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Caishen Cangjie Dragon King Eight Immortals Erlang Shen Fuxi Guanyin Hou Yi Huxian Jade Emperor King Yama Leizi Lu-ban Mazu Nezha Nuwa Pangu Shennong Sun Wukong Xiwangmu Yue Lao Zhong Kui
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Aphrodite Apollo Ares Artemis Athena Atlas Coeus Crius Cronus Demeter Dionysus Gaia Hades Hephaestus Hera Hermes Hestia Hyperion Iapetus Mnemosyne Oceanus Phobos Phoebe Poseidon Prometheus Rhea Tethys Themis Uranus Zeus
Bacchus Ceres Diana Juno Jupiter Mars Mercury Minerva Neptune Pluto Venus Vesta Vulcan
Amun Anubis Aten Atum Babi Bastet Bes Geb Hapi hathor heqet Horus Isis Khepri Khnum Khonsu Maat Nephthys Nut Osiris Ptah Ra Seshat Seth Shu Sobek Thoth
Alfheim Baldur Freya Freyr Frigg Heimdallr Helheim Idun Jotunheim Loki Nerthus Njord Odin Thor Tyr
Aengus Arawn Badb Brigid Cailleach Ceridwen Cernunnos Cu Chulainn Dagda Danu Gwydion Herne the Hunter Lugh Medb Morrigan Neit Nuada Taliesin Taranis
Chalchiuhtlicue Coatlicue Huitzilopochtli Mictlantecuhtli Mixcoatl Ometeotl Quetzalcoatl Tezcatlipoca Tlaloc Tonatiuh Xipe Totec Xochiquetzal Xolotl
Amaterasu Ame no Uzume Benzaiten Bishamonten Daikokuten Ebisu Fujin Fukurokuju Inari Izanagi Kagutsuchi Raijin Susanoo Tsukuyomi
Caishen Cangjie Dragon King Eight Immortals Erlang Shen Fuxi Guanyin Hou Yi Huxian Jade Emperor King Yama Leizi Lu-ban Mazu Nezha Nuwa Pangu Shennong Sun Wukong Xiwangmu Yue Lao Zhong Kui
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  4. Messina

Messina

Messina was a Greek city in northeast Sicily. It was originally called Zankle and was founded in 730 BC by colonists from Chalcis.

Its name was given to the strait that separated the toe of Italy from Sicily - the Strait of Messina. As far as I can tell there was no myth about the city itself, so the strait is more famous...at least myth-wise.

The Strait of Messina was the location of the journey of Odysseus and Jason on his ship Argo, where they faced two possible perils - the six-headed monster Scylla and the whirlpool Charybdis. Thetis and the Nereid aided the Argonauts to pass safely through the strait. Odysseus lost men to the Scylla, and then days later he lost his last ship and whole crew to Charybdis. Odysseus himself was the sole survivor.

Related Information

Name

Zankle, Ζανκλη;
Messina, Μεσσινα (Greek).
Messana (Latin).

Jimmy Joe Timeless Myths

By Jimmy Joe

Italy:

  • • Liguria
  • • Etruria
  • • Latium
  • • Campania
  • • Samnium
  • • Apulia
  • • Calabria
  • • Syracuse
  • • Messina
  • • Eryx
  • • Lilybaeum
  • • Sardinia
  • • Corsica
  • • Aeaea
Rhegion

Rhegion

Rhegion, or in Latin Rhegium, was an ancient city at the "toe" of Italy in the region called Calabria, but the city is now called Reggio. The Strait of Messina separated this end of Italy from Sicily, and opposite to Rhegion was a city called Mess...

February 4th, 2008 • Jimmy Joe
Scylla

Scylla

The six-headed monster that resided at the Strait of Messina. Scylla (Σκύλλη) was originally a beautiful maiden who was loved by a minor sea god named Glaucus. The sorceress Circe was in love with Glaucus, but the sea god did not return her love. ...

June 1st, 2000 • Jimmy Joe
Syracuse

Syracuse

Syracuse was one of the Greek cities in Sicily. The city was found by the Corinthians in 734 BC, located on the east coast, partly on the island of Ortygia, flanked by the Lesser Harbour and Great Harbour. Syracuse proper was on the island of Orty...

February 4th, 2008 • Jimmy Joe
Italy

Italy

Articles of cities and regions in Italy, Sicily and western Europe. Italy Sicily To see the map of Italy, click here . Italy Geographically, Italy, or Italia, referred to the Italian peninsula, which included the Apennines (Apennine Ranges) that e...

February 4th, 2008 • Jimmy Joe
Massalia (Marseille)

Massalia (Marseille)

Massalia, or Massilia, the ancient name for the modern city of Marseille, now the second largest city in France. The city was located on the coast of the Gulf of Lion, in the Provence region, or in Roman times, the region was called Provincia (whi...

February 4th, 2008 • Jimmy Joe
Calabria

Calabria

The peninsula in the south of Italy that looks like the foot of a boot. Historically, many of the Greek cities were founded in this region, including Croton and Rhegion. Not much myth in this region. Perhaps the most notable was that Heracles trav...

February 4th, 2008 • Jimmy Joe
Cyzicus

Cyzicus

Cyzicus was a city in northern Mysia, situated on the coast of Sea of Marmara. It was named after the king of Doliones, who was accidentally killed by the Argonauts .

August 8th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Messenia

Messenia

The first ruler of Messenia was Polycaon. Polycaon founded the city of Andania. Married to Messene, he named the whole region after his wife. A few generations later, with the arrival of the Aeolid Perieres, the capital was moved to Arene. Pylas a...

August 8th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Helice

Helice

Helice was a seaport city founded by Ion, son of Creüsa and Apollo (or Xuthus). The city was named after his wife Helice, daughter of Silenus.

August 8th, 1999 • Jimmy Joe
Lilybaeum

Lilybaeum

A coastal city in west Sicily. Historically, Lilybaeum (now Massala) was founded by the Carthaginians during the early fourth century BC. Lilybaeum was said to be the cult centre of Aphrodite . According to the Argonautica , Apollonius Rhodius wro...

February 4th, 2008 • Jimmy Joe

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