The Voyage of Argo

by Apollonius of Rhodes Book 31 in the Penguin Classics: Ancient World series.

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Apollonius of Rhodes’s Voyage of Argo, or Argonautica, recounts Jason’s expedition from Iolcus to Colchis in search of the Golden Fleece. His crew includes many of the best-known heroes of Greek myth, among them Heracles, Orpheus, Castor and Polydeuces. Their voyage carries them through hostile kingdoms, supernatural dangers and the Clashing Rocks before they reach the court of King Aeëtes.

Jason can complete Aeëtes’ impossible tasks only with the help of the king’s daughter Medea, whose magic enables him to yoke fire-breathing bulls, survive the warriors sown from dragon’s teeth and seize the fleece. The Hellenistic epic combines heroic travel with geography, learned mythology and a sustained interest in Medea’s divided loyalties as she abandons her family to escape with Jason.