THE ORIGIN OF DOLPHINS

One of the Greek Myths tells
an interesting story of a time before
dolphins swam the seas.

Dionysus,  god of wine and mirth, was
on voyage by boat through the Mediter-
ranean Islands disguised as a traveler.

The sailors, unaware of his real identity,
were not solely content with payment for
his passage, so they ransacked his
belongings and plotted to kidnap and sell
him as a slave.

Upon discovering the sailor’s plot,
Dionysus used his divine powers to fill
the boat with vines and the shrill sound
of pipes to confuse them. He made leopards
and lions appear in the boat and changed
the wooden oars into snakes.

To flee from this chaos, the sailors leapt into
the waves, where Poseidon, god of the sea,
transformed them into dolphins, forever
destined to help sailors by guiding their boats
from danger.

Fact or Fiction ?

Where does the myth end and the fact begin?
Aside from legends there are many documented
stories of dolphins guiding ships from perils at sea.
Dolphins, because of their friendly nature, have
also been known to save drowning people, often
carrying them on their backs to safety.