Parthenope and the foundation of Naples
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Naples is a city of many mysteries and legends. But the most mysterious and legendary of all things from Naples is, probably, the myth surrounding its own foundation. Loading...
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Legend says it was Parthenope, a mythical mermaid, that founded Naples. Mermaids are mysterious enough on their own, you may say, but this one, this Parthenope, has something more than the others: she was the literary child of one of history’s most elusive authors, Homer, who described her in the 12th Canto of the Odissey. 
Parthenope, then, we were saying… her name means “virgin” in ancient Greek and she was one of the beautiful mermaids living in the Mediterranean. She – and all mermaids – was known for her melodious voice, which she used to attract sailors and travelers only to kill them once they were in her reach.
A man like Ulysses, devoted to knowledge and led by the strongest curiosity, wanted to hear Parthenope sing but, as he also wanted to go back home to his wife and son, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of getting butchered.
So, he asked his crew to tie him to the mainmast and not to set him free, even if he begged for it, during Parthenope’s song. And that’s how Ulysses heard the eerily beautiful voice of a mermaid and survived.
But Parthenope didn’t take it well and, distraught by the event, she jumped off the highest cliff and died.
And the sea lulled her body until it reached the Gulf of Naples. Then the waves touched the isolotto di Megaride, they finally laid it to rest. And here, the mortal remains of Parthenope dissolved, creating the city of Naples, her head gently touching the hill of Capodimonte and her tail that of Posillipo.