics)

English translations: Verse:

• Edward Burnaby Greene, The Argonautic Expedition (1780)
• Francis Fawkes, The Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius (1780)
• William Preston, The Argonautics of Apollonius Rhodius (1803)
• Arthur S. Way, The Tale of the Argonauts (1901)
• John Gardner, Jason and Medeia (1973)
• Peter Green, The Argonautika by Apollonios Rhodios (1987)
• Richard Hunter, Apollonius of Rhodes: Jasan and the Golden Fleece (1992)

External links

• Works by Apollonius of Rhodes at Project Gutenberg
• Leiden Apollonius bibliography