AR'GONAITTS, heroes of Greek antiquity (so named from their ship Argo), who, accord ing to tradition, about a generation before the Trojan war, undertook a long voyage into unknown seas, under the command of Jason. Homer alludes to the story; Hesiod, Mim nermus, Pindar, the Pseudo-Orpheus, and many others relate it, all in different ways, the accounts in some instances being utterly irreconcilable. The plainest and most com plete narrative is that of Apollodrus, which is as follows: Jason was commisioned by his uncle, Pelias—who ruled over Iolcus, in Thessaly—to fetch from the country of JEetes (Colchis) the golden fleece of the ram; which was suspended on an oak, and guarded by a sleepless dragon. He therefore caused Argus, the sou of Phrixus, to build a ship of fifty oars: and, in pursuit of this adventure, gathered together the choicest heroes from all parts of Greece, fifty in number, with whom he sailed. Their first lauding place was Lemnos, where the A. stayed two years, because the women, in consequence of the wrath of Aphrodite, bad slain all the men, excepting Thoas. Next they sailed to the Doliones, and were hospitably received by king Cizyeus, who was afterwards accident all); killed by Jasdn. After landing at Mysia, where they left Hercules and Polyphemus —who had wandered too far inland in pursuit of the lost Hylas—they came to the coun try of the Bebryces, where king Amycus was killed by Pollux, or Polydeuces, in a pugi listic fight. They next sailed along the coast of Thrace to Salmydessus, where two of their number, Zetes and Calais, having delivered the blind seer, Phineus, from certain winged monsters called Harpies, he in return gave them good counsel respecting their future adventures, and especially warned them against the dangerous passage between the opening and closing Symplegades, from which they escaped with but little injury to their vessel. The story goes that Phineus advised the A. to let loose a dove when they approached the dreaded rocks, and to judge from its fortune what they themselves might expect. The bird escaped with the loss of its tail. The A. resolved to risk the passage, and, after heroic efforts, got safely through, their ship only losing some of the ornaments of its stern. After visiting several other lands, they arrived at the mouth of the river Phasis, in Colchis. Here the king, .Fetes, promised to give up the golden fleece to Jason, on condition that the latter should yoke to a plow the two fire-breathing bulls with brazen hoofs, and should sow the dragon's teeth left by Cadmus in Thebes. Jason, by the help of the famous sorceress Medea, daughter of Axtes, who had fallen passionately in love with the bold navigator, fufilled these conditions; and was also assisted by Medea in still more wonderful exploits. He obtained from her, under promise of marriage, a charm against fire and steel, and was enabled to destroy all the warriorswho sprung up from the land sown with the dragon's teeth. While this was taking place, .Fetes had resolved
to burn the ship Argo, and put to death the crew; but Jason, informed of the scheme by Medea, anticipated it, hastened into the grove, stupefied the dragon-sentinel by an opiate charm prepared by Medea, seized the golden fleece, and, embarking in the Argo with his mistress and her brother Absyrtus, sailed away from Colehis by night. .Fetes followed, but was hindered in his pursuit by an atrocity committed by his fierce daughter. It is said that she slew her brother Absyrtus, and cut him into several pieces, which she threw overboard, one at a time. While king .Fetes stayed to gather up the fragments of his son, Jason escaped from the pursuit. The A. now reached the mouth of the river Eriad mus; but were driven on the Absyrtian islands by a storm sent from Jove, who was angry on account of themurder of Absyrtus. Meanwhile the mast of the Argo—which had been cut from the sacred grove of Dodona—delivered an oracle to the effect that Jove could not be appeased unless they sailed towards Ansonia, and were purified through the expia tory agency of Circe. This was accomplished; and next the A. passed by the Sirens, from whose charms they were preserved by Orpheus, who sang to them, but could not hinder one of their number, Butes, from swimming off to the sea-maidens; then through Scylla and Charybdis, by the help of Thetis, and at length landed on the island of Cor cyra, where Alcinous ruled. On leaving this place, they .encountered a storm at night, but were saved by Apollo, who, in flashes of lightning, revealed to them the haven of Anaphe, where they raised an altar to their preserver. At Crete, their landing was opposed by the giant Talus, who was slain by Medea. They subsequently touched at .rEgina, and, sailing between Eubcea and Locris, arrived safely at Ioleus, after a four months' voyage. Jason dedicated the good ship Argo to Neptune, at the isthmus of Corinth.
It is perhaps useless to speculate on the real character of the Argonautic expedition, even if it be more than a mere myth. The accounts given by other writers differ so widely, especially in the geographical parts, from those of Apollodorus, that it becomes impossible to determine satisfactorily whether the expedition sailed n., e., or w. The common historical interpretation of the legend is that Jason sailed on a voyage of dis covery, which had for its aim and stimulus the hope of new commercial relations; others would modify this hypothesis, and suggest that the enterprise was partly commercial, partly piratical, and partly adventurous, and that Jason's crew was in all probability composed of young, restless, and ambitious spirits, who were ready for anything that might turn up.