Thrinacia

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For Trinacria as an alternate name for modern Sicily and for its triskeles symbol, also known as the island of the sun, see Trinacria.

Thrinacia or Trinacria, mentioned in Homer's Odyssey, is the island home of Helios' cattle, guarded by his eldest daughter, Lampetia. It is said to have been Sicily since the name Thrinacia implies an island connected to the number three and Sicily has three corners. Odysseus and his crew arrived at Thrinacia after returning from the house of Hades. Odysseus had been warned to shun Thrinacia but his men begged him to let them stop and rest. He reluctantly agreed, but made them swear an oath not to touch the cattle on the island. However, for the next month unfavorable winds blew continuously. When Odysseus went to pray for a safe return to Ithaca, his crew, fearing starvation, slaughtered and ate some of Helios' cattle. In punishment, Zeus sent a thunderbolt at their ship, killing all the men except Odysseus. The fact that Sicily is often identified with the episode of the Cyclopes only serves to underscore the shaky footing any geographer is on when trying to identify Homer's locations.

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Last updated on Tuesday February 19, 2008 at 15:16:42 PST (GMT -0800)
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