In episode 9 of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (DanMachi) Bell learns how to use an Argonaut skill which Hestia refers to as a skill for a hero.
What is the literal meaning of Argonaut when used in this context?
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The Argonauts were a group of heroes from Greek mythology, and the name appears in the film title Jason and the Argonauts. Is this related to your anime?– MattCommented Jun 2, 2015 at 20:47
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1The original Argonauts were so-called because they were sailors on the ship called Argo. Argo + Naut (sailor)– Plumbing for AnkitCommented Jun 3, 2015 at 20:25
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4 Answers
In DanMachi's universe, Argonaut is the name of the story of a boy who wants to be a hero, according to the conversation between the Loki familiar members from 17:16 in episode 8:
Bell: This is my adventure. I want to be... I want to be a hero!
Tiona (Tione?): Like the Argonaut...
Finn: It's the story of a boy who wants to be a hero, yeah.
Tiona/Tione: I liked that story, too.
However, that is not its first mention in the story. Argonaut appeared as early as episode 5 as part of the visual, when Bell was answering the question posed by the grimoire, as to what he sought from magic (the image corresponds to the bold line):
Bell: What do I seek from magic?
Bell: The woman who's faster than anyone, like a lightning bolt... I want to catch up to her.
Bell: Is that all?
Bell: If it were possible... I'd like to be a hero. Like in the fairy tales I read when I was a kid. A hero they'd be satisfied with.
Bell: You're such a child.
Bell: I'm sorry. But that's who I am!
Bell: That's who I am!
While the alphabets are distorted, it still bears a lot of similarities to English alphabet, especially A, R, U, T.
I don't know whether the light novel reveals the name of the fairy tale in this scene, though.
The fact that Bell attained the skill Argonaut, which is named after the story of a boy who wants to be hero, signifies his strong desire to become a hero, which is the meaning of the kanji in the title of episode 8 [英雄願望]{Argonaut}.
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2The net trolls do not care why they click what they did click. And if they know they got to you, more power to them. Just let it be. Here have a +1 Commented Jul 1, 2015 at 18:05
Argonaut has a number of meanings, but in this case is simply another word for Adventurer, Hero, Quester etc.
thefreedictionary.com gives the definition for 'argonaut' as:
A person who is engaged in a dangerous but rewarding quest; an adventurer.
Further down that same webpage, the thesaurus provides a description of an argonaut as:
Someone engaged in a dangerous but potentially rewarding adventure
Thirdly, Dictionary.com gives the appropriate definition as:
A person in quest of something dangerous but rewarding; adventurer.
It seems that an Argonaut skill is simply a skill for an adventurer to learn, and Hestia's comment appears to confirm that.
As mentioned in my above comment, (and as I originally thought before research) Argonaut also refers to any man who, in Greek Mythology accompanied Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece aboard his ship, Argo. This may well be where the word originated from due to it's Greek/Latin origins, but that's a different question for another day!
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1I like how your question and @nhahtdh's are completely on opposite sides of the spectrum. One is completely in-universe, and this one is completely outside it. Commented Jul 1, 2015 at 18:07
Argonaut story in Danmachi universe, as recalled by Bell in the volume 4 of the light novel:
<Argonaut>.
That is a myth where a boy with no special skills headed to rescue a princess kidnapped by a Bull Monster.
The protagonist was often deceived, he did not even know that he was deceived. The story advanced in a slightly ridiculous manner, then, the protagonist finally reached where the monster was located. In the end, it seems like he was saved by the princess-sama who was waiting to be rescued?
[...]
[...]. It was simply uncool…… <By dreaming of being a hero, it is considered to be a hero?> —— I used to say this.
My grandfather who claims that he likes this story says “This guy becomes more amazing later on” and laughs. Compared to that, I would pout and say “This story is already finished”. —— This memory, even now, I still remember.
Hence, it is a desire to become a hero, because in the story the boy never actually became one.
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I edited to replace your description with the corresponding excerpt from the LN, though I'm not entirely sure about your claim "in the story the boy never actually became one". Another thing is I can't find the part about sacred sword and elf in the LN translation, not sure where you get them from.– nhahtdhCommented Jul 1, 2015 at 18:47
As Goddess Hestia has said in the end of episode eight, Argonaut is the name of the skill Bell has achieved. She said that it is a skill of wanting to be a hero. And it proved that it is so, when it activates every time he wants to save somebody. So I think Argonaut could be defined in this anime as "the hero in you", much like the literal meaning of it and in which the Argonaut skill actually gives you the power to fulfill your desire to be a real hero whenever your desire (for wanting to be a hero) wakes up.
