Other editions of book Hercules, My Shipmate

The author of I, Claudius puts his own twist on the myth of the Argonauts’ quest for the Golden Fleece: “A tour de force . . . A richly tapestried epic” (Kirkus Reviews). An inventive reimagining of the story of Jason and the Argonauts, this novel by renowned poet and classicist Robert Graves brings heroic figures of Hellenistic myth to life. Graves’s Jason is belligerent, energetic, and full of life, and the society Graves builds for him is outlandish and deeply invested in ancient cults. Against this primitive, religious backdrop, the charismatic Jason assembles a crew and sets out to retrieve the sacred gold-trimmed fleece that is sacred to Zeus, and that has been stolen by worshippers of the Triple Goddess. Accompanying him is Hercules, a brave warrior known more for his brawn, and his astonishingly good luck, than his brains. Robert Graves builds a compelling world that sets Hellenistic magic and mystery in a surprisingly gritty, realistic setting, a fascinating read for fans of Greek mythology. “A witty historical novel with much insider’s lore on cult and ritual.” —The New York Review of Books “Richly readable, thoroughly classical yet individually interpreted, this is a labor of love important to students, culture-seekers and readers.” —Library Journal

An inventive reimagining of the story of Jason and the Argonauts, this novel by renowned poet and classicist Robert Graves brings heroic figures of Hellenistic myth to life. Against this primitive, religious backdrop, the charismatic Jason assembles a crew and sets out to retrieve the sacred gold-trimmed fleece that is sacred to Zeus, and that has been stolen by worshippers of the Triple Goddess. Accompanying him is Hercules, a brave warrior known more for his brawn, and his astonishingly good luck, than his brains.

Robert Graves was a poet, a critic, a classicist best known for his theory of poetic myth making ~ The White Goddess ~ and novelist. He combined his abilities and retold the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. In pursuit of The Golden Fleece, Jason joins forces with the Argonauts who are made up of the heroes of Greek mythology...the demi-gods and minor deities who pre-Troy decide to sail to adventure on the ship Argo. Some 85 sailors are mentioned by name in ancient sources; however Hercules, My Shipmate whittles that down to 50. When the boisterous, rowdy crew set sail in pursuit of the fleece, the entire Mediterranean was involved. Sailing through the Hellespont, Jason prevailed with the help of Aphrodite and brought the fleece home. This is a novel written in a different time. There are perorations and dialogues that are absent in today's prose form. Skipping over some of the well-written information may cause the reader to miss some of the richer story, so taking the time to read the full version is important.

Reissued by Creative Age Press in 1945 as Hercules, My Shipmate, a novel about the voyage of the Argo. Written with ideas on The White Goddess as a cultural/anthropological backdrop to the ancient Greek tale. What the Golden Fleece really was-a cloak tossed to earth by a drunken Zeus, a sheepskin book of alchemic secrets or the gilded epidermis of a young human sacrifice named Mr. Ram-nobody knows. But Graves is quite sure that, whatever the Golden Fleece was, the voyage of Jason & his Argonauts really happened. His story shows the legendary cruise as one of the bawdiest, bloodiest, most boisterous expeditions of all time. In I, Claudius & its Claudius the God sequel, Graves brought the teeming life of Claudian Rome so vividly alive that they became bestsellers. In the not-so-successful Wife to Mr. Milton, his blend of imagination & scholarship projected his readers into 17th-Century England & the bedchamber temper tantrums of the blind poet-politician. With Hercules & shipmates, Graves becomes an ancient Greek, moving among demigods & goddesses, myths & monsters with an easy familiarity & a wealth of erudite detail. Both sometimes seem too much of a good thing. Atomic-age readers, ill-attuned to the leisurely, formal talk of myth-age Greeks, may find themselves skipping some of the longer speeches. Most of the Argo's 50-oar crew were princes, each with a special talent & gift of the gods. The only woman aboard was a princess: Atalanta of Calydon, a virgin huntress who could outrun any man in Greece. Argus, who built the Argo, was the world's finest shipwright. Castor & Pollux, sons of Leda & Zeus-as-swan, were champion prizefighters. Nauplius, Poseidon's son, was an unrivaled navigator. Orpheus could make sticks & stones dance to his lyre. Hercules of Tiryns was the world's strongest man. He would've captained the Argonauts were it not that in moments of insanity he murdered friend & foe alike.