Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, the ''Argo'' ( ; ) was the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. The ship was built with divine aid, and some ancient sources describe her as the first ship to sail the seas. The ''Argo'' carried the Argonauts on their quest for the Golden Fleece from Iolcos to Colchis. After the journey, the ship was retired and dedicated to Poseidon, the divine ruler of the seas. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sources beyond the original

myth Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

from books, films and more.

Name

Most accounts name the ship after her builder, Argus. The adjectival form is ''Argoan'' , from Greek ''Ἀργῶος'' through Latin ''Argōus''. Iolkos2

Diodorus Siculus records that some thought the name was derived from an ancient Greek word for "swift" to indicate that the ship was designed to move quickly.

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

, the

Roman senator The Roman Senate () was the highest and Roman constitution, constituting assembly of ancient Rome and its aristocracy. With different powers throughout its existence it lasted from the first days of the Rome, city of Rome (traditionally founded ...

and orator, proposed that it was named after the Argives, a name for the Greek people of Argos in the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

that was commonly used by

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

Construction

The ''Argo'' was constructed by the shipwright Argus, and its crew were specially protected by the goddess Hera. The best source for the myth is the ''

Argonautica The ''Argonautica'' () is a Greek literature, Greek epic poem written by Apollonius of Rhodes, Apollonius Rhodius in the 3rd century BC. The only entirely surviving Hellenistic civilization, Hellenistic epic (though Aetia (Callimachus), Callim ...

'' by Apollonius Rhodius. Argus was said to have planned or constructed the vessel with the help of

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

. The ship was built for travel in the open sea and designed to move quickly with the assistance of a sail. Apollodorus stated the ship had fifty oars, all of which were manned by the Argonauts. His description of the boat would place it as a forerunner or early version of a boat type that became known as a penteconter. The boat was built with a variety of wood from around the region of Greece. In '' Medea'',

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

mentions the oars were made from pine trees around Mount Pelion. Catullus later mentioned the boat was made out of fir-wood. The prow of the ship was also made with a special piece of oak from

Dodona Dodona (; , Ionic Greek, Ionic and , ) in Epirus in northwestern Greece was the oldest Ancient Greece, Hellenic oracle, possibly dating to the 2nd millennium BCE according to Herodotus. The earliest accounts in Homer describe Dodona as an oracle ...

, an area sacred to

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

. The oak was said to be able to speak with a human voice and could tell oracles. According to Apollodorus and Catullus, the ''Argo'' was the first ship to sail the seas and was favored by the gods.Curtius, Ernst Robert (2015). "The Ship of the Argonauts". ''Essays on European Literature''. 10.1515.97: 465–496. Dionysius Scytobrachion called the ''Argo'' a well crafted vessel but did not consider her the first ship. Some sources state that since people had not seen a ship before they described the ''Argo'' as a monster. The ''Argo'' was built in

Thessaly Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Aeolic Greek#Thessalian, Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic regions of Greece, geographic and modern administrative regions of Greece, administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient Thessaly, a ...

around the area of Mount Pelion.P. Ovidius Naso (1813). ''Commentary on the Heroides of Ovid''. London. pp. Hypsipyle Jasoni lines 3–6. The Roman poet Sextus Propertius, writing during the reign of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

, said it departed from the port of Pagasae.

Voyage

It was Athena who taught Tiphys to attach the sails to the mast, since he was the steersman and would need to know the workings of the ship. Other sources say he had previously been a sailor along with two other members, which is why he was chosen to steer the boat. Lynceus was also said to have helped guide the ship because he had great sight during night and day. The ship carried enough supplies, such as vases holding water, for the collective crew and lasted four days before having to refuel. Other items, such as a bronze tripod, were carried aboard.

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

claimed the bronze tripod was given to Triton after the Argonauts got lost in Lake Tritonis and needed assistance. It was said the boat had to be carried over land for 12 days to get back on course. The ''Argo'' was said to be loved by the

Nereids In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; ; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the 'Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanids, Oceanid Doris (Oceanid), Doris, sisters to their bro ...

, who alongside Triton helped guide the ship at dangerous times in the Argonauts' journey.

After the journey

After her successful journey, ''Argo'' was consecrated to Poseidon in the

Isthmus of Corinth The Isthmus of Corinth ( Greek: Ισθμός της Κορίνθου) is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The wide Isthmus was known in the a ...

. Because the ship was a sacred item, having been made with the help of the gods, she was made into a monument as well as being dedicated to the gods. Years later, a beam fell from the top of the ship and killed Jason while he was asleep on the ground. He was then translated into the sky and turned into the

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

Argo Navis.

In other sources

The Argo was a well recognized motif in ancient Greece and has been used in plays, movies, books, philosophical writings and more. Several authors of antiquity ( Apollonius Rhodius, Pliny, Philostephanus) discussed the hypothetical shape of the ship. Generally she was imagined like a Greek warship, a

galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...

, and authors hypothesized that she was the first ship of this type that had gone out on a voyage on the high seas.

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

used the ship as an example to talk about ostracism in Athens, specifically remarking that the ship left

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

behind because he was too heavy.

1963 film

The version of the ''Argo'' that appears in the 1963 film '' Jason and the Argonauts'' was modeled after a Greek warship, with shields lining the side of the boat. On either side of the boat are rowers, who are directed how to row through the drumbeat of a leader. A red sail with the head of the golden ram marks the goal of their journey. Besides its practical purposes, the ship is also decorated with ancient motifs, such as eyes on the front of the ship at the water level. The sacred oak of the ship is here represented as the head of a woman with partial extending wings making up the stern of the ship. The painted head is modeled on the goddess Hera in the movie (played by Honor Blackman) and has the ability to speak to Jason throughout the movie. Argus, the ship builder, said he was inspired to add that feature to the boat when creating it. Filmmakers gave this head the practical effect of being able to open and close its eyes when speaking to Jason.Chaffey, Don, director. ''Jason and the Argonauts''. Columbia Pictures, 1963.

References

External links

Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (medieval and early modern images of Argo)

Voyage of the ''Argo''
– slideshow by '' The First Post'' {{Greek religion, state=collapsed Mythological ships Argonautica Jason Objects in Greek mythology