[VALERIUS FLACCUS]. Little is known about Valerius Flaccus, fl. first century A.D. He is famous for his work, Argonauticon. His agnomen or title of place, Setinus, indicates that he was a native of Setia, either in Campania or in Spain. He probably began his Argonauticon c. A.D. 70, but it remained unfinished when he died, c. A.D. 90. The poem tells of the voyage of the ship Argo and its occupants, the Argonauts, led by Jason in search of the Golden Fleece.

Chaucer does not mention Valerius Flaccus but seems to have known Argonauticon at firsthand; he mentions the title in LGW 1457 and directs the reader to it for the names of those who went in search of the Golden Fleece. Argonauticon I.353-483 lists the heroes who accompanied Jason on the quest. The influence of the poem appears in HF III.1572, 1585-1587, where Thrace is given as the home of Aeolus, god of the winds. Virgil, in contrast, says that Aeolus's home is in Aeolia (Aeneid I.50-59). Phebus is described as "golden tressed," Tr V.8. Shannon points out that no ancient poet, except Valerius Flaccus, has used this epithet for Phoebus. The stories of Hypsipyle and Medea, LGW 1368-1679, appear in Argonauticon II and VII. The Valerie of LGW G 280 is ambiguous and may indicate Valerius Flaccus, Valerius Maximus, or the Valerius of Walter Map's Dissuasio Valerii ad Rufinum philosophum ne uxorem ducat (1181-1183). [Isiphile: Jason: Medea]