Greek PantheonCity
Iolcos
The Thessalian city of King Pelias on the Gulf of Pagasae, from which Jason set out in the Argo to win the Golden Fleece, and to which he returned with Medea (Pindar, Pythian 4; Argonautica).
About Iolcos
The port the Argo leaves
Iolcos in Thessaly is Pelias's city, where Jason, denied his inheritance, is sent for the fleece. Pindar's Pythian 4 and Apollonius Argonautica 1 launch the Argo from this shore (Pagasae). The building of the ship, the mustering of heroes, and Hera's grudge against Pelias belong here. There is a real Magnesian harbor. Cult of the Argonauts is later and local. The city exists in literature as a bad uncle's court and a departure whistle.
On the map
Iolcos among other places of the Greek Pantheon.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Coordinates mark where the myths place a site, or where the tradition locates it today. Mythic realms are left off the map or marked as symbolic placements.
Keep exploring
One myth a week, with its sources in a short email. The sign-up form is just below.