Souda () is an islet in

Souda Bay Souda Bay () is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akroti ...

on the northwest coast of

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

. In ancient times this islet was one of two islets that were referred to as Leukai (Λευκαί). The second islet is known today as Leon.

History

The island was fortified by the Venetians due to its strategic location, controlling the entrance to the anchorage of

(which is still an important Greek and NATO naval base). Although the rest of Crete fell to Ottoman control in the

Cretan War (1645–1669) The Cretan War (; ), also known as the War of Candia () or the fifth Ottoman–Venetian war, was a conflict between the Republic of Venice and her allies (chief among them the Knights of Malta, the Papal States and France) against the Ottoman ...

, the fortress of Souda (along with the island fortresses of Gramvousa and

Spinalonga Spinalonga () is an island in the Gulf of Elounda, north-eastern Crete, in the municipality of Agios Nikolaos, Crete, Agios Nikolaos, Lasithi, next to the town of Plaka in the area of Kalydon (Elounda), Kalydon. It is near the Spinalonga peninsu ...

) remained in Venetian hands until 1715, when they too

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or Moorland, moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of M ...

to the Ottomans. During this time, the island served as a refuge for Cretan insurgents. Souda Bay from the of the Venetian fortress at Souda Island

Mythology

On the northwest side of the islet, a small distance away, there is another island which is almost round in shape, which used to be referred to on medieval Venetian maps as ''Rabbit Island'' (known as ''Nisi'' and ''Leon'' today). In ancient times these two islets were referred to as Leukai (Greek for "white ones"). Their name came from the ancient Greek myth about a musical contest between the Sirens and the

Muses In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

. Out of their anguish from losing the competition, writes

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

, the Muses plucked their rivals' feathers from their wings; the Sirens turned white and fell into the sea at Aptera ("wingless") where they formed the islands in the bay that were called Lefkai.Caroline M. Galt, "A marble fragment at Mount Holyoke College from the Cretan city of Aptera", ''Art and Archaeology'' 6 (1920:150).

References

External links

''Porto e Fortezza della Suda''
map by Marco Boschini {{Aegean Sea Landforms of Chania (regional unit) Uninhabited islands of Crete Mediterranean islands Venetian fortifications in Crete Islands of Greece Souda Bay 1715 establishments in the Ottoman Empire

History

Mythology

See also

References

External links