Hellenistic epic poetry and mythology

Apollonius Rhodius

b. 295 BCE

Apollonius of Rhodes was a Hellenistic Greek poet and scholar who served as chief librarian at Alexandria around 260 BCE and authored the epic Argonautica, chronicling Jason and the Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece. The poem is a primary mythological source transmitting Greek magical and religious traditions, particularly through its portrayal of Medea as a sorceress whose rituals draw on Hecate and the chthonic mysteries. As a classical text detailing magical practice and divine invocation within a mythological framework, the Argonautica was essential reading for Western esotericists seeking ancient precedents for their ritual systems.

Greek MythologyWestern / ClassicalMythological narrativeheroic achievementConflict with godsProphecy and forebodingLove and desireJason and the ArgonautsHellenistic EpicSupernatural obstaclesClassical mythologyHeroic traditionsacrifice and offeringsAlliance and enmityComparative Mythologyritual documentationNavigation and voyageJason & the ArgonautsGolden Fleece questFate and destiny

Works in the Archive1 volume

Argonautica

Argonautica

250

Intermediate

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