The Greek Islands: How Were They Named?

Kythera: The sanction of the land really means “in secret.” Credit: Lapost, CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikipedia

In presumption of the etymology down the names of Greek islands, 1 should instrumentality into relationship a fig of factors, including past Greek mythology and adjacent the geomorphology of each place.

In fact, during past times, the names of the islands successful Greece were utilized arsenic a mode of signaling notable geological events. “Anyone who tin work betwixt the lines, volition cognize the past of Greece…Names fell memories,” said writer Giorgos Lekakis.

How the Greek islands were named

Cephalonia oregon Kefalonia: This Greek land got its sanction from the mythological leader Cephalus, the island’s archetypal ruler, who was an Athenian person and the lad of the deity Dionysus. Cephalus, who was exiled from Athens for committing murder, settled connected the island.

Chios: This Greek land acquired its sanction from Chioni (snow), the girl of the Greek deity Poseidon. The communicative goes that it was snowing erstwhile she was calved connected the island. According to legend, the land had been a godforsaken anterior to that. After the snowfall, the onshore became fertile.

Samos: This sanction of the Greek land of Samos is derived from the Mycenaean connection “sami” oregon “samos” which means “hill adjacent the coast.” The topography of Samos fits its sanction since the land does so boast a mountainous and hilly terrain.

Lefkada: Homer named this Greek land aft the Greek connection “lefkas” oregon achromatic since, according to this legend, the ungraded utilized to beryllium white.

Kos: The sanction derives from “kofos,” an land with galore caves. The connection “cave” itself besides derives from the Greek connection “kofos.”

Tinos: This island’s sanction comes from the Greek connection “tanaos,” which means “long,” perfectly describing the island’s shape.

Ithaca: This sanction derives from the Greek connection “ithys,” meaning consecutive and long, or, successful different words, “the elongated island.”

Sifnos: This land was named aft the Greek leader Sifnos, lad of the leader Sounion; helium was the island’s archetypal inhabitant.

Paxos: This sanction derives from the connection passionateness (“pathos” successful Greek). The Greek God Poseidon, who had fallen madly successful emotion with the nymph Amphitrite, could lone marque her emotion him if helium talented her a portion of onshore that was her own. Hence, helium formed his trident, cutting disconnected a portion of the land of Corfu, which moved a spot to the south, and gave it to the nymph.

Angistri: In past times, this Greek land was known arsenic Kekrifalia, which meant reef, due to the fact that of its size and shape. Later, however, it was renamed to Angistri (hook) due to the fact that it is “hooked” to Aegina.

Poros: Poros is really 2 islands. One, called Spheria, is named aft Spheros, the charioteer of Pelop’s chariot who died and was buried connected that island. For the record, the Peloponnese was besides named aft Pelop. The different land was Kalavria (meaning “good aura” successful Greek), named truthful due to the fact that it had a bully aura. Later on, a azygous sanction was fixed to some islands due to the fact that determination is simply a tiny opening, oregon transition (“poros” successful Greek) that separates the land from the mainland municipality of Galatas.

Aegina: This island, located adjacent Athens, owes its sanction to Greek mythology—more specifically to the girl of the ancient Greek deity Asopus, who was named Aegina. According to the legend, Zeus fell successful emotion with the miss and took her to the island, which utilized to beryllium named Oenone but was aboriginal fixed the girl’s name.

Alonissos: The sanction derives from the past Greek connection “als” (sea) and the connection “nisi” (island). It virtually means an land successful the mediate of the sea. Even though Alonissos was named Ikos successful past times, it was renamed successful 1838.

Andros: The land was named aft the Greek leader Andros oregon Andreas, a celebrated oracle, who was truthful large that helium was fixed the land arsenic a acquisition by Rhadamanthus, the member of the legendary king Minos.

Amorgos: This island’s sanction derives from a works called amorgi, a benignant of flax, which was utilized by past Greeks to marque linen. Garments from Amorgos were precise fashionable successful past Greece.

Euboea oregon Evia: The sanction of this land means “the onshore of large cattle.” It was named Euboea owed to the ample fig of cattle herds that roamed its mountains and hills.

Zakynthos: This sanction comes from Zakynthos, the lad of King Dardanos of Troy. When the Trojan expedition came to an end, Zakynthos and his radical fled from Troy and supposedly lived connected the island.

Kythera: The sanction of this land really means “in secret” due to the fact that Aphrodite was calved determination successful secret, according to Greek mythology. According to the legend, the goddess was calved from the waves adjacent Cyprus, but she was past enactment successful a ammunition to support her commencement a secret. She was taken to Kythera, wherever she was kept successful hiding until she grew up.

Lemnos: There are 2 interpretations of the sanction of this island. The archetypal 1 has it that it comes from the Greek verb “leivo” which means “full of water,” and, according to the second, the sanction comes from the connection “liion pedion” which means affluent plain, owed to the island’s plains.

Milos: This land was named aft the Greek mythological leader Milos, who was the island’s archetypal inhabitant. When Milos went hunting successful Cyprus, helium met and befriended Adonis. When Adonis died, Milos committed termination nether a tree.

Naxos: In past times, the land was named Dia aft the top of each Greek gods, Zeus, (“Dias” successful Greek) due to the fact that it was the largest land successful the Cyclades. It was renamed erstwhile Naxos, the lad of Endymion, settled connected the island.

Paros: In Greek, Paros means beach. It was accordingly fixed this sanction due to the fact that of its galore beauteous beaches.

Skiathos: This sanction derives from the connection “skia” (shade). Due to the ample fig of trees, this Northern Sporades land is precise shady and verdant. However, others judge that it was fixed the sanction due to the fact that it is located successful the “shade” of Mount Athos.

Ikaria: This land was named aft the Greek mythological fig of Icarus, who attempted to alert with wings made of feathers fastened to his assemblage with wax. When his wings fell off, helium fell into the oversea and the waves washed his assemblage onto the shores of the island.

Crete: This sanction means mighty, strong, and powerful. Crete astatine 1 clip had 1 of the largest navies that ever existed connected the earth. Its archetypal guardians were named the Curetes.