Argonauts
The Argonauts were the band of heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo to retrieve the Golden Fleece — the greatest ensemble adventure in Greek mythology.
The Meaning of Argonauts
Jason assembled the greatest heroes of the pre-Trojan War generation: Heracles, Orpheus, Castor and Pollux, Peleus, Telamon, Atalanta (in some versions), the seer Mopsus, the winged sons of Boreas, and many more. The Argo was built by Argus with Athena's help, incorporating a beam from Dodona's speaking oak. They faced the Clashing Rocks, the Harpies, the Sirens, and King Aeëtes' impossible tasks. Their voyage mapped the edges of the Greek world.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The Argonautica by Apollonius of Rhodes is the only surviving complete Hellenistic epic — and the direct model for Virgil's Aeneid.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Voyage of the Argo
💭 conceptNarrative
The legendary sea journey of the Argonauts through uncharted waters to reach the kingdom of Colchis
Quest for the Golden Fleece
💭 conceptNarrative
Jason's expedition aboard the Argo to retrieve the golden fleece from the distant land of Colchis
Argonautica
💭 conceptLiterature
Apollonius of Rhodes' epic poem narrating Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece
Constellation Argo Navis
💭 conceptastronomy, voyage
The great southern constellation representing the ship Argo, in which Jason and the Argonauts sailed to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece.
Titanic
💭 conceptEnormous size, overwhelming power
Of enormous size or power, from the Titans, the primordial gods who ruled before the Olympians.
The Odyssey
💭 conceptJourney, homecoming, cunning
The ten-year journey of Odysseus from Troy to Ithaca — a voyage through monsters, magic, and the wrath of Poseidon.
Leodocus
🗡 heroCombat, Argonaut voyage
Argonaut who joined Jason's expedition to Colchis aboard the legendary ship Argo
Wanderings of Odysseus
💭 conceptNarrative
The fantastic adventures Odysseus experienced across the Mediterranean during his decade-long voyage home
Argo
🏛 placeThe first great ship of Greek mythology
The Argo was the ship built by Argus for Jason's quest — the first long-voyage ship in Greek myth, with a beam from Dodona's speaking oak built into its prow.
Jason
🗡 heroLeader of the Argonauts
The hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece, aided by Medea's sorcery.
Aeneid
💭 conceptLiterature
Virgil's epic poem following the Trojan hero Aeneas from the fall of Troy to the founding of Rome
Golden Fleece
💭 conceptThe prize sought by Jason and the Argonauts
The fleece of a golden-wooled ram, hung in a sacred grove in Colchis and guarded by a sleepless dragon. Its recovery was the object of Jason's legendary voyage.