Trinacria the island of Helios and his cattle

From the Aeolian islands we headed towards Sicily, the largest of the Mediterranean islands lying in between the southern tip of Italian peninsula and the continent of Africa.  There is evidence of early habitation dating back to 12,000 BC. Sicily that Ancient Greeks called Thrinakria or Trinacria (Greek: Θρινακία) is the island where Sun God Helios kept his cattle. It is said that Trinacria is Sicily, since its name implies a connection to the number three (Greek tria) and corners (Greek Akra), and as Sicily has three corners it is the island of three corners.    

Early historical references state that Daedalus, the famous Athenian engineer who conceived and built the Labyrinth in Crete escaped to Camicus in Sicily after the death of his son Icarus.  King Cocalus provided him with shelter in his court a fact that did not deter or prevent King Minos from sailing the 600-700 nautical miles from Crete to Sicily to capture and bring Daedalus back to Knossos.  It was in the ensuing battle that King Minos, the wisest of all Kings, was killed, as King Cocalus was not about to surrender his guest. 

It was in Trinacria that Sun God Helios kept his cattle.  Homer refers to Helios as the Sun God, a mighty charioteer, driving his flaming chariot from east to west across the sky each day.  At night, according to the legend, Helios crossed back to the east by floating in a golden cup on a stream, Ocean, the mythical river that was thought to encircle the flat earth. Because Helios was in the sky all day looking down on the earth, people assumed he saw and heard everything that went on; thus, both gods and humans called on him as a witness to various events or oaths sworn. 

Odysseus has been warned by both Circe and the shade of Tiresias to avoid Trinacria, but his men beg him to stop and let them rest. He reluctantly agrees, but makes them swear an oath not to touch the cattle on the island. However, because unfavorable winds blew continuously for a month they are unable to leave. When Odysseus went to pray asking for the Gods help for a safe return to Ithaca, his crew, fearing starvation, slaughtered and ate some of Helios's cattle. 

In punishment, when they finally sail away, Helios successfully pleads to Zeus to hit their ship with a thunderbolt, killing all the men except Odysseus. Odysseus is spared but, as forewarned by Circe and Tiresias, is punished when his return to Ithaca is delayed by a seven-year sojourn on the island of Ogygia.  As we knew Odysseus and his crew fate we decided to forgo landing in Sicily and proceed with crossing the strait of Messina where Skyla and Charybdis were lurking.   

The Sirens

Emerging from the Underworld, Odysseus and his few remaining men returned to the island of Circe to learn from her that they were about to begin the most dangerous part of their journey.

According to Circe they must sail past Sirens’ island, who were sea nymphs, and whose songs drew men to a watery grave. The Sirens (Greek: Σειρηνες) were maidens of Persephone, who were transformed to birds by Demeter, Persephone’s mother, in order to assist in the search for her daughter who was abducted by Hades the God of Underworld.  

After their failure to find Persephone they settled on the island of Anthemoessa, which according to Homer was situated between Circe’s island and the rock of Skyla. It is not known with certainty where the island of Anthemoessa was located.  As Capo Circeo was on the north end of the bay of Napoli and Skyla was further south the likely candidates were either the island of Ischia or Capri in the Campania region of Italy.  

When Odysseus and his companions passed by the Sirens and were unmoved by their songs, the legend has it, the Sirens threw themselves into the seas and were metamorphosed into the rocks, as it had been decreed that they should live only till some one hearing their song should pass by unmoved.  Some impressive rocks near Capri are likely connected with the legend of Sirens self-destruction.  

Odysseus on the advice of Circe plugs his crew ears with bee wax and ties himself on the mast.  He admonishes his men to keep rowing and ignore his pleas to untie him.

We sailed past the land of the Sirens on the west coast of Italy.  We kept a safe distance and though we did not plug our ears with bee wax or tied Nikos-our skipper-on the mast, no seductive songs reached our ears on our sail to the Aeolian Islands.