The natural Heritage of the Island of Gozo, Malta

Abstract

The name Gozo, meaning joy in Castilian, was given to this small island by the Aragonese who took over the Maltese Islands in 1282. Over the years the island has inspired many names. In 700 BC the Phoenicians called it Gwl or Gaulos, meaning round ship, a name that was retained by the Greeks and translated by the Romans as Gaudos or Gaulum. The Moors, who ruled the Maltese islands around a thousand years ago, and who strongly influenced its Semitic language, referred to it as Gaudoich preceding the current name GLatin small letter h with strokeawdex (pronounced Aw-desh), which is used today by the local inhabitants. In a legendary context it is often called the Island of Calypso referring to the Greek mythological location of Ogygia, home of the beautiful nymph Calypso. In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, Calypso keeps the Greek hero Odysseus as a prisoner of love for 7 long years. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.