InGreek mythology,Calliste orCallistis (Ancient Greek:Καλλίστη,romanized: Kallístē,lit. 'the most beautiful') is the daughter of the sea-godTriton and theLibya of Egypt, who was given to theArgonauts as a clod of earth that transformed into the island Calliste.
As theArgonauts sailed off ofColchis after having taken theGolden Fleece, Triton appeared to them in the form of a young, wealthy man and introduced himself as Eurypylus, the son ofPoseidon. He offered them a clod of earth which one of the crew,Euphemus, accepted, as a token of friendship. Later Euphemus dreamt that he was breastfeeding from the clod, which grew to be a young woman. He then laid with her, but felt guilty afterwards, for she had been a virgin and had nursed him. But the woman, introducing herself as Calliste, daughter of Triton and Libya, told him not to worry, and asked him to give her a home with theNereids near the island ofAnaphe.[1][2]
When he woke up, Euphemus went toJason and recounted his dream. Jason in turn told Euphemus about an oracle he had received fromApollo. Apollo had told him that once he came into the possession of a clod of earth, should he throw it into the sea, the gods would be sure to make an island out of it. Euphemus, hearing that, tossed the clod in the water, and an island, named Calliste (now known asSantorini), sprang from it. Euphemus' descendants would settle on the island.[3]
.jpg)
.jpg)
