The beautiful and at the same time mysterious image of Calypso has always excited the imagination of people. Artists painted her portraits. Poets dedicated odes to her. She often became the main character of works of art. The legendary Cousteau ship and the asteroid wandering in infinity were named after her. So who is she really? Calypso is…
Mythology
To paraphrase the famous phrase that all roads lead to Rome, we can say that all the answers to important questions are stored in the myths of Ancient Greece.
So, according to ancient Greek mythology, Calypso is an incomparable nymph. According to one version, she is the daughter of the mighty titan Atlanta and his beloved oceanid Pleione, according to another, she is the daughter of the solar deity Helios and the oceanid Perseid. Literally translated from ancient Greek, her amazing name means "the one that hides." And she really hid it for a long time and zealously. Whom? Calypso is a mysterious character! Let's figure it out together.
Desolate island
To answer this question, you need to go on a long journey to a beautiful, but lost place in the middle of the endless ocean - Ogygia. This is Calypso Island, a ghost island, the so-called navel of the earth, which lies everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
Beautiful, dense deciduous and coniferous forests grow there: slender cypresses, cedars, the "tree of life" - thuja, as well as poplars and alders. The goddess of goddesses herself lives in a grotto entwined with vines, at the entrance to which four springs originate, symbolizing the cardinal points.
The most colorful description of the island can be found in Homer's poem "The Odyssey". But, as scientists suggest, this is not a mythical place at all. It existed and exists somewhere to this day. Only some see in it the island of Gozo in the Mediterranean, others see Sazani in the Adriatic. For example, Plutarch suggested that modern Ireland is the prototype of Calypso's homeland.
Odysseus is a wanderer involuntarily
The name of Calypso is inextricably linked with another character - Odysseus. In the myths and poem of Homer, Odysseus is the king of Ithaca, who, as a punishment for his self-confidence, was doomed by the gods to wander for twenty years. He was bold, cunning, dexterous, inventive and daring. These qualities helped him in life, and in governing the country, and in numerous battles for Troy. But, as often happens, they also interfered with him and caused his long wanderings, during which he was the first among people to set foot on the land of an amazing island and met with the goddess Calypso…
Meeting
One day, a strong storm arose on the path of the big ship Odysseus. She was sent by none other than the angry Zeus - the god of the sky, thunder and lightning. He was outraged by the blasphemy of the team of King Ithaca, who, mad with hunger, decided on a terrible thing - to sacrifice several cows from the herd of Helios on the island. They thought later to make amends by building a temple in Ithaca in honor of Helios, the god of the sun. But such disobedience by the gods is not forgiven.
After a severe storm, only one person was able to survive: he was caught on a shipwreck. For nine days he was tossed around the endless sea desert, and on the tenth day he was washed up on a mysterious island. The name of the survivor was Odysseus, and his savior was the nymph Calypso.
The daughter of the gods, taking on a human form, welcomed the wanderer. And when she got to know him better, she fell in love with him with all her heart, offered to stay with her forever and become her husband. Every day she seduced the young man with her beauty, surrounded him with incredible luxury, sang songs with her “ringingly pleasant” voice, offered the most priceless not only for man, but also for God - immortality and eternal youth. But the heart of Odysseus remained deaf to her exhortations, feelings, beauty and amazing nature around. He did not perceive himself as a king and beloved of a captivating nymph. He felt like a prisoner. His spirit was tormented and wept, and he sat for a long time on the seashore, longing for his homeland and his beloved wife, Penelope.
Liberation
It's been seven years. Athena was the first to notice the loss of the hero of the Trojan War. She decided for himhelp and went to Zeus. The latter listened carefully to her request for the release of Odysseus and agreed to help. Hermes volunteered to become the envoy of the order of Zeus. He went to the island and gave the nymph the desire of the supreme god. Calypso agreed to let her lover go. No matter how hard it was for her to part with him, it was even more unbearable to see the torment and longing of the captive.
She helped him build a raft and provided him with everything he needed: clothes, fresh water, bread and wine. And in pursuit she sent a fair wind.
Thus ends the last adventure of the king of Ithaca before the long-awaited arrival at home. And now you do not hesitate to say that Calypso is a nymph who unrequitedly loved Odysseus.
