Calypso (Mythology)

In Greek mythology, Calypso ( ; ) was a nymph who lived on the island of Ogygia, where, according to Homer's Odyssey, she detained Odysseus for seven years against his will. She promised Odysseus immortality if he would stay with her, but Odysseus preferred to return home. Eventually, after the intervention of the other gods, Calypso was forced to let Odysseus go.

The name Calypso derives from the Greek ( ), meaning , , or ; as such, her name translates to .

According to the medieval dictionary Etymologicum Magnum, her name means (from ).

Calypso is generally said to be the daughter of the Titan Atlas. In the Fabulae, she is born to Pleione, the mother of the Pleiades, though this is the only source in which this parentage appears.