The crew of the Argonauts varies depending on which version of the ancient myth you are reading. That sounds confusing, but the ancient storytellers were always adding to and embellishing the story, much like the modern superhero sagas. It also appears that the myth evolved differently in different parts of ancient Greece.
Many of the crew were heroes of their own myths, Hercules being the most famous. Here is a list of the more famous Argonauts and below is the complete list.
The Argonauts
Argus: builder of the Argo.
Atalanta: the only female crewmember, and the fastest human alive.
Castor and Pollux: the Gemini Twins, and brothers to Helen of Troy.
Euphemus: a Calydonian hunter with the ability to walk on water.
Hercules aka Heracles: the son of Zeus, famous for his Twelve Labors.
Idmon and Mopsus: the seers.
Jason: the hero of our story, and leader of the Argonauts.
King Laertes: father of Odysseus, but a minor Argonaut.
Lynceus: Messenian prince with X-ray vision.
Medea: wife of Jason, not an official Argonaut, but arguably the hero of the story.
Meleager: slayer of the Calydonian boar, but a minor Argonaut.
Orpheus: the greatest musician of the ancient world.
Peleus and Telamon: brothers and, respectively, the fathers of Achilles and Ajax.
Theseus: known as the slayer of the Minotaur, but a minor Argonaut.
Tiphys: the helmsman.
Complete list of Argonauts
The following list is collated from several lists given in ancient sources. In total, there are 92 argonauts but in the ancient versions, there are 46 to 85 argonauts. The modern versions have even fewer heroes.
Here is the complete list of Argonauts. Further below are more characters that joined the Argo. And, there are many more characters in the myth of the Argonauts, but they weren’t crew members.
| Crew | Abode | Parentage | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acastus | Pherae or Iolcus | Son of Pelias and Anaxibia or Phylomache. | He joined the Argonauts as a volunteer. He kills one of the Doliones |
| Actor | Pellene, Peloponnesus | Son of Hippasus. | |
| Admetus | Pherae | Son of Pheres and Periclymene. | His flocks they say were pastured by Apollo. |
| Aethalides | Larissa, Thessaly | Son of Hermes and Eupolemeia. | He acts as a herald thanks to his “imperishable memory’, serving for example as a messenger between the Argonauts and the women of Lemnos. |
| Amphiaraus. (Possibly an Argonaut referred to as “Thestius’ daughter, an Argive”.) | Argos | Son of Oicles and Hypermnestra. | |
| Amphidamas or Iphidamas | Tegea, Arcadia | Son of Aleus and Cleobule . | |
| Amphion | Pellene, Peloponnesus | Son of Hyperasius and Hypso or of Hippasus. | |
| Ancaeus | Parthenia or Samos | Son of Poseidon and Astypalaea or Althaea. | He becomes the pilot when Tiphys dies. |
| Ancaeus | Tegea, Arcadia | Son of Lycurgus and Eurynome or Cleophyle. | He went clad in the skin of a Maenalian bear and wielded a huge two-edged battleaxe. The Argonauts choose him to row alongside Heracles in the middle of the ship. |
| Areius | Argos | Son of Bias and Pero. | |
| Argus | Argos | Son of Arestor or Polybus and Argia or Danaus. | Athena’s helper in building the Argo. The eponym of the ship and member of the crew from the beginning. |
| Armenus | Armenium, Thessaly | ||
| Ascalaphus | Orchomenus | Son of Ares and Astyoche. | Later one of the Suitors of Helen and led the Orchomenians in the Trojan War. |
| Asclepius | Tricca | Son of Apollo and Coronis or Arsinoe. | |
| Asterion or Asterius | Peiresiae, Thessaly | Son of Cometes and Antigona or of Hyperasius; he was probably conflated by Hyginus with Asterius below when saying Asterion as the son of Hyperasius. | |
| Asterius or Asterion or Deucalion | Pellene, Peloponnesus | Son of Hyperasius and Hypso or of Hippasus; in the account of Valerius, Deucalion was the name of the brother of Amphion instead of Asterius. | |
| Atalanta | Arcadia | Daughter of Schoeneus or Iasus. | Atalanta is included on the list of Argonauts by Pseudo-Apollodorus, but Apollonius claims that Jason forbade her because she was a woman and could cause strife in the otherwise all-male crew. Other sources state that she was asked, but refused. The only female crewmember, and the fastest human alive. |
| Augeas | Pisa, Elis | Son of Helios and Nausidame, or Eleios, or Poseidon or Phorbas and Hyrmine. | The Colchian king is his half-brother via the sun god, so Jason uses him there as an Argonaut ambassador. |
| Azorus | The helmsman of Argo according to Hesychius of Alexandria and could be the same as the Azorus mentioned by Stephanus as the founder of the city Azorus in Pelagonia. | ||
| Buphagus | |||
| Butes | Athens (Cecropia) | Son of Coronus. | He is left behind when lured from the ship by the Sirens. Aphrodite saves him and settles him in Sicily. |
| Calais or Calaïs | Thrace | Son of Tyndareus and Leda. Brother of Zetes, and one of the winged Boreads. | He chases away the harpies. |
| Caeneus | Gyrton | Son of Coronus. | |
| Canthus | Chalcis or Cerinthus, Euboea | Son of Canethus or Abas; as his name appeared in some notes of the book. | He dies in Libya, killed by a shepherd while trying to steal his sheep. |
| Castor | Sparta | Son of Tyndareus and Leda. Brother of Pollux and one of the Gemini twins, and brother to Helen of Troy. | In battle, he kills one of the Doliones and a Bebrycian. |
| Cepheus | Tegea, Arcadia | Son of Aleus and Cleobule. | |
| Cius | |||
| Clymenus | Phylace, Thessaly | Possibly the son of Phylacus and Clymene as the brother of Iphiclus. | |
| Clytius | Oechalia | Son of Eurytus and Antiope. | In battle, he kills one of the Doliones and later one of the Bebrycians, then shoots down a bird at Ares Island. |
| Coronus | Thessaly | Son of Caeneus. | |
| Deucalion | Crete | Son of Minos and Pasiphae. | |
| Echion | Alope | Son of Hermes and Antianeira or Laothoe. | |
| Eneus | Son of Caeneus. | ||
| Erginus | Miletus, Caria | Son of Poseidon. | |
| Eribotes | Opus | Son of Teleon. | |
| Erytus or Eurytus | Alope | Son of Hermes and Antianeira or Laothoe. | |
| Euphemus | Taenarus, Peloponesse | Son of Poseidon and Europe. | A Calydonian hunter with the ability to walk on water. He cares for the dove that signals to the Argonauts to charge the Clashing Rocks, and he urges them onwards with rallying calls. He accepts a clod of earth from Triton that is destined to become the island of Calliste (Thera), whence Libya would be settled by his descendants. |
| Euryalus | Argos | Son of Mecisteus. | |
| Eurydamas | Ctimene, Dolopia | Son of Ctimenus or of and Demonassa. | |
| Eurymedon | Phlius | Son of Dionysus and Ariadne. | |
| Eurytion | Opus | Son of Irus and Demonassa or Actor. | |
| Glaucus | |||
| Heracles or Hercules | Thebes | Son of Zeus and Alcmena. | Separated from the other Argonauts before they reach Colchis. This is by the will of the gods, so he can complete the Twelve Labours that will secure his immortality. |
| Hippalcimus | Pisa, Elis | Son of Pelops and Hippodamia. | |
| Hylas | Oechalia or Argos | Son of Theiodamas and Menodice. | Heracles lover. Abducted by a water nymph to be her husband, causing Heracles to separate from the voyage. |
| Ialmenus | Orchomenus | Son of Ares and Astyoche. | |
| Idas | Messenia | Son of Aphareus and Arene. | A critic of Jason even before they leave Iolcus. In battle, he kills one of the Doliones and he slays the wild boar that killed Idmon. |
| Idmon | Argos | Son of Apollo or Abas or by Cyrene or Antianeira or of Asteria or of Ampycus. | Seer along with Mopsus. He is killed by a wild boar at a mouth of the Acheron |
| Iolaus | Argos | Son of Iphicles and Automedusa. | |
| Iphiclus | Phylace, Thessaly | Son of Phylacus and Clymene. | |
| Iphiclus | Aetolia | Son of Thestius and Leucippe. | |
| Iphis or Iphitos | Mycenae | Son of Sthenelus. | |
| Iphis | Argos | Son of Alector. | |
| Iphitos | Oechalia | Son of Eurytus and Antiope. | |
| Iphitos | Phocis or Peloponnesse | Son of Naubolus or Hippasus. | |
| Jason | Iolcus | Son of Aeson. | The hero of our story, and leader of the Argonauts. |
| Laertes or King Laërtes | son of Arcesius and Chalcomedusa | Father of Odysseus. | He is a prominent figure in mythology for being the father of Odysseus, but not a prominent ArgonautLaertes |
| Laocoon | Calydon | Son of Porthaon and half-brother of Oeneus; tutor of Meleager. | |
| Leitus | Boeotia | Son of Alector (Alectryon) and Polybule or of Lacritus and Cleobule or an earthborn, thus a son of Gaea. | |
| Leodocus or Laodocus | Argos | Son of Bias and Pero. | |
| Lynceus | Messenia | Son of Boreas and Oreithyia, brother of Zetes, and one of the winged Boreads. | Messenian prince with X-ray vision. He observes Heracles in the distance in the Libyan desert – too far away to be reached. And helped drive off the harpies. Later fighting Castor and Pollux to death. |
| Meleager | Calydon | son of Oeneus and Althaea. | Meleager is a prominent figure in mythology as the slayer of the Calydonian boar, but he was not a prominent Argonaut. |
| Menoetius | Opus | Son of Actor. | |
| Mopsus | Tiraresia | Son of Ampyx and Chloris or Aregonis. | Seer along with Idmon. He is an advisor to Jason and dies from snake bite in Libya. |
| Nauplius | Nauplia | Son of Clytoneus or of Poseidon and Amymone. | |
| Neleus | Pylos | Son of Poseidon or Hippocoon. | |
| Nestor | Pylos | Son of Neleus and Chloris. | |
| Oileus or Oïleus | Narycea, Opus | Son of Hodoedocus (Leodocus) and Agrianome. | He is wounded by a feather when a bird swoops the Argo off the island of Ares, causing him to drop his oar. |
| Orpheus | Bistonian Pieria, Thrace | Son of Calliope and Oeagrus. | The greatest musician of the ancient world. He encourages the crew with his music and he establishes musical rites for cults they establish along the way, as at Bear Mountain and Thynias Island. |
| Palaemon or Palaimonius | Olenus, Aulis or Calydon | Son of Hephaestus or Lernus or Aetolus. | |
| Peleus | Phthia | Son of Aeacus and Endeis. Father of Achilles. Brother of Telamon. | One of Jason’s counselors. He rallies the Argonauts with brave advice when Tiphys dies and later when they are daunted by lurid descriptions of Colchis, and he receives instructions from the goddess Hera via his wife Thetis. |
| Peneleos | Boeotia | Son of Hippalmus and Asterope. | |
| Periclymenus | Pylos | Son of Chloris and Neleus, the son of Poseidon. | His grandfather, Poseidon gave him the ability to shapeshift into various animals. |
| Phalerus | Athens, Attica | Son of Alcon. | |
| Phanus | Son of Dionysus and Ariadne. | ||
| Philoctetes | Meliboea | Son of Poeas and Methone or Demonassa. | |
| Phlias | Araethyrea, Phlius | Son of Dionysus and Ariadne. | |
| Phocus | Magnesia | Son of Caeneus and brother of Priasus. | |
| Pirithous | Larissa | Son of Ixion or Zeus by Dia. | |
| Poeas | Meliboea | Son of Thaumacus and father of Philoctetes. | |
| Pollux or Polydeuces | Sparta | Son of Tyndareus and Leda. Brother of Castor and one of the Gemini twins, and brother of Helen of Troy. | In battle, he kills one of the Doliones, and the bullying king of the Bebrycians in a boxing match, which wins the Argonauts friends among neighbouring people |
| Polyphemus (not to be confused with the Cyclops) | Larisa | Son of Elatus and Hippea; one of the Lapiths. | He is left behind with Heracles at the river Cius, and he is destined to establish a city there (Cius), before dying in the land of the Chalybes. |
| Priasus | Magnesia | Son of Caeneus and brother of Phocus. | |
| Staphylus | Phlius | Son of Dionysus and Ariadne. | |
| Talaus | Argos | Son of Bias and Pero. | |
| Telamon | Salamis | Son of Aeacus and Endeis. Father of Ajax the Great and Teucer. Brother of Peleus. | He angrily accuses Jason of treachery but Glaucus reconciles them. And he nearly threatens the Colchian king but Jason prevents it with a conciliatory speech. |
| Theseus | Troezen | Son of Poseidon or Aegeus by Aethra. | Known as the slayer of the Minotaur, but a minor Argonaut. |
| Tiphys | Thespia, Boeotia or Elis | Son of Hagnias or of Phorbas and Hyrmine. | The helmsman of the Argo. His skill, with Athena’s assistance, gets the Argo through the clashing rocks. He dies of illness soon afterwards and he is buried beside Idmon. |
| Tydeus | Calydon | Son of Oeneus and father of Diomedes. | |
| Zetes | Thrace | Son of Boreas and Oreithyia. Brother of Calais, and one of the winged Boreads. | He chases away the harpies |
| TOTAL = 92 |
Other characters joined the Argonauts during their voyage.
| Crew | Abode | Parentage | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dascylus | Son of the Mariandylian king Lycus. | He leaves the ship again at Sinope on the return journey from Colchis. | |
| Argus (not to be confused with the shipbuilder), Cytissorus, Melas, Phrontis | Colchis | Sons of Phrixus and Chalciope. | They joined the crew only after being rescued by the Argonauts. The four had been stranded on a desert island not far from Colchis, from where they initially sailed with the intent to reach their father’s homeland. |
| Autolycus, Demoleon or Deileon, Phlogius, Phronius | Thessaly | Sons of Deimachus. | Former comrades of Hercules stranded at Sinope ever since their campaign against the Amazons. They joined the Argonauts later in their voyage. |
| Medea | Colchis | Daughter of King Aeetes, owner of the Golden Fleece. | Future wife of Jason. Medea joined the Argo after the Fleece was recovered and helped Jason escape her father. Though not always regarded as an official crew member, Medea is arguably the hero of the story. |
| Twelve female attendants for Medea | A gift from Arete, queen of Phaeacian Drepane. |
