PHAON (mythical boatman from Lesbos)
Figure of myth · mythical boatman from Lesbos aided by Aphrodite
- In the sources
- 17 ancient passages
Phaon, a haughty youth of striking beauty, was the object of Sappho’s love.1,2,3 He became the sole figure capable of igniting or extinguishing her poetic flame, occupying the center of her thoughts and dreams.3,4 In their shared intimacy, they embraced in caves and groves, using the latter as shelter from the heat, while he frequently praised her breast as the home of love and genius.4,3
When Phaon fled to remote regions, leaving the speaker behind, her joys vanished and she lamented being abandoned.4,3,5 Accounts differ regarding how the gods intervened in their romance; while one tale says Aphrodite concealed him within the leaves of a lettuce plant, the younger Marsyas claimed she hid him in barley grass instead.6 Other poetic claims suggest that if the goddess Cynthia looked upon the addressee, Phaon would be ordered to continue sleeping, and that Aphrodite might have transported the addressee to the heavens in an ivory chariot.7
Beyond his romantic exploits, Phaon’s claims to skill and status were subject to scrutiny; Stratonicus asserted that he did not actually possess anything in Megara and did not play harmony, but rather Cadmus did, noting that Phaon merely pretended to possess great skill in playing the flute.8
