A heroic group in Greek mythology that lived in the years before the Trojan War: Who are the Argonauts?

They set out from Greece on the ship Argo in search of the legendary Golden Fleece in the 1300s BC.

Apollonios of Rhodes wrote down the adventurous journey of Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, and his 50 friends to Colchis, located today in Georgia's Adjara Autonomous Region, in the 3rd century BC. The 6,500-line legend of the Golden Fleece, which is included in many ancient sources, was mentioned in the tragedies of the Cretan Epimenides and the Roman thinker and statesman Seneca.

THE LEGEND OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE AND THE ARGONAUTS

There is a great famine in the Thebes region of Greece. Ino, the wife of God Zeus, spreads the rumor that the famine will end by sacrificing two brothers from Zeus' ex-wife. Zeus finds the solution by putting his two children on a golden fleece ram with the ability to fly and smuggling them to Colchis on the Black Sea coast.

The Argonauts were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, Argo, named after its builder, Argus. They were sometimes called Minyans, after a prehistoric tribe in the area.

However, sister Helle falls and disappears while crossing the Dardanelles. After this event, the Dardanelles will be known as the Hellespont. King Aites welcomes Phriksos, who reaches Colchis. Phriksos sacrifices the ram and presents the Golden Fleece to King Aites. King Aites hangs the fleece on a sacred oak tree protected by a dragon in a grove dedicated to God Ares.

Meanwhile, King Aison of Iolkos loses his throne to his half-brother Pelias. When Aison's son Jason reaches adolescence, he demands the throne back from his uncle Pelias. Pelias says that he will give the throne back to Jason if he brings the legendary Golden Fleece to get rid of him.

While making plans for his journey, Jason makes an agreement with the famous shipmaster Argos. While the Argo (Fast) ship was being built, Athena, the goddess of war and intelligence, helped the ship by sewing its sails. On the other hand, Jason sends news all over Greece to search for 50 brave heroes with whom he will embark on a journey. Among the 50 heroes found are the helmsman Tiphys, the bard Orpheus, the seers Idmon, Amphiaraos and Mopsos, the sons of Boreas, Kalais, and Zetes, and the sons of Zeus, Polydeukes, and Herakles. Sailor Argos is also among the heroes.

When the Argonauts arrived at the Bosphorus, a storm blew the Argo to the shores of Thrace. Here the Argonauts come across the blind king Phineus, son of Poseidon, and save him from the scourge of Harpies, the female-faced monsters. In return for this help, Phineus tells the Argonauts how to pass through the Colliding Rocks before going to the Black Sea. Phineus gives the following advice to the Argonauts: Let a pigeon fly between the rocks, if it can pass, you can too, otherwise give up and go back to Greece.

As the pigeon flown by Jason passes through the Colliding Rocks, the rocks begin to close. The pigeon accelerates with one last move and passes by, catching some feathers from its tail. The stern of the Argo ship is also damaged while passing through the rocks. After the Argo passes, Orpheus plays his lyre and the rocks stop colliding.

King Aites welcomes Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, who comes to Colchis after various adventures but puts forward harsh conditions to return the Golden Fleece. Even though Jason passes every test successfully, the King does not want to give the Golden Fleece to Jason. The King's witch daughter Madea, who is in love with Jason, brings the Golden Fleece, gives it to Jason, and escapes from Colchis with them. Jason's love affair with Madea becomes the subject of tragedy. The Argonauts returned to their country without any casualties, except for the priest Idmon.