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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 today.

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.

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 to 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.

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.

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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.

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.

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Footnotes