Calliste (mythology)
InGreek mythologyCalliste(Ancient Greek:Καλλίστη,romanized:Kallístē,lit. 'the most beautiful') is the daughter of the sea-godTritonand theLibya of Egypt,who was given to theArgonautsas a clod of earth that transformed into the island Calliste.
Mythology[edit]
As theArgonautssailed off ofColchisafter having taken thegolden fleece,Triton appeared to them in the form of a young, wealthy man and introduced himself as Eurypylus, the son ofPoseidon.He offered them a clod of earth which one of the crew,Euphemus,accepted, as a token of friendship. Later Euphemus dreamt that he was breastfeeding from the clod, which grew to be a young woman. He then laid with her, but felt guilty afterwards, for she had been a virgin and had nursed him. But the woman, introducing herself as Calliste, daughter of Triton and Libya, told him not to worry, and asked him to give her a home with theNereidsnear the island ofAnaphe.[1][2]
When he woke up, Euphemus went toJason,and recounted his dream. Jason in turn told Euphemus about an oracle he had received fromApollo.Apollo had told him that once he came into the possession of a clod of earth, should he throw it into the sea, the gods would be sure to make an island out of it. Euphemus, hearing that, tossed the clod in the water, and an island, named Calliste (now known asSantorini), sprang from it. Euphemus' descendants would settle on the island.[3]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
Bibliography[edit]
- Apollonius Rhodius,Argonauticatranslated by Robert Cooper Seaton (1853–1915), R. C. Loeb Classical Library Volume 001. London, William Heinemann Ltd, 1912.
- Pindar,The Odes of Pindarincluding the Principal Fragments with an Introduction and an English Translation by Sir John Sandys, Litt.D., FBA. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1937.Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
External links[edit]
- "CALLISTE".The Theoi Project.
