Argo
The Argo ( ancient Greek ἡ Ἀργώ ) was, according to ancient Greek legend, the “incredibly” fast ship with which Jason and the Argonauts accompanying him wanted to get the Golden Fleece . According to the Argonauts legend , the fleece was guarded by a dragon in Colchis on the Black Sea, in the Ares grove . The Argo was a longship of the Pentekontere type ("fifty oars"). The ship had to be particularly fast because it had to pass the “moving rocks” - the Symplegaden at the entrance to the Black Sea -, a rock gate that led to the afterlife or to Colchis. In addition, there were still Scylla and Charybdis to pass on the way back , which should be done quickly.
The Argo in the Greek legend
When his builder applies Argonaut Argos , of the ship with Athena's help and patronage timbered - according to other sources it was she even self was made. Aleppo pine from Mount Pelion made and was able, thanks to Hera and Athena, on the bow of a timber of of the divine oaks of Dodona , even speaking and warning the Argonauts of dangers. (Apollod. 1, 9, 16)
Jason now took the ship Argo and set off for Colchis with fifty heroes, including Heracles , Peleus , Telamon , Theseus , Castor and Polydeukes as well as Meleagros and Orpheus . Near the Bosporus they met Phineus , who explained to them how the Symplegaden could be crossed. Euphemos let a dove fly through between the rocks, which were moving so quickly towards each other that they pinched the last tail feather from the bird. Now they rowed the ship with all their might towards the rocks that were moving apart again and barely managed to get through before the cliffs collapsed again.
So they finally came to Colchis, but King Aietes refused to surrender the fleece. He set Jason some tasks: King Medea's daughter fell in love with Jason and helped him cope with all the tasks. King Aietes nevertheless refused to hand it over. Together with Medea, Jason was able to defeat the dragon and get the fleece.
The ship itself was later moved to the sky as the constellation Argo navis , but has now been divided into the constellations Kiel , the ship's sails and the aft deck .
reception
Among other things, the Argo Point and the Argo-Nunatak bear his name.
See also
literature
- Michael Grant , John Hazel: Lexicon of ancient myths and figures . dtv, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-423-32508-9 .
- Karl Kerényi : The Mythology of the Greeks. Volume 2: The Heroen Stories (= dtv 30031). 13th edition. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 1992, ISBN 3-423-30031-0 .
- Murray Cragin, Emil Bonanno: Uranometria 2000.0. Deep Sky Atlas . Volume 3: Deep sky field guide . Willmann-Bell, Richmond 2001, ISBN 0-943396-73-5 .
- Robert von Ranke-Graves : Greek Mythology. Sources and interpretation (= Rowohlt's encyclopedia. 404). New edition in one volume, 15th edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-499-55404-6 .
- Otto Jessen : Argo 1 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume II, 1, Stuttgart 1895, Col. 721-723.