THASSOS TRAVEL GUIDE

THASSOS > MYTHOLOGY

MYTHOLOGY

According to mythology, one of the numerous erotic adventures of Zeus, the greatest god of the ancient Greeks, brought about the “discovery” of Thassos. At the time, Agenor was the king of eastern Phoenicia he had three sons, Phoenix, Cilix and Cadmius, and a daughter, Europe.

One day Zeus transformed himself into a bull, kidnapped Europe and carried her on his back to the Dictaean Cave in Crete. There, in the form of a handsome eagle, Zeus coupled with Europa, and from that sacred union three sons were born: Minos, the famous king of Crete, Rhadamanthys, the wise legislator, and Sarpedon, the first king of Lycia.

While Europe was hidden in Crete, Agenor called his sons and his grandson Thassos and ordered them to look for Europe and not to return unless they had found her.

Phoenix and Cilix set out towards the south until Cilix reached a fertile land where he made himself a king and named it Cilicia. After wandering through the Greek islands, Cadmius continued his search in mainland Greece there he visited Apollo’s oracle at Delphi and consulted Pythia the priestess. Although he followed her advice, he was still unable to find Europe so he kept moving and ended up in Boeotia, where he built an acropolis named Cadmia, at the bottom of which he built a town named Thebes.

Thassos, Agenor’s grandson, searched for Europe in various places until he came to the island of Thassos. There, captivated by its marvellous climate, the lush vegetation and being unable to return without Europe, he gave up his quest and settled on the island which he denominated after his name.

Herodotus, the greatest historian of antiquity, is very certain that the island was named after the Phoenician Thassos. Furthermore, ancient poets used to name the island according to its clear air and cool summer breezes, where they called it “Aeria”. It was also called Aethria, meaning “clear blue sky”, and Chrysia, a reference to the lustrous sparkle of the gold (chrysos) once mined there.