num_pages: 4
description: The Argonautika, the only surviving epic of the Hellenistic era, is a retelling of the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece, probably the oldest extant Greek myth. Jason, a young prince, is sent on a perilous expedition but comes through various ordeals with the aid of the king's daughter, Medeia, winning the golden fleece and carrying off Medeia herself. He is a very modern figure, not at all Achillean: almost an anti-hero. Along the way, the story incorporates vivid accounts of early exploration and colonizing ventures. Peter Green's lively, readable verse translation captures the swift narrative movement of Apollonios's epic Greek.
language: English
title: Argonautica
titlecomplete: Argonautica
characters: Euphemus, Aietes, Pelias, Chiron, Heracles, Athena (Greek goddess), Hylas, Orpheus, Peleus, Philoctetes, Medea of Colchis, Hypsipyle, Pollux, Telamon, Castor, Achilles, Boreads, Atalanta (Mythology), Jason, the Argonaut
genres: Fiction, Epic, Classics, Ancient, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Fantasy, Literature, Poetry, Greece
ratings_count: 10013
places: Ancient Greece, Greece
publisher: Highbridge Audio