(Back to Essays)

On the Allegory of the Orphic Argonautica

or,

On the Soul's Quest for Immortality

The story of Jason and the Argonauts is one that is often overlooked. The version told by Apollonius of Rhodes is the earliest surviving epic recounting the tale, which dates from the Hellenistic period. This relatively late date is likely why it’s often overlooked. Indeed, an even later and perhaps more-overlooked version is the one we’ll be examining.

The Orphic Argonautica, also known as the Argonautica by Orpheus, dates from the 4th century CE and, as its title suggests, is an Orphic retelling of the epic, told in the first-person by the great theologian himself. The story is similar in many respects to other versions, like Apollonius of Rhodes or one by Valerius Flaccus, except that in Orpheus’ version, his own role is given more importance. In the Orphic Argonautica, it is also said that the Argo is the first ship ever constructed. This too is different from Apollonius’ more famous version, but it is not a detail fabricated by the Orphic author, as others before him have made the same claim.

Now is the time to say that the Orphic Argonautica is not meant to be “just” an epic, and especially not a cheap imitation of earlier epic poetry as it is often dismissed, nor is it only “Orphic” by coincidence. Rather, the story of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece is an allegorical tale, describing the Soul’s quest for immortality in the form of ascension to the Gods. The essay that follows is a systematic interpretation of the Orphic Argonautica^[1] as such.

Opening

Orpheus, the narrator and ‘author’ of the poem, opens by invoking Apollo, reciting an Orphic cosmogony, and listing other things he is known for, all addressed to Musaeus. In doing so, he establishes his authority: he is essentially saying I am the one who has been to Hades and back, I am the one who revealed the Mysteries to humankind, and I have more to tell you, my loyal student.

His addressing the reader as Musaeus serves in place of the usual ‘Orphic seal’: “I will speak to those for whom it is lawful”. In previous essays, it was argued that this seal, and secrecy in general, is used as a tool to assess whether (or ensure that) the reader / interlocutor is in the right state of mind, i.e. one of pious, reverent curiosity and wonder. By addressing the reader as Musaeus, the author skips the seal and assumes already that the reader is a student of Orpheus. This may suggest that the Orphic Argonautica was secret, intended for a small, specific audience, which lends further credence to it being actually Orphic and not just an imitation. Indeed, its late date (relative to Orphism) is actually quite early (relative to its reemergence), further suggesting that it was well-hidden or at least not widely circulated. While the Orphic Argonautica is dated to the 4th c. CE, it was not found and copied until the 15th century, over a thousand years later.

After the invocation, cosmogony, and recounting of Orpheus’ major milestones, the story begins first with relevant backstory and then with Jason arriving at Orpheus’ cave in Thrace, asking him for help on his quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Jason has already gathered his crew at this point, but he tells Orpheus that “they have no intention of sailing towards the barbarian tribes if you are not there”. A few lines earlier, Jason asks Orpheus to “show us the paths over the virgin sea and assist the heroes who are waiting for your lyre and divine voice”^[2].

If the lengthy introduction serves as the Orphic seal, then this conversation is our first revelation. Jason, who has already gathered a crew to sail, represents “us”, the reader-initiate. More specifically, Jason is the “I” that one thinks of when we think of ourselves. He is, to connect another allegory, Plato’s Charioteer, who pilots the vehicle of the soul, fighting his hardest to steer the horses toward the Good. Here, though, Jason’s crew will not set sail without Orpheus. The Argo is the first ship ever built; it is the prototype, or perhaps the archetype. This version of the allegory represents the ideal version. The ideal initiate has such mastery over the vehicle of their own soul that it refuses to wander without divine guidance.

However, Orpheus plays double-duty as the specific Orphic savior figure: he is guiding the Argonauts across the unknown depths, yes, but what he will help them secure on the other side is the Golden Fleece, which will help Jason reclaim his kingdom.

Our Orphic psychopomp leads us not only toward a favorable afterlife, but toward reclaiming our own share of rule. As the Gold tablets say, “You have become a God now instead of a mortal”^[3]. The Golden Fleece represents immortality in the form of the soul’s deification. The ideal initiate, upon death, transcends mortality and reclaims one’s own share of divinity.

Orpheus, in his reply to Jason, almost turns him away. He starts by asking why he should do it, saying that his life has been troubled enough, and that his mother has freed him from troubles to later die of old age at home. This is an inversion of the more famous dilemma which Achilles was presented: will you die young and be remembered forever, or will you live safe at home and die old? The Thracian bard shows us his mortal side, allowing his own Charioteer to loosen his grip for a moment and prefer earthly comforts to incorporeal immortality. However, very quickly, he reminds himself and the reader that “it is impossible to escape what is laid down by destiny”^[4] and accepts the charge, heading to the crowded beach camp of the Argonauts.

Meeting the Argonauts

The first Argonaut that Orpheus spoke with upon his arrival was Herakles. In the Orphic tradition, Herakles is equated with Chronos, "Time". In the Hieronyman Theogony, 'Herakles' is another name for Unaging Time, and was the first thing to come forth as a result of the first principles^[5]. In the Rhapsodies, "Time was the pre-existing cause of all things"^[6]. In the Orphic Hymn To Herakles, He is called "time's father, eternal and kind", and "flashing with first-born scales, great-named Aion"^[7]. This image of serpent scales, combined with the names Aion and Unaging Time, and the mention just a few lines later in Orpheus' Argonautica of the supernatural Solar event which allowed for His conception, lets us know that Herakles represents the Soul's understanding of the cyclical ages of eternal time and the supernatural 'solar purification' which ignites a new era.

He is also, though, called "mighty-heart, great-strength, stout Titan", and "wild-heart"^[8]. In ancient Greece, the heart was thought to be the seat of the intellect. For example, the Heart of Zagreus being saved and born again in Dionysus is what makes the two of them the same God. Herakles heart being strong and mighty, then, is a reference to the essence of his intellect. His very character is wild and mighty. This is because, as the Hymn says, Herakles is a "stout Titan". Because of the similarities between their names, Chronos and Kronos were often conflated in antiquity. So, just as much as Herakles represents the cyclical ages of eternal time, He also gains through his Titanic heart the symbolism of a mastery of the physical world, and of strength as an active force. We will see the interplay between these two aspects of Herakles later.

The second Argonaut that Orpheus meets is "Tiphys the son of Hagnias, steersman of the long ship". "He knew how to steer ships on a straight course through roaring and rapid tempests with his expert skill"^[9]. How could he know how to sail ships straight and true if their current ship Argo is the first ever constructed? This makes more sense if we consider that sailing in ancient times relied heavily on reading the stars, which were themselves seen as influencing earthly events. Furthermore, we are told elsewhere by Plutarch that "Heraclides and the Pythagoreans [say] that every star is a world in an infinite ether, and itself encompasseth air, earth, and ether; this opinion is current among the followers of Orpheus, for they suppose that each of the stars does make a world"^[10]. Etymologically, Hagnias could be related to the Greek hagios, "holy", and was likely viewed by ancients as being related to the Latin agnus, "lamb". Tiphys, then, is son of "the holy one", who knew how to navigate the stars, a map of divine order hidden in plain sight. He represents the soul's own logical capacity to recognize and decipher hidden divine signs.

Next, Orpheus "discerned horse-taming Kastor and Polydeukes"^[11], also known as the Dioscuri, or the Twins of the constellation Gemini. The Dioscuri are considered saviors. They are twins, but they have different fathers. Kastor is mortal, but Polydeukes, son of Zeus, was given immortality. Rather than hoard it, he splits it evenly with his brother, the twins each spending half of their time on Earth and half in the heavens. Thus, the two of them together represent 'the duality of man' and the harmony of opposites, which is an important aspect of Orphic, Pythagorean, and Platonic thought.

Immediately after the Dioscuri, Orpheus sees Mopsos. Mopsus was an augur, able to read divine signs in the behavior of birds. If Tiphys represents the soul's logical or active capacity to discern signs using math and astronomy/astrology, Mopsos is the soul's intuitive or passive/receptive capacity for divine omens. He doesn't have to calculate or decipher the signs he sees, he simply observes them.

"Then there was Peleus"^[12], the father of Achilles. Achilles' mother, Thetis, is a sea-nymph. Since the sea is already symbolic here of the unknown, and the myth of Peleus and Thetis has him restrain her shapeshifting form until she submits, Peleus in the Orphic Argonautica represents that part of the soul which is courageous in the face of adversity. Peleus remains calm against the unknown because he married it. Peleus' name is also a pun on the Greek pelos, meaning "clay" or "mud". This sets up a profound dichotomy between Jason and Peleus. if Jason, the young captain in charge of the crew, represents the ideal intellectual self, then Peleus is the part of the soul which is an image or internal model of the body. Peleus is the Matter to Jason's Mind, and the Body to his Soul.

Next came "Hermes' three famous Scions"^[13], Aithalides, Erytos, and Echion. Each of them represent a different aspect of the soul bestowed by Hermes. In his own mythology, Aithalides is given by Hermes the ability to remember everything even while he is in the Underworld. Erytos' name is sometimes spelled Eurytos, and may come etymologically from words meaning "well" and "to draw/pull", suggesting "one who draws/pulls well" perhaps esoterically as in 'one who has the better side of a transaction', given Hermes' association with commerce. Echion, whose name derives from echis, "viper", relates to Hermes' association with words and speech. To be a 'snake in the grass' is to be deceitful, and we say that these people speak with 'forked tongues' to signify that everything they say has two meanings. Thus, the three sons of Hermes each represent a 'tricky' aspect of the soul. Aithalides is the soul's capacity for extreme, unforgiving memory; to remember everything is to forget nothing. Erytos is the capacity to 'win' social interactions. Echion is the capacity to conceal things.

Argos and Koronos are mentioned next in the same line^[14]. As the ship's builder, guided by Athena, Argos represents the soul's capacity for skill, or its ability to execute/act on ideas. Koronos must be understood first by his backstory. His father, Kaineus, was born a woman, Kainis. Kainis was loved by Poseidon, who granted her wish to become an invincible man. So, Kaineus represents fluidity and transformation. Koronos in our myth, then, represents the soul's ideal transformation, or more specifically, what is born of that transformation, i.e. one's 'perfect self'.

Then comes "Iphiklos, brilliant scion of Phylakos"^[15], who was known for his incredible speed and lightness: he was so fast he could run over the top of a wheat field without bending the stalks. Through this symbolism of the unbending stalks, he becomes in our myth an allegory for the soul's faculty for detachment: he is the part of the soul which remains 'light' and unbent or unpolluted.

After the son of Phylakos is Boutes, "who resembled Phoibos with his golden sword"^[16]. His golden sword pulls double-duty in our myth. By saying that his golden sword makes him resemble Apollo, the poet is telling us that Boutes represents that part of the soul which capable of decisive categorization and discernment. In Orpheus' Argonautica, his sword is golden; his discernment is God-like. Unlike our version, other Argonautica have Boutes lured into the water by sirens. Thus, the sword is a double-entendre for his own penetrative lust. In the other versions, he is blinded by his love, and his discernment fails him. His sword, heavy, weighs him down. Because it is Love that blinds him, though, he is saved by Aphrodite and made a priest. This is a theme we find a few times in Platonic thought; that even if one stumbles around blindly, as long as it is in pursuit of the Good, they will never truly 'fail'.

Next is Kanthos, "whom Fate laid low; Compulsion decreed that his end should be to perish in Libya, and to forget his return home"^[17]. The poet is telling us that Kanthos' death is important to understanding him as a whole, and we will cross that bridge when we get there. First, though, we are given his name, kanthos, Greek for "the corner of the eye" or "the (iron) tire of a (wooden) wheel". Thus, Kanthos the Argonaut represents that part of the soul which directly interacts with the material world. The poet includes the spoiler that Kanthos doesn't live to the end of the story only to say that the soul's faculty for material interaction eventually becomes an unnecessary burden.

Then, Phaleros "founder of Gyrton's sea-girt city" Phaleron, is introduced. Because he founded a port city, he acts here as the soul's 'port' or 'anchor', one's civic duty. No matter how long the Argo is at sea, it must always eventually return to port. No matter how long one spends perfecting oneself, one must always bring that back with us to civilization.

"Iphiklos followed with them, Naubolos' son, who ruled Phokis"^[18] (Not to be confused with the earlier Iphiklos). Etymologically, Naubolos comes from words meaning "ship" and "to throw/cast". Iphiklos comes from words meaning "mighty" and "fame". Their relationship tells us that his Mighty Fame may come from being son of the boat-launcher, which itself suggests that this Iphiklos represents the soul's inherited momentum. His father launched ships so well that now he himself is famous. His being ruler of Phokis, which includes Delphi and its famous Oracle of Apollo, signals that this momentum is just as much assigned to us by the Gods as it is inherited from our mortal parents.
F
"Abas' widely known descendants, whom Pero bore" are introduced next, "the impeccable sons Laodokos, Talaos, and Areios"^[19]. Although they are named here as the sons of Abas, they are more widely known as the sons of a man named Bias. The etymology for our English word "bias" is unrelated, and the ancient Greek name comes from the word for "life" and generally means "force" or "strength", as in "life force" or "the vitality of life". By changing the lineage of these brothers, our Orphic poet tries to make it so that they are perhaps assumed into the lineage that eventually produces Theseus. (There is another Abas, from Thrace, but he is mentioned as father of the earlier Kanthos.)

In addition to assuming a lineage sacred to Athenians, the brothers gain, through the name Abas, a further sense of holiness or purity. Abas means "guileless" or "good-hearted". It may also be linked to the word abaton, made from the prefix 'a-' denoting "not" and the word baino, "to step", essentially meaning "that which is untrodden" or "an inaccessible place". The word abaton in ancient Greek was used specifically to refer to two types of holy site. Within Greece, an abaton was the part of a temple to Asklepios where patrons suffering an affliction would go to sleep, in the hopes of receiving guidance or healing from the God in their dreams. The word abaton was also used to describe the sites sacred to Osiris in Egypt where it was said that the parts of his dismembered body were buried.

Thus, through changing the lineage of the three brothers, the poet shifts their allegorical descent from one of vitality in the world of generation to one of pure and holy sanctuary. As for the brothers themselves, we shall proceed in order. Laodokos' name comes from Laos meaning "people". The usual word for people, though, is demos. Laos implies a shared connection between the people, which is not the same as citizenship (demos) or ethnicity (ethnos). The second half of Laodokos comes from dechomai and means "to recieve" or "to accept". Talaos comes from a root meaning "to bear" as in "to endure/suffer". Areios derives either directly from Ares, or perhaps from Areion which means "Martial" or "Warlike" and is the name of mythical divine horse.

That these three Argonauts are given as brothers, and that they are sons of a man named Abas, tells us that they act as the "temple guardians" within the Soul. Laodokos, as the receiver of people, is that part of the Soul which recognizes and accepts (or internalizes) sacred truths or Mysteries. Talaos, as the one who endures, is the Soul's capacity to bear the weight of those Mysteries. Talaos may also be suffering in the sense of enduring the Mysteries alone, i.e. observing secrecy among the uninitiated. Areios, because he is Warlike, is the militant defender of the Soul's abaton, the Mysteries accepted and endured by his brothers.

"Amphidamas, Aleos' son, came too"^[20]. Amphidamas is a compound word. Amphi means "on both sides", like an amphibean "lives on both sides" (inside and outside) of the water. It can also mean "around". Damas means "to tame" or "to conquer". Together, they suggest that Amphidamas is "tamer of both sides". In contrast to the Dioscuri, who represent the harmony or meeting of opposites, Amphidamas is "tamer of both sides" in that he a bottleneck. Amphidamas is that part of the Soul which actively regulates or mediates the downward and upward pulls on the Soul.

"Next came Erginos, who left behind Branchos' corn-rich fields and the bastions of fortified Miletos"^[21] to come aboard the Argo. His name comes from the word ergon, meaning "work". Branchos is not a location, but a mythical figure: he was a legendary seer, and a lover of Apollo, who established an Oracle at Didyma (nearby Miletos). Erginos' work, then, is to plant and cultivate divine gifts, and store them in the fortifications of the city. Miletos is also notable as the eponymous home of Milesian philosophy and the likely origin of the early Orphic cult at Olbia, suggesting that these fortifications are representative of the integration of the fruits of this work into one's own philosophical and religious lifestyle. Thus, our poet is telling us that Erginos specifically represents the Soul's capacity for theurgy or "God-work".

Then "Neleus' child Periklymenos arrived"^[22]. Periklymenos is the grandson of Poseidon, and his divine grandfather gave him the ability to shapeshift. Periklymenos comes from root words meaning "Encompassing Fame". His name, his abilities, and from whom he received those abilities all serve as hints to tell us that Periklymenos in Orpheus' Argonautica represents the fluid capacity of the Soul to adapt, and like water, it's ability to expand to fill any given container.

We meet next "Quick Meleager, whom Oineus and rosy-armed Althaia bore"^[23]. To understand Meleager, like many of the Argonauts, we must understand his parents. Oineus comes from the word for "wine", and Althaia comes from a word meaning "to heal". Meleager is from Kalydon, where the mythical boar lived, and it was his fate to kill the boar with Atalanta's help. However, others took issue with this and fought Meleager, and he killed his own uncles. In order to stop him, Althaia placed a piece of wood on the fire that she was told by the Fates would kill Meleager if ever it burned. Meleager, then, is quick because he represents that part of the Soul which tends toward passion.

Then comes our third Iphiklos: "he was Althaia's brother, who was exceptionally devoted to pretty Meleager, and who taught him splendid deeds"^[24]. Immediately it is obvious that this Iphiklos is paired with Meleager. By saying that Iphiklos is devoted to "pretty" Meleager, the poet is trying to draw an association in our minds between Beauty and "the Good": in Platonic thought, "the Good" is "the One", and the nature of each thing's "Good-ness" manifests itself in that thing's beauty. By being devoted to pretty Meleager, and by teaching him splendid deeds, Iphiklos must then represent the Soul's faculty to recognize and cultivate divine potential. That he is Althaia's brother, perhaps killed by Meleager later, serves as a warning not to be consumed by passion: one must not lose sight of the Good, and of the potential to realize it.

Next is Asterion, "the child of famous Kometes who lived in Peiresia"^[25] where two rivers join and continue to the sea as one. His name comes from the root aster, which means "star", and his father's name shares its root with that of our word "comet". Peiresia comes from a root meaning "limit". Asterion, thus, is that fragment of Starry Sky within us all, who lives at the "limit" of one's consciousness, where the two rivers must meet before continuing.

We are then told that "Eurydamas had travelled from Lake Boibeis, near the Peneios and milk-rich Meliboia"^[26]. His name comes from roots meaning "wide" or "broad" and "tamer". If the earlier Amphidamas is "tamer of both sides" and a bottleneck, then Eurydamas as the "wide tamer" acts as a fence: rather than a strict leash that chokes when you pull, Eurydamas is that part of the Soul which provides a framework, or a safe area within which to wander. Also, Lake Boibeis and the Peneios are each sacred waters, with Boibeis being associated with Athena and wisdom, and Peneios being the river where Apollo purified himself after slaying the Python. "Milk-rich Meliboia" is also notable, as Meliboia comes from words meaning "honey" and "cattle/ox". Milk and honey is a common libation in ancient Greece, and it may have played a special role in Orphic initiations. Eurydamas then, as a whole, represents the pastoral faculty of the Soul.

"The next to arrive was Elatos' child Polyphemos, who had previously distinguished himself among the heroes for his manly deeds"^[27], not to be confused with the same-named Cyclops in Homer's Odyssey. His name comes from root words meaning "many" and "speech" or "word", suggesting that he is "many-voiced". His father's name could come from a word meaning "to drive/strike", or perhaps from another meaning "pine tree". These things, taken together with his own distinguishment by his own manly deeds, tells us that our Polyphemus is representative of that part of the Soul which is driven to seek out (or stand tall in) the praises of the Many.

"Eneios the son of Kaineus was there, too"^[28]. Madeła notes that "the name Eneios might well be a corruption, since the son of Kaineus is elsewhere called Koronos"^[29], but this seems unlikely since our poet has already counted Koronos among the Argonauts. While Eneios may not be the exact name intended by our poet, it does allow for some interesting etymological associations: Eneios may come from henia, "reigns", or from henis, often used in compound words to denote a "yearling" or something "of the year".

If we accept the former, and Eneios comes from a root word meaning "reigns", then he acts as a complement to his brother. If Koronos, as said before, passively represents the Soul's capacity for transformation, or specifically represents its ideal transformation, then Eneios as the reigns is that part of the Soul which actively leads that transformation.

Or, if we take the latter, and Eneios is a yearling, then he stands in contrast to his brother, whose name produces associations in the reader's mind to Kronos and thus to Chronos, "Time". If Koronos earlier represents the Soul's ideal transformation, then Eneios here as a yearling is its' inversion: the limitless potential of something early in its development.

The next Argonaut we meet is "Admetos, whom Paian once served and obeyed"^[30]. Admetos was famous for his hospitality and his just spirit. Apollo, as our poet hints, was sentenced to serve a mortal as a slave for a year. Due to Admetos' reputation as a just and hospitable man, Apollo chose to serve out his sentence under Admetos. Apollo later helped Admetos win the hand of his wife, and later still, cheat death (although his wife died in his place). To repay the hospitality that he had shown Herakles, the demigod wrestled Thanatos until he agreed to release Admetos' wife. His name comes from roots meaning "not tamed", suggesting that Admetos represents that part of the Soul which remains "untamed" by earthly vices, allowing for the perfect justice and hospitality displayed (and rewarded) in his other myths.

"Eurytion came too, child of Aktorion's son Iros"^[31]. Aktorion is better known as Aktor, his name coming from ago meaning "to lead". Iros may come from eiros, meaning "lamb" or "wool", which would make sense given that he refuses a peace-offering of sheep and cattle after the accidental death of Eurytion in another myth. Iros, though, may also come from the verb verb eiro, "to speak". Eurytion may come from roots meaning "widely honored". This lineage suggests that Eurytion is the Soul's faculty for leadership and articulation.

"With him came Idas and Lynkeus"^[32]. They are brothers, and the sons of Aphareus, whose name may come from the verb aphaireo, "to separate" or "to take away". Lynkeus is famous in mythology for his super-human sight, and our poet tells us that he was "the only human who could look--across the greatest distances, through the depths of sky and sea--even into the pits of subterranean Pluto with his powerful eyes". Idas' name is perhaps related to eidos, the word used by Plato which is usually translated Form and is also the root for our word "idea". Idas and Lynkeus together then are the Soul's dialectical capacity to separate appearances from Forms/Ideas.

"Then there was Telamon coming with them"^[33]. The poet gives Telamon's father as "untiring Aiakos", who is another character famous in mythology for an incredible sense of justice. Aiakos' justice is so untiring that he is made one of three judges in the Underworld. Telamon is also the name of a sculpted figure-column, like a male caryatid, which is also sometimes called an atlas. Both telamon and atlas come from a root word meaning "to bear" as in "to suffer/endure". In a recurring theme, Telamon sits in contrast to Admetos, who passively remains "untamed" by vice, whereas Telamon is that part of the Soul which actively suffers and bears the weight of existence.

"Next came strong Idmon, supposedly Abas' child"^[34] though the poet tells us Apollo is his real father. Idmon is a seer, and we are told that "Phoibos granted him the gift of foresight and a divine voice, allowing him to pronounce to humans what is fixed by destiny". Although it was stated before that Mopsos, the other seer, is passive in relation to Tiphys' active calculation of courses, Mopsos here is active in that he is an augur actively reading external signs. Idmon, on the other hand, is truly passive in that the signs he observes are not even external. Idmon represents the Soul's capacity to passively receive gnosis or true knowledge, or in other words, Idmon represents the Soul's faculty for raw intuition.

"With them came Menoitios [...] and brilliant Oileus came, too"^[35]. Menoitios is perhaps best known as the father of Patroclus, lover of Achilles. His name comes from words meaning "might" or "passion" and "fate" or "doom". This, together with his son, hints to us that Menoitios represents that part of the Soul which submits to passion or rage. Oileus was a Locrian king, and the father of Ajax the Lesser. Thus both Oileus and Menoitios are "fathers of seconds", with Patroclus second to Achilles and Ajax the Lesser second to Ajax the Great, though each handled their situation differently.

If the Greater Ajax's father, Telamon, represents active endurance and stability, then Oileus must represent the opposite: the Locrian Ajax was not a celebrated war hero like Ajax the Great. Rather, the Lesser Ajax is said to have dragged the supplicant Kassandra from the Temple of Athena and proceeded to rape her. When Odysseus called for him to be stoned to death, he feigned innocence and avoided punishment. Athena sunk his ship on his return home, but he was saved by Poseidon. The Locrian Ajax still could not contain his hubris, and because he then declared that he would survive in defiance of the Gods, Poseidon changed his mind and Ajax was swallowed by the sea.

"Then far-famed Phlias arrived, to whom a nymph once gave birth after she yielded to Bakchos by the Asopos' streams: he possessed an impeccable body and a sage intellect"^[36]. His name comes from a verb meaning "to overflow", and this along with his parents and his impeccable figure and intellect suggest that Phlias represents the Soul's capacity for enthusiasm. Our word enthusiasm comes from the Greek literally meaning "containing the God". Thus, he is the Soul's capacity for "enthusiasm" not generally as in "excitement", but rather mystically as in "possession" or "divine inspiration".

The next Argonaut is Kepheus. His name may derive from kephale, meaning "head" or "summit". It may also perhaps derive from kephen, meaning "drone bee". Drones do not gather honey (i.e. do "a bee's work"), their job is to fertilize the Queen. Kepheus also shares his name with the father of Andromeda, after whom a constellation is named. Thus Kepheus, as a drone bee, does not deal in emotions (i.e. in modern secular thought "a head's work" insofar as emotions reside in the brain), but instead fertilizes the Soul. Kepheus then represents that part of the Soul which "has its head in the stars" so to speak.

We're told next that "Ankaios was sent to join the group"^[37]. His name comes from a root meaning "the curve of a bent arm" which is typically used to symbolize an embrace. His father is Lykourgos, whose name derives from words meaning "wolf" and "work", suggesting a predatory nature, perhaps shifting the "bend-of-the-arm" of Ankaios from a friendly embrace to one resembling a chokehold or another wrestling move. The poet tells us in the next line that "He never put a cloak around his sturdy shoulders, but instead a shaggy bear-skin covered his chest" suggesting that he preferred animal pelts to clothing. All of this together places Ankaios as firmly representative of that part of the Soul which is animalistic. In other words, Ankaios represents the "lizard brain", or that part of us which is only concerned with survival and preservation.

"Nauplios also arrived, the dear son of Amymone, to whom she gave birth after sleeping with the far-famed Earthshaker"^[38]. His name comes from words meaning "ship" and "to sail/float". Earthshaker is an epithet that most usually refers to Poseidon, connecting Nauplios to the earlier Argonaut Periklymenos, Poseidon's shapeshifting grandson who represented the fluid capacity of the Soul. Nauplios, then, Poseidon's son the "ship sailor" or "floating ship", represents the Soul's faculty to master flux and "sail/float" on top of it, i.e. "go with the flow".

Then came Euphemos. His name comes from roots meaning "well" and "speech" or "voice", together meaning "the good word". The word euphemai is used as a command to mean "speak only good words" or "keep a reverent silence", and is where our word "euphemism" comes from. Thus, in contrast to the earlier Polyphemos, which is the discursive aspect of the Soul scattered among the Many, Euphemos is that faculty of the Soul which is concerned with the Good.

"Ankaios the Pleuronian came along, too, who was an expert on the stars' heavenly orbits and the planetary cycles, since he looked into people's present and future"^[39]. Not to be confused with the son of Lykourgos we just met, this Ankaios is a doublet of Tiphys, the steersman. However, while Tiphys read the stars and orbits for expert skill in sailing, Ankaios reads them explicitly for fortunetelling.

"Palaimonios, supposedly Lernos' son, also arrived"^[40]. He is famous for his unsteady legs, for which reason our poet says everyone called him "Hephaistos' offspring"^[41]. His name comes from the verb palaio, which means "to wrestle" or "to struggle". Thus, Palaimonios represents that faculty of the Soul which deals with (and ideally overcomes) internal struggles.

"Then Augias arrived, the son of Helios who shines bright as fire"^[42]. He is perhaps best remembered for his stables which he famously neglected, and which Herakles was tasked with cleaning in a single day. In the myth of his stables, their filth represents the Soul's accumulated miasma. However, here, emphasis placed on his father Helios, Augias represents that part of the Soul which is radiant.

"Two faultless young men came as well, well-known Amphion and Asterios who was steadfast in battle"^[43]. Asterios comes from the word for "star", and Amphion from the word meaning "both" or "around", suggesting that they represent a microcosm of the One and the Many, in the form of that famous symbol of the circled dot, which is also the astrological symbol for the Sun.

Then Orpheus meets Zetes and Kalais, "Boreas' two good-looking scions"^[44]. The name Zetes comes from the word zeteo, meaning "to seek", while Kalais comes from kaleo, meaning "to call". They are unique in that they fly: the poet tells us "They were held aloft by wings which started at their ears"^[45]. Their wings and their father tell us that they possess a "windy" quality, and that is the key to their interpretation: they simply represent breath and the act of breathing. When we breathe in, we "seek" breath, and when we exhale, we are "calling". It is important to remember that air is the vehicle which delivers the Soul to living things by means of breath (see On the Soul and its Σῶμα / Σῆμα).

"Next, from Pherai, came Pelias' heir Akastos, since he was eager to travel to the inhospitable Phasis on the ship Argo together with the other heroes"^[46]. Pelias, of course, is (at the present moment in our story) the King of Iolkos, who sent Jason on this mission in the first place as a means to keep him away from the throne. The name Akastos comes from roots meaning "to not retreat" or "to not yield". Akastos, then, joining the heroes against his father's wishes on what was assigned as a suicide mission, represents that faculty of the Soul which stands tall in the face of adversity, and does not give in to fear.

"Finally, we were joined by divine Herakles' companion, good-looking Hylas; the fine down on his soft chin had not yet reddened his white cheeks. He was still a boy, and Herakles liked him a lot"^[47]. Emphasis is placed here on Hylas' youthful beauty and its inevitable corruption because Hylas represents one's true Ideal self, which must necessarily be corrupted as it is brought into being due to the very nature of Idea vs physical form. Interestingly, if we accept the earlier interpretation of Eneios as being etymologically linked to “yearling”, Hylas here is a doublet of that aspect. Hylas’ name may further cement this idea, possibly being related to hyle, “matter”.

Counting Orpheus and Jason, there are fifty-two men aboard the Argo in the Orphic Argonautica. This is not by coincidence: there are also fifty-two weeks in the year (and even though this poem is ancient, it is believed to be younger than the adoption of the seven-day week in the Roman Empire). As previously argued, the Year can be seen as a cycle of purification and also a microcosm of the Soul's ascent.

Furthermore, in Platonic thought, The One (i.e. the ultimate source of everything) is also called The Good, and equated with the Form of Beauty. Using isopsephy, also widely used at the time the poem was written, we find that fifty-two is the sum of the word καλα, which is a plural word meaning "beautiful things" (sometimes translated as "noble deeds" to avoid the association with physical appearance).

Thus, our Argonauts as a single whole allude to the cyclical purifications undergone by the Soul and represent the specific beautiful things which it must acquire/refine. Though, as evidenced by the word καλα, they are still plural (i.e. Many) and not yet The One/Good beyond everything else, i.e. "Beauty Itself" (καλον). To achieve that, they must complete their quest for the Golden Fleece.

(Back to Essays)

Dying to Start

Briefly though, between introducing the Heroes and launching the Argo, our poet tells us that these men gathered together at a single, long table to eat a dinner they'd prepared, "each of them dying to start their work"^[48]. In the very next sentence, their hunger is satisfied and they stand up, eager to leave. It is no mistake that this should all take place in a single paragraph that exists to bridge what has come before and what will come next.

Before, we were getting acquainted with the various faculties of the Soul, or the various beautiful things that one's Soul must cultivate in order to retrieve the reward. This liminal paragraph, though, especially because of that earlier quote, "each of them dying to start", signifies that everything before this point was preparation: one must die for the Soul's journey to truly start.

Launching the Argo

With the feast signifying death, and the Argonauts' hunger sated, the crew heads to the ship. Most of the crew, upon seeing the ship, were awestruck and stood staring. "Argos, however, obeying the commands of his intellect, prepared to heave it up by means of wooden trunks and well-twisted ropes fastened to the stern"^[49]. Earlier, it was said that Argos, as the ship's architect, represents skill and the capacity to execute ideas. The Argo, as the ship that will carry all of these Heroes, represents the vehicle of the Soul.

In designing and building the ship, Argos was guided by Athena, a Goddess of wisdom and strategy. Here in launching it, he obeys his intellect, which we are told by Proclus "is Dionysian and truly an image of Dionysus"^[50]. Macrobius, who variously quotes Orpheus in his syncretism of Apollo and Dionysus (and others) together as expressions of the Sun, says that "for the physicists Dionysus is 'the mind of Zeus' (Διὸς νοῦς)"^[51] and a few lines later he specifically says that Euboleus (meaning "good counsel") is an Orphic epithet for the Sun^[52]. These two authors are roughly contemporaneous to the believed date of Orpheus' Argonautika^[53], lending further credence that all three were drawing from the same pool of belief.

These teachings may even be traceable to the Derveni Papyrus: its anonymous author is the earliest that survives to quote Orphic poetry explicitly (in the 4th century BCE) and, as such, is the first to write down that the Orphic understanding is a broad syncretization of all deities into a single variform one, showing that this remained a central piece of Orphism for at least a thousand years^[54].

So, more than just a generic capacity to execute skill and ideas, Argos' skills and ideas are divine in origin, and he alone among the Soul's faculties remains sure in the immediate wonder that follows one's death. This, perhaps, is why the philosopher-initiate must spend their whole life in preparation: so that, even in these moments of overwhelming wonder, the Soul's inner Argos may remain in-tune to receive these skills and ideas to execute.

We are told next that Argos "called on everyone and exhorted them to get to work, and they obeyed eagerly"^[55], removing their armor, tying ropes around their chest to pull the ship, and marching forward toward the sea. The Argo was stuck, however, held fast by dry seaweed and refusing to move. This shows that, no matter how practiced one may be, you cannot "brute force" a readiness for death.

Jason, earlier stated to be the "I" of the Soul equivalent to Plato's Charioteer, notices that his preparations were not enough now: our Orpheus says that "Jason's heart froze with fear; he caught my eye and nodded, signalling that I should keep rousing their courage and strength with my music, to banish their weariness"^[56]. Jason, even though his Soul knows what to do, is afraid that it won't work. Perhaps even the most disciplined philosophers and Initiates are not without a fear of death. Even so, Jason does not call out for just any help: his fear of death does not outweigh his gnosis that the psychopomp will guide the Soul, and he locks eyes with Orpheus in a wordless plea to do just that. The poet continues:

So I stretched the phorminx between my hands, blended a lovely harmony for my mother's song, and brought forth a lily-like voice from my breast:
"Most eminent heroes, you who have the blood of the Minyans running through your veins, come now, pull on the ropes in unison with your sturdy chests; press footprints into the earth with your soles, strain the tips of your toes with all your might, and joyfully haul the ship towards the blue-grey waters!
Argo, you who are built from pines and oaks, give ear to my voice! You already listened to me once before, at that time when I charmed the trees and steep rocks on a wooded peak, and I made them leave the mountains and walk down to the sea. Follow me once again on a path over the virgin sea! Hurry and make your way towards Phasis, obeying my kithara and godlike voice."
At that, the Tomarian oak-beam complied with a roar, the one that Argos had put under the black ship's keel at Pallas' advice. The Argo raised herself up without a moment's delay, lifting up her planks, and quickly slipped into the sea.^[57]

In the footnotes from these passages^[58], Madeła clarifies that the Argo "possesses a consciousness which allows it to react to Orpheus' words" due to the Tomarian oak beam onboard, which is so-called because it was taken from Mount Tmaros near Dodona, from Zeus' prophetic sanctuary there. Though it was installed by the ship's builder, she also clarifies that Orpheus, as the poet says in these passages, was capable of "persuading trees to walk down to Zone on the Thracian coast" and that our author here is tying these two things together to include Orpheus in the ship's construction.

In doing so, our poet is making the assertion to Initiates that a life of training and preparation is sufficient: there is, in the vehicle of the Soul, even in the event that one's fear is paralyzing, a pillar of divinity which can be compelled by our savior psychopomp to begin it's journey toward ascension. We're told that "only a single rope was pulled taut" as the ship surged toward the water, suggesting that the Argo didn't need any help beyond Orpheus' command. The single taut rope could also be seen as a stand-in for the One Good upward pull on the Soul.

The Golden Ticket

As the hull of the ship met the sea, we're told that Jason "felt joy in his heart" and that "Argos leapt into the ship, and Tiphys followed on his heels"^[59]. The ship's builder and helmsman rigged it to sail, distributed the oars to every station, and ordered the crew aboard.Before the rest could board, though, Jason gave a speech:

“Listen to me, faultless princes! You see, it makes me uncomfortable in my spirit to rule over men superior to myself. You yourselves should choose your leader, whoever it is that your heart and spirit desires, who will be in charge of everything. This man will guide us on what we should do and say, when we sail over the sea and after we arrive on land, both among the Kolchians and among other foreigners. You are the only ones who joined me in sharing the burden of this enterprise, you many noble men, who proudly claim to be descended from immortal stock, in order to gain glory. But I don’t think that that there is anyone stronger or superior to lord Herakles among us: you are well aware of it yourselves.”

So he spoke, and everyone was in favor.^[60]

Jason, the stand-in for the ideal initiate-reader, and the leader of the crew, is still worried that he isn’t good enough, and he puts his own job up to a vote, nominating Herakles instead. In this speech, Jason addresses his crew as “faultless princes” and as “many noble men, who proudly claim to be descended from immortal stock”, bolstering our earlier observations that these men represent the ideal and many “noble deeds” or “beautiful things” which the Soul must firmly grasp.

Furthermore, that these men are noble, faultless princes, and claim to be born from immortals, accompanied with the ending phrase “you are well aware of it yourselves”, are all echoes of things central to Orphism before the time of this poem. Their being noble princes can be tied to their claim to divinity, and their faultlessness is a result of their being the ideal and also as a reminder for the Initiate to cultivate an inner purity through living the Orphikos bios or ‘Orphic life’^[61]. Their claim to divinity, especially coupled with the phrase “you are well aware of it yourselves”, draws the initiated reader immediately to make the connection with this same exact claim in the Gold Tablets. Specifically, in the Petelia tablet, the Initiate is told when they meet guards at the Lake of Mnemosyne:

Say: “I am a child of Gē and of Starry Ouranos,
but my descent is of heaven; you yourselves know this.”

If we examine the original Greek for specifically the words among these phrases translated as “you [know/are aware of] [this/it] yourselves”, beginning first with Jason’s speech:

ἴστε καὶ αὐτοί^[62]

and then the Petelia tablet:

τόδε δ’ ἴστε καὶ αὐτοί^[63]

we find that they are nearly identical. In The Argonautika by Orpheus, Madeła chose to translate the shorter version used by the poet into a longer English phrase. However, the meaning is exactly the same. The extra words present on the tablet simply make explicit something which is only implied in Jason’s words. If we translate these both a little more rigidly, Jason’s would look like “you know [it] yourselves”, with the ‘it’ in brackets being implied, whereas the Gold Tablet phrase explicitly says “this you know yourselves”.

If the feast earlier represents the Initiate’s death, then this moment here with Jason’s speech represents the Initiate realizing that they are still carrying their Gold Tablet from their life. Jason is reviewing the Gold Tablet: in recognizing the crew’s superiority to himself, he is recognizing his own Titanic nature. He affirms that they are all “descended from immortal stock”, and that “you yourselves know this”.

In nominating Herakles to lead, he is nominating that part of Herakles which represents the mastery of strength as an active force in the physical world. Or, at least, this is what the crew agrees to. When Jason loosens the reigns on his chariot, the horses tend toward material comfort. What is more comforting than absolute mastery of strength?

But Herakles does not accept. Instead, He recognizes that this honor is meant to be Jason’s, and He convinces the men to keep Jason as their leader. In doing so, the horses fall in line and allow the Charioteer to steer again. By having Herakles step aside to favor Jason, our poet is having the Soul recognize that it needs to obey its Charioteer and not rely on brute force or physical mastery. The poet is also bringing in the other aspect of Herakles outlined in Part One, i.e. that He represents cyclical and eternal Time. By having Jason review the Gold Tablet and then having the cycles of Aion stand down, our poet is also making the statement that living and practicing the Orphic life is key to escaping the wheel of time.

(Back to Essays)

Works Cited

Bernabé, Alberto. Poetae Epici Graeci: Testimonia et Fragmenta. Pars 2, Orphicorum et Orphicis Similium Testimonia et Fragmenta. Fasciculus 1. K.G. Saur, 2004.

Chrysanthou, Anthi. Defining Orphism: The Beliefs, the Teletae and the Writings. De Gruyter, 2020.

Davies, Percival Vaughan. Macrobius: The Saturnalia. Columbia University Press, 1969.

Duvick, Brian Marshall, et al. Proclus: On Plato Cratylus. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007.

Graf, Fritz, and Sarah Iles Johnston. Ritual Texts for the Afterlife: Orpheus and the Bacchic Gold Tablets. Routledge, 2013.

Madeła, Alexandra. The Argonautika by Orpheus: Writing Pre-Homeric Poetry in Late Antiquity. Brill, 2025.

Malamis, Daniel. The Orphic Hymns: Poetry and Genre, with a Critical Text and Translation. Brill, 2025.

Plutarch. "Placita Philosophorum". Plutarch's Morals. Translated from the Greek by several hands. Corrected and revised by. William W. Goodwin, PH. D. Boston. Little, Brown, and Company. Cambridge. Press Of John Wilson and son. 1874. Perseus Digital Library. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0404:book=2:chapter=13. Accessed 3 December 2025.

West, M. L. The Orphic Poems. Clarendon Press, 1998.

(Back to Essays)

Footnotes