Argo

In Greek mythology, the Argo (/ˈɑːrɡoʊ/; in Greek: Ἀργώ) was a ship built with the help of the gods which Jason and the Argonauts used to sail from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of sources beyond the original legend from books, movies, and more.

Name

Most accounts name the ship after her builder, Argus. Cicero suggested that it was named after the "Argives", a term commonly used by Homer for the Greek people of Argos. Diodorus Siculus reported that some thought the name was derived from an ancient Greek word for "swift", which could have indicated how the ship was built to move quickly.

The adjective, occasionally found, is Argoan /ɑːrˈɡoʊən/, from Greek Ἀργῶος through Latin Argōus.

Legend

Construction of the Argo:

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 by Apollonius Rhodius. Argus was said to have been planned or constructed the vessel with the help of Athena. The ship was built for travel in the open sea and constructed to move quickly with the assistance of a sail. Apollodorus stated the ship had fifty oars, all of which were manned by the Argonauts.^[1]

The boat was built with a variety of wood from around the region of Greece. In Medea, Euripides mentions the oars were made from pine trees around Mount Pelion.^[2] Catallus later mentioned the boat was made out of fir-wood.^[3] The prow of the ship was also made with a special piece of oak from Dodona, an area sacred to Zeus. The oak was said to be able to speak with a human voice and could tell oracles.^[4]

According to Apollodorus and Catallus, the Argo was the first ship to sail the seas and was favored by the gods.^[5] The god Dionysius did not call the Argo the first ship, but rather a well crafted vessel.^[6] Some sources state that since people had not seen a ship before they described the Argo as a monster.^[5]

The Argo was build in Thessaly around the area of Mount Pelion.^[7] Sextus Propertius claimed it departed from the port of Pagasa.^[8]

The Voyage of the Argo:

It was Athena who taught Tiphys to attach the sails to the mast, as he was the steersman and would need to know the workings of the ship. Other sources say he previously was a sailor along with two other members, which is why he was chosen to steer the boat.^[6] Lynceus was also said to have helped guide the ship because he had great sight during night and day.^[5]

The ship carried enough supplies, such as vases holding water for the collective crew, and lasted four days before having to refuel.^[9] Other items, such as a bronze tripod were carried aboard. Herodotus claimed the bronze tripod was given to Triton after the Argonauts got lost in Lake Tritonis and needed assistance.^[10] It was said the boat had to be carried over land for 12 days to get back on course.^[11]

The Argo was said to be loved by the Nereids, who alongside Triton, helped guide the ship at dangerous times in the Argonauts' journey.^[12]

The Argo after the Journey:

After her successful journey, the Argo was consecrated to Poseidon in the Isthmus of Corinth. Because it was a sacred item, since it was made with the help of the gods, it was made into a monument as well as being dedicated to the gods.^[7] The boat was then translated into the sky and turned into the constellation Argo Navis.

A rotting beam fell from the top of the ship and killed Jason, sleeping on the ground.

The Argo in Other Sources:

The Argo was a well recognized motif in ancient Greece, which 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, and authors hypothesized that she was the first ship of this type that had gone out on a voyage on the high seas. Aristotle used the ship as an example to talk about ostracism in Athens, specifically remarking that the ship left Heracles behind because he was too heavy.^[13]

1963 version of the Argo in the movie Jason and the Argonauts:

In the 1963 movie version of the Argo, the ship was modeled after a Greek warship, with shields lining the side of the boat. The boat has rowers on either side of the boat, who are instructed on how to row based on the drumming beat of a leader. A red sail marks the goal of their journey with the head of the golden ram. 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 back end of the ship. The painted head is modeled after 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 when speaking to Jason.^[14]

References

^ Apollodorus (1921). The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer. London: Harvard University Press. pp. Chapter 9, Section 1.
^ Euripides. Medea (Euripides with an English translation by David Kovacs). Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pp. Lines 1-48.
^ Catullus, Carmina Valerius (1894). Carmina (translated by Sir Richard Francis Burton. London. pp. Poem on Marriage of Peleus and Thetis.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Warner, Rex (1967). The Stories of the Greeks. USA: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, Inc. p. 57.
^ ^a ^b ^c Curtius, Ernst Robert (2015). "The Ship of the Argonauts". Essays on European Literature. 10.1515.97: 465–496.
^ ^a ^b Jackson, Steven (1997). "Argo: The First Ship?". Rheinisches Museum für Philologie (Neue Folge). 140: 249–257 – via JSTOR.
^ ^a ^b P. Ovidius Naso (1813). Commentary on the Heroides of Ovid. London. pp. Hypsipyle Jasoni lines 3-6.
^ Sextus Propertius (1995). Elegies (translated by Vincent Katz). Los Angeles: Sun and Moon Press. pp. Addressed to Gallus.
^ Sleeswyk, Andre Wegener and Meijer, Fik (January, 1998). "The Water Supply of the Argo and Other Oared Ships". The Mariner's Mirror. 84:2: 131–138. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Herodotus (2009). The Landmark Herodotus (edited by Robert B. Strassler). New York: Anchor Books. p. 355. ISBN 978-1-4000-3114-6.
^ W.W. How, J. Wells (1989). A Commentary on Herodotus. Oxford University Press. pp. Book 4 Lines 179. ISBN 0198143842.
^ Conington, John (1876). Commentary on Vergil's Aeneid, Volume 1. London: Whittaker and Co. pp. Lines 144.
^ Aristotle (1944). Politics (Aristotle in 23 Volumes translated by H. Rackham). London: Harvard University Press. pp. Book 3, Section 1284a.
^ Chaffey, Don, director. Jason and the Argonauts. Columbia Pictures, 1963.

[1] Apollodorus (1921). The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer. London: Harvard University Press. pp. Chapter 9, Section 1.

[2] Euripides. Medea (Euripides with an English translation by David Kovacs). Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pp. Lines 1-48.

[3] Catullus, Carmina Valerius (1894). Carmina (translated by Sir Richard Francis Burton. London. pp. Poem on Marriage of Peleus and Thetis.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[4] Warner, Rex (1967). The Stories of the Greeks. USA: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, Inc. p. 57.

[:0-5] Curtius, Ernst Robert (2015). "The Ship of the Argonauts". Essays on European Literature. 10.1515.97: 465–496.

[:1-6] Jackson, Steven (1997). "Argo: The First Ship?". Rheinisches Museum für Philologie (Neue Folge). 140: 249–257 – via JSTOR.

[:2-7] P. Ovidius Naso (1813). Commentary on the Heroides of Ovid. London. pp. Hypsipyle Jasoni lines 3-6.

[8] Sextus Propertius (1995). Elegies (translated by Vincent Katz). Los Angeles: Sun and Moon Press. pp. Addressed to Gallus.

[9] Sleeswyk, Andre Wegener and Meijer, Fik (January, 1998). "The Water Supply of the Argo and Other Oared Ships". The Mariner's Mirror. 84:2: 131–138. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

[10] Herodotus (2009). The Landmark Herodotus (edited by Robert B. Strassler). New York: Anchor Books. p. 355. ISBN 978-1-4000-3114-6.

[11] W.W. How, J. Wells (1989). A Commentary on Herodotus. Oxford University Press. pp. Book 4 Lines 179. ISBN 0198143842.

[12] Conington, John (1876). Commentary on Vergil's Aeneid, Volume 1. London: Whittaker and Co. pp. Lines 144.

[13] Aristotle (1944). Politics (Aristotle in 23 Volumes translated by H. Rackham). London: Harvard University Press. pp. Book 3, Section 1284a.

[14] Chaffey, Don, director. Jason and the Argonauts. Columbia Pictures, 1963.

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