Strofades ( el, Στροφάδες; also called Strofadia, , or Stromphides, Suda Encyclopedia, §si.1212
/ref>) is a group of two small Greek islands in the Ionian Islands. They lie about south-southeast of the island of Zakynthos. Administratively they are part of the Municipality of Zakynthos. The larger island, Stamfani, has an old fortress/monastery built in 1241. The smaller is Arpia. Both are sparsely vegetated and rocky.

Birds

There is a strong avian presence on the islands, and hunting is prohibited. Species include Cory's shearwater (''Calonectris diomedea'') and migratory passerines. There is also a large spring migration of turtle doves (''Streptopelia turtur''). The islands have been recognised as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

(IBA) by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

because they support a breeding population of some 2,000-3,000 pairs of Scopoli's shearwaters.

Mythology

As the Strophades, they were identified as the dwelling-place of the

Harpies In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; lat, harpȳia) is a half-human and half-bird personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions They were generally depicted as birds with the head ...

. Virgil states that the

Harpy In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, a harpy (plural harpies, , ; lat, harpȳia) is a half-human and half-bird personification of storm winds. They feature in Homeric poems. Descriptions They were generally depicted as birds with the hea ...

drove the Trojans from the Strophades ( Aeneid ''iii, 209 passim.''). The islands are mentioned in '' The Divine Comedy'' (see List of cultural references in The Divine Comedy) and in passing in Chapter 10 of Rabelais' Fifth Book of '' Pantagruel''. According to legend, the islands' name, meaning "Islands of Turning," refers to Zetes and Calaïs, sons of Boreas, who voyaged with the

Argonauts The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, '' Argo'', ...

. Zetes and Calaïs rescued Phineus from the Harpies. They succeeded in driving the monsters away but did not kill them, as a request from the goddess of the rainbow, Iris, who promised that Phineas would not be bothered by the Harpies again. They were ''turned back'' at the Strophades by Iris while continuing their pursuit of the creatures. It is a popular etymology based on word similarities. Stormy winds prevailed on the island at times, in the form of a tornado, which the ancients used to identify with the phrase "στροφάδες άελλαι". This is confirmed by the names of the two main winds, the north (Ziti) and the south (Kalai).

References

Κουτελάκης Χαρ., Η «Οδύσσεια» του Ομήρου χωρίς Λαιστρυγόνες και τέρατα. Μια νέα προσέγγιση για την ανθρωπογεωγραφία της Μεσογείου, Αθήνα 30 Δεκ. 2019, σελ. 235-236. Κουτελάκης Χαρ., Παναγιά «Η Πάντων Χαρά» των Στροφάδων. Ένα εικονογραφικό παράλληλο στην Πάτμο, ΔωδΧρον. ΙΕ΄ (1993) 67-79.

External links

*
Important Bird areas of Greece
{{Authority control Uninhabited islands of Greece Islands of the Ionian Islands (region) Islands of Greece Important Bird Areas of Greece Important Bird Areas of Mediterranean islands Landforms of Zakynthos