The Argo, by Lorenzo Costa

What is an Argonaut?

The word Argonaut comes from an ancient tale sung of the strongest and bravest band of heroes ever assembled in Greek Mythology -- Jason and the Argonauts. This myth chronicles Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece and the restoration of his family's throne.

Throughout the millennia, the quest for the Golden Fleece has become embedded in the cultures of the western world and "Argonaut" has become synonymous with "adventurer on a quest" and is reflected in words like astronaut, cosmonaut and aeronaut. The timeless appeal of Jason and the Argonauts, an archetypal myth influencing Odysseus' odyssey and King Arthur's and Lancelot's quest for the Holy Grail, may lead one to wonder if this myth owes its success to popular entertainment, or if Jason's quest speaks to us on a more fundamental level, as if a reflection of our own journeys through life, and perhaps the Golden Fleece is a metaphor for our own awakening to the golden truths of the universe.

During the California gold rush in 1849 the miners were also nicknamed Argonauts. It is ironic that during California's second gold rush, dotcom boom, The Argonauts Inc. was born in San Francisco exactly 150 years later.

Jason in classical music

Medea's Dance of Vengeance composed by Samuel Barber and premeiring in 1956. In one anticlimatic ending to the myth, Jason's wife, the enchantress Medea, seeks her revenge when Jason leaves her by murdering his children.

Jason and the Argonauts in popular culture

The band of mythical warriors have inspired billions of people, including: movies, mini-series, radio serials, books and more.

Rise of the Argonauts is a fantastic RPG video game with graphics that make the classic movie look a little silly.

And if you are a football fan you already know about the Toronto Argonauts. Here you see Jason's boat the Argo blessed by the goddess Athena made into a tacky football logo. Visit the official site of the Toronto Argonauts.

Read the tale of Jason and the Argonauts.
The Archetypal Adventure

Part I -- The Gathering

Part II -- The Perilous Voyage to Colchis The gods challenge the Argonauts with many trials.

Part III -- The Perilous Voyage to Colchis Continues Several Argonauts will perish in the dangers that lie ahead.

Part IV -- A Deadly Trial. Jason schemes to seize the Golden Fleece from King Aeetes

Coming Soon -- Part V -- Toil and Trouble. Will Jason survive his deadly trial and win the Golden Fleece?

Read the Argonautica by Apollonius Rhodius, a third century B.C. Greek poet who composed the oldest surviving record of the myth.

Read another one of the earliest written recordings of Jason and the Argonauts. The Argonautica by Valerius Flaccus, a Roman poet in the first century.

Here's a fun and easy-to-read revision of the myth with great illustrations. The myth of Jason, the Argonauts and the Golden Fleece.

Books about Jason and the Argonauts.