23 Calypso Facts: Powers, Myths, Symbolism And More

In Greek mythology, Calypso was a sea nymph and daughter of the Titan Atlas.

She is known as one of the most beautiful and problematic characters in Homer's 'Odyssey'. Unlike other mythological beings who live on specific islands, she lives within a primordial cave.

The island was first mentioned in Homer's 'Odyssey': ships bearing gifts and messages of friendship were sent to king Odysseus after he was thought dead at Troy but he did not want to go back because his heart was with Calypso.

The story of the Greek hero, Odysseus, and his wife Penelope, along with the long journey back to Ithaca, struck him with his raft on Ogygia, a mythical island.

If you have seen the movie 'Odyssey', then you might be well acquainted with the Calypso's isle. Greek mythology has beautifully incorporated the Greek gods and goddesses, with Zeus being the supreme god.

Calypso was banished to Ogygia because it was the consequence of her assistance to the First Titanomachy.

Facts About Calypso

Calypso's name is derived from the Greek word which means 'a cover', or 'concealment'. In Greek mythology, the Goddess Calypso was the Titan Atlas's daughter. Calypso was also a sea nymph, along with being a goddess.

• Goddess Calypso also appears in Homer's 'Iliad', written about the Trojan War, not as a character but as an idea embodied by her sister Nausicaa: 'Calypso was angry with Odysseus for not accepting her gifts' ('Iliad' 5, 229).
• Later British poets used it as a synonym of 'shelter'.
• Goddess Calypso is referenced in the Irish poem Oisín at Alishorea, Oisín visits Tír na nÓg and sees Fand, who is compared to Calypso.
• The name also resurfaced during Romanticism when Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote his poem entitled 'Calypso' (1798).
• Calypso is also mentioned in Gustave Flauberts novel 'L'Education Sentimentale' (1869).
• Calypso's name is given to the island where she lived.
• Calypso rose to popularity again with the version of Homer's 'Odyssey', in which the nymph falls in love with a human prince named Odyssey, but like her Greek predecessor, Calypso can not offer him immortality and he must return home to marry his betrothed princess.

Calypso In Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology, she is the daughter of Atlas and Pleione. The father of Calypso was a brother of Prometheus, Menoetius, and Epimetheus, two of the great gods in Greek mythology.

• When Zeus, the god of all other gods and goddesses in Greek mythology, ordered the creation of humanity, he made Calypso ruler of Ogygia, where she lived in eternal youth and beauty.
• Calypso fell deeply in love with Odysseus who stayed on her island for seven years before Athena talked him into continuing his journey by telling him how long and complicated his journey home would be if he remained with Calypso because there are many dangerous areas on the sea that surround Ogygia.
• Calypso agreed to let Odysseus go when Hermes told her that it is fated that he will return home to Ithaca.
• In 'The Odyssey', Calypso gave Odysseus a cloak, a skin-tight shirt and leather wrap that would protect him from harsh weather and obey his every command.
• Homer describes Calypso as 'maiden immortal' - this means Calypso was unapproachable but he writes about her with affection and respect for who she is, not how she looks like: 'Odysseus' heart desired so much to live with her in tranquillity after all the things he has been through'.

Calypso's Powers

Calypso can make men forget their wives or thoughts of home by enticing them to her with promises of immortality.

• Calypso is able to alter the age of mortals and a god by a simple touching of their cheeks.
• Calypso can also read minds and cause sudden forgetfulness in humans.
• In some versions there are some rules that she has to follow: When Odysseus leaves her island after being sent off by Athena, she refuses to let him leave but Hermes calms her down and promises that he will make sure Odysseus returns back to his home land safely.
• After an incident with Poseidon, Calypso is forced to release Odysseus from her island when he promises he would make it up to her if ever they meet again (they never do).
• Her name resurfaced during Romanticism when Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote his poem entitled 'Calypso'.
• In this, he imagines Calypso as a beautiful, naïve young woman with whom Odysseus has several children.

Calypso's Symbolism

Calypso is a symbol of the primal mother and earth goddess that represents fertility, nature and abundance.

• Even though she seems to cause suffering for those who fall in love with her she is also widely known as a divine healer because she healed both Odysseus and Telemachus from their wounds caused by the war against the suitors.
• Her island was rich in fruit trees which grew year-round so this could be seen as a symbol of immortality.
• Calypso's island is said to be surrounded by impossible cliffs and looking out from them at the sea it seems like there is no way to get out, which could mean that her wisdom and power is endless - she knows everything about what happens in the world but nobody seems to know anything about her.
• Like Athena, Calypso can turn men into animals (or make them forgetful) when they displease her.
• She also has a very similar personality to Athena: 'Wise, thoughtful and caring towards others'. She also represents fertility and abundance: nothing that grows on her island ever dies and she serves nectar and ambrosia (food or drink of the gods) to those who visit her island.
• Calypso is a seer and has the power to see the future which she communicates through her dreams by giving signs to those who visit her island.