Hydna
Hydna of Scione (alternately called Hydne or Cyana) (fl. 480 BC)[1] was an Ancient Greek swimmer and diver given credit for contributing to the destruction of the Persian navy in 480 BC.
Biography
According to
On the night of the attack, father and daughter swam roughly ten miles through rough, choppy waters to reach the ships.[2] They silently swam among the boats, using knives to cut the moorings and dragging away the submerged anchors. Without anchors and moorings to secure the ships, they crashed together in the stormy water. Most of the ships sustained considerable damage and a few sank. The resulting delay allowed the Greek navy more time to prepare in Artemisium and ultimately led to a victory for Greek forces at Salamis.
In another chronicle by Herodotus, Scyllias was actually working for the Persians as a diver, recovering a great part of the treasure sunk in the storm before deserting for the Greek side. He supposedly swam submerged from
In gratitude for the heroism shown by Hydna and her father, the
Cultural depictions
Hydna appears in Elva Sophronia Smith's 1954 novel Adventure calls.
Scyllias appears in the 2014 film 300: Rise of an Empire portrayed by Callan Mulvey, though Hydna does not, being replaced by a male son named Calisto (Jack O'Connell).
References
- ^ United States Naval Institute Proceedings, Volume 68, 1942, p.662
- ^ a b Mark, Joshua (August 20, 2014). "Ten Noble and Notorious Women of Ancient Greece". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ISBN 9781317701118.
- ^ A New Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography Mythology and Geography, By Sir William Smith, Charles Anthony LLD, 1878 p.792
- ISBN 0816067104.