The Argonautica, an epic by Apollonius of Rhodes, recounts the legendary voyage of Jason and the Argonauts in pursuit of the Golden Fleece. Sent on this seemingly impossible quest by the usurper King Pelias, Jason assembles Greece's greatest heroes—including Heracles, Orpheus, and Castor and Pollux—and sets sail aboard the ship Argo. The crew faces countless perils: the clashing Symplegades rocks, the tormenting Harpies, and the women of Lemnos. In Colchis, the sorceress Medea, pierced by Eros's arrow, falls hopelessly in love with Jason. With her magic, he tames fire-breathing bulls, defeats the earthborn warriors, and seizes the Fleece, fleeing with Medea toward a fateful homecoming.
