In Homer's Odyssey, Argos (/ˈɑːrɡɒs, -ɡəs/; Ancient Greek: Ἄργος), sometimes referred to as Argus, is the legendary faithful dog of Odysseus.

Twenty years later, Odysseus returns to Ithaca and finds him lying in piles of manure, immobile from old age and neglect, and infested with parasites.

The Argos scene is among the most well-known episodes in the Odyssey and scholars of classical literature have commented on its structure, meaning, and literary value.

Argos has been described as a symbol of faithfulness and a metaphor for the decline of Odysseus and his household (oikos) within the larger narrative of the poem.

At a distance, Odysseus had noticed, and he wiped his tears away and hid them [...] ἔνθα κύων κεῖτ᾽ Ἄργος, ἐνίπλειος κυνοραιστέων.

δὴ τότε γ᾽, ὡς ἐνόησεν Ὀδυσσέα ἐγγὺς ἐόντα, οὐρῇ μέν ῥ᾽ ὅ γ᾽ ἔσηνε καὶ οὔατα κάββαλεν ἄμφω, ἆσσον δ᾽ οὐκέτ᾽ ἔπειτα δυνήσατο οἷο ἄνακτος ἐλθέμεν: αὐτὰρ ὁ νόσφιν ἰδὼν ἀπομόρξατο δάκρυ, ῥεῖα λαθὼν Εὔμαιον, [...] In the Odyssey, Odysseus begins his return to Ithaca after ten years of fighting in the Trojan War.

[18] There are three major elements of the scene to which scholarly attention has largely been paid: its placement in relation to other events in the poem, its emotional gravity (pathos), and its employment as a metaphor for Odysseus and the state of his household (oikos).

[21] The appearance of Argos begins a series of anagnorises, and is the only anagnorisis in the Odyssey where two characters recognize each other immediately and simultaneously.

[12][22] The revelation by the narrator of Argos's death uses the keynote phrase "in the twentieth year" (ἐεικοστῷ ἐνιαυτῷ, eeikostōi eniautōi), which is usually reserved for when Odysseus reveals himself to another character or to signal the consequences of his absence.

[12][24] Some authors, such as Bernhard Frank and Maurice Bowra, have argued that the scene signals Odysseus's "true moment of homecoming" (nostos), since it displays both how long he has been gone and how loyalty and affection have remained.

The poem states that Odysseus raised Argos, but "got no joy of him" (οὐδ' ἀπόνητο, oud' apónēto) since he left for Troy shortly thereafter.

[32] Bernd Steinbock [Wikidata] has argued that the episode with Argos contains parallels to the scene between Odysseus and his father Laertes seven books later.

[34] Laertes wears a dog-skin helmet (κυνέη [kunéē], derived from κύων [kúōn] 'dog') and suffers miserably like Argos in Odysseus's absence.

"[23][38] The timing of his death – immediately after seeing Odysseus – demonstrates his unwavering fidelity to his master and serves to further the pathos of the scene and Argos's inclusion in the larger narrative.