Classics Colloquium 2/4: Argonauts as naval power

I was really interested in the idea of argonauts as symbols of naval power.  It seemed to me that the earlier depictions of these animals had a peaceful and graceful tone to them.  They were not shown in an intimidating way and appeared harmless and unprovoked.  They were often depicted on household objects such as amphoras, goblets, etc alone, floating in the sea.  With this as my first impression, it surprised me to then see the depictions of these same animals on hulls of boats and in places of power and influence, it seemed to me that there was some sort of shift along the way in how the argonaut was viewed by the general public. 

The argonauts depicted on hulls of boats, on walls, and as borders of other artworks did not have the same gentleness as the earlier representations.  They instead appeared strong and intimidating. Their tentacles were always “upfaced” and alert, ready to fight.  Their eyes were large and open, fixed on what was ahead.  On walls, they are placed near other animals known to represent strength and power, such as lions and griffins.  In artwork, they often were shown in large, organized groups instead of independently.  This row-like organization of the argonauts is reminiscent of soldiers marching into battle and was often employed as the borders of a piece of artwork.

Furthermore, argonauts were heavily referenced as “sailors.”  The name “argonaut” is even derived from the latin word for sailor “nauta.”  This association was due to the fact that argonauts often appeared to be ‘sailing’ across the surface of the sea, and it was not yet known that they come to the surface to trap water under their shells for buoyancy.  

Through the varying representations of this animal, it is clear that what an argonaut represented in ancient times underwent a change.  The later depictions of argonauts show that they became heavily associated with great strength and power at sea, presumably in relation to the naval forces and military.  It was interesting to see this shift occur visually in artwork as the general view of the animal changed.