The Islands of Diomedes () were named after

Diomedes Diomedes (Jones, Daniel; Roach, Peter, James Hartman and Jane Setter, eds. ''Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary''. 17th edition. Cambridge UP, 2006.) or Diomede (; grc-gre, Διομήδης, Diomēdēs, "god-like cunning" or "advised by ...

, King of

Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...

. Diomedia (), one of these islands, was according to the Greek myths where Diomedes was buried.Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses, 37
/ref> The islands are associated with modern-day archipelago.

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

writes that on Diomedia there was a monument of Diomedes.

Antoninus Liberalis Antoninus Liberalis ( el, Ἀντωνῖνος Λιβεράλις) was an Ancient Greek grammarian who probably flourished between AD 100 and 300. His only surviving work is the ''Metamorphoses'' (Μεταμορφώσεων Συναγωγή, ''Me ...

writes that after the death of Diomedes, the

Illyrians The Illyrians ( grc, Ἰλλυριοί, ''Illyrioi''; la, Illyrii) were a group of Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking peoples who inhabited the western Balkan Peninsula in ancient times. They constituted one of the three main Paleo ...

attacked the island and killed all the

Dorians The Dorians (; el, Δωριεῖς, ''Dōrieîs'', singular , ''Dōrieús'') were one of the four major ethnic groups into which the Hellenes (or Greeks) of Classical Greece divided themselves (along with the Aeolians, Achaeans, and Ionians) ...

there, but

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

disappeared their bodies and turned their souls into birds. These birds flee from the foreigners, but approach the Greeks.Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses, 37
/ref> In ''

On Marvellous Things Heard ''On Marvellous Things Heard'' ( grc-gre, Περὶ θαυμασίων ἀκουσμάτων; Latin: ''De mirabilibus auscultationibus'') is a collection of thematically arranged anecdotes traditionally attributed to Aristotle but written by a Pse ...

'',

Pseudo-Aristotle Pseudo-Aristotle is a general cognomen for authors of philosophical or medical treatises who attributed their work to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, or whose work was later attributed to him by others. Such falsely attributed works are known as ps ...

says that on the island there were big birds which sit around the Diomedes shrine in a circle and that these birds were the companions of Diomedes. When Greeks come to the island they are quiet, but if foreigners land they attack them.

Lycophron Lycophron (; grc-gre, Λυκόφρων ὁ Χαλκιδεύς; born about 330–325 BC) was a Hellenistic Greek tragic poet, grammarian, sophist, and commentator on comedy, to whom the poem ''Alexandra'' is attributed (perhaps falsely). Life and ...

also wrote about the companions of Diomedes who turned into seabirds and their friendly behavior towards the Greeks.

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

writes that, according to some myths, Diomedes companions were turned into birds, and they are tame towards honorable men and flee from wicked and knavish men.

Aelian Aelian or Aelianus may refer to: * Aelianus Tacticus, Greek military writer of the 2nd century, who lived in Rome * Casperius Aelianus, Praetorian Prefect, executed by Trajan * Claudius Aelianus, Roman writer, teacher and historian of the 3rd centu ...

writes that on the island there were many

shearwaters Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae. They have a global marine distribution, but are most common in temperate and cold waters, and are pelagic outside the breeding season. Description These tub ...

and these birds did not approach the foreigners, but they approach and welcome the Greeks and that according to legend, the birds were companions of Diomedes and fought together with him at Troy, but later they changed into birds, but they preserved their Greek nature. Solinus writes that on the island there were the tomb of Diomedes and a shrine dedicated to him, and that the island had some kind of birds which cannot be found anywhere else and are called Diomedes birds.

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

writes that the birds were flying around the temple, and they fill their beaks with water and sprinkle it in the temple, and also that they attack the foreigners but welcome the Greeks.

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...

also mention the birds. The biological family of Diomedeidae, to which the

albatross Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds related to the procellariids, storm petrels, and diving petrels in the order Procellariiformes (the tubenoses). They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacifi ...

belongs, and the genus name for the great albatrosses, '' Diomedea'', comes from the metamorphosis of the companions of Diomedes into birds.

References

{{reflist Locations in Greek mythology Ancient Greek geography