Cycladia Travel Guides

History | Mythology

The land of Hephaestus

According to the Greek Mythology, after a fight between Zeus and Hera, Hephaestus was thrown by Zeus on Limnos because he took Hera’s side. Ever since, Hephaestus lived on the island and taught Sindies, the first Limnos’ inhabitants, the art of working with iron. It is also said that Sindies welcomed and helped Hephaestus and this is why he decided to teach them how to create various iron objects.

Orpheus

According to the myth, the poet and prophet Orpheus was divided in pieces by Maenads in the mountains of Pieria. Then, his head ended up in Andissa and his lyre in Mytilene. This is how he continued to sing and vaticinate in Lesvos.

Lesvos villages’ names

According to the Greek mythology, the majority of the places, villages and settlements on the island were named after the daughters and sons of king Makareas. Mytilene was one of his daughters, whose name was given to the island’s capital.

Sappho and Faonas

Faonas was an old and very kind boatman, who helped transport people from Lesvos to Asia Minor. The myth suggests that the goddess Aphrodite turned herself into a very old woman and asked Faonas if he could take her to Asia Minor. Faonas took the old lady to her destination and did not even request any money or something else in return.

Aphrodite, in order to thank him, gave him an alabaster with myrrh. When he smeared his body with the myrrh, he became a very young and very handsome man that every woman desired. Eventually Sappho also fell in love with him but the other men on the island were furiously jealous and finally killed him. So Sappho was very sad and killed herself falling from cape “Lefkatas” on the island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea.

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