MYTHS OF LOCAL HEROES AND HEROINES^617
the surface of the sea. Helius was accidentally not given a share, but he refused
Zeus' offer of a redivision, for he could see the future island below the sea, and
he took it as his possession when it appeared. There he loved the island's nymph
Rhode, and one of her seven sons became the father of the heroes of the three
principal cities of Rhodes, Camirus, Ialysus, and Lindos. Even late in historical
times, the people of Rhodes threw a chariot and four horses into the sea every
October as a replacement for the old chariot and horses of the Sun that would
be worn out after the labors of the summer.
Rhodes was associated with several figures of saga. From Egypt came
Danaiis, who visited the island on his journey to Argos and there founded the
great temple of Athena at Lindos. A son of Heracles, Tlepolemus, murdered his
uncle Licymnius at Tiryns, and on the advice of Apollo fled to Rhodes. He later
led the Rhodian contingent in the Trojan War. Rhodes was also the home of the
Telchines, who were skilled craftsmen and metal-workers. They were also cred-
ited with having the evil eye; and for this reason (says Ovid), Zeus drowned
them in the sea.
LESBOSOn the island of Lesbos lived Macareus, a son of Aeolus, whose story was told by
Euripides in his lost play Aeolus. He fell in love with his sister Canace and by her
became father of a child. When Aeolus discovered the truth, he sent Canace a
sword with which to kill herself, and Macareus also committed suicide.
CYPRUS
The island of Cyprus is especially associated with Aphrodite (Venus), who was
worshiped particularly at Paphos. For the story of Pygmalion and Galatea, par-
ents of Paphos, who gave his name to the city, see pages 175-177. In the Cypriot
city of Salamis lived Anaxarete, who scorned her lover, Iphis. In despair, he
hanged himself at the door of her house, yet she still showed no pity. As she
was watching his funeral procession pass her house, she was turned into stone.
Ovid says that her stone figure became the cult statue of Venus at Salamis, with
the title of Venus the Beholder (Venus Prospiciens).
CRETECrete is the setting for Ovid's legend of Iphis, daughter of Ligdus (different from
the boy Iphis who loved Anaxarete). Her mother Telethusa, when pregnant, was
ordered by Ligdus to expose the baby if it proved to be a girl. Encouraged by a
vision of the Egyptian goddess Isis, Telethusa kept the baby girl, giving her a name
suitable either for a boy or a girl and dressing her like a boy. Thus deceived, Lig-
dus betrothed Iphis to another girl, Ianthe, whom Iphis did indeed come to love.
On the night before they were to be married, Telethusa prayed to Isis to pity Iphis