Telepylos

Telepylos or Telepylus (Ancient Greek: Τηλέπυλος Tēlépylos, meaning "far-off port"[1] or "big-gated"[2]) was the mythological city of the Laestrygonians.

The Lestrygonians throw rocks at Ulysses and his men.

Mythology

In the Odyssey, it is described as the rocky stronghold of Lamos. When Odysseus reaches the city in the Odyssey, he sends three scouts to explore the island. They come across the king, a giant cannibal, who then eats one of the men, causing the other scouts to run away. Most of Odysseus' men are killed in the incident, but his boat is moored outside the Laestrygonians' harbour. He is able to sail away, without the bombardment of rocks received by the rest of the fleet who did moor within the harbour. Only forty-five men escape.

It has been identified with Mezapo, located on the Mani Peninsula. Iman Jacob Wilkens makes a less likely identification: the harbour of Havana, Cuba, believing that Ulysses had in fact crossed the Atlantic Ocean.[3]

The harbour, about which on both sides a sheer cliff runs continuously, and projecting headlands opposite to one another stretch out at the mouth, and the entrance is narrow, ..., and the ships were moored within the hollow harbour, for therein no wave ever swelled, great or small, but all about was a bright calm......[4]

References
  1. Association, American Philological (22 June 2019). "Transactions of the American Philological Association". For the Association by the Press of Case Western Reserve University – via Google Books.
  2. "The Quarterly Review". J. Murray. 22 June 2019 – via Google Books.
  3. Sora, Steven (19 June 2007). The Triumph of the Sea Gods: The War against the Goddess Hidden in Homer's Tales. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781594777523 – via Google Books.
  4. Odyssey 10, 77-96


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