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Arion and the Dolphin
A celebrated musician, thrown into the sea by greedy sailors, is saved by an unlikely friend charmed by his own music: the ancient Greek legend of Arion and the dolphin.
Long ago, in ancient Greece, there lived a celebrated poet and musician named Arion, famous throughout the land for his extraordinary skill on the kithara, a stringed instrument much like a lyre. He traveled from city to city, competing in music contests and winning fame, admiration, and no small fortune in prizes along the way.
After a particularly successful journey, Arion hired a ship to carry him home across the sea, his winnings safely stored aboard. But partway through the voyage, some of the sailors began eyeing his prize money with envy, and quietly plotted to throw him overboard once they were far from land, planning to claim afterward that he had simply been lost at sea.
One Final Song
When Arion realized what the sailors intended, he understood there was no escaping the ship in the middle of the open sea. Calmly, he made only one final request: that they allow him to put on his finest robes and sing one last song, standing at the ship’s bow, before they carried out their plan. Curious and unmoved, the sailors saw no harm in it, and agreed.
A Song That Charmed the Sea
Arion sang the most beautiful song of his life, his voice rising clear and strong over the waves. What the sailors did not know was that a pod of dolphins had gathered near the ship, drawn in by the music echoing across the water. The moment his song ended, Arion leapt from the bow into the sea himself, rather than wait to be thrown in, and just as he struck the water, a dolphin swam beneath him and lifted him gently onto its back.
Carried Safely to Shore
The dolphin swam on and on, carrying Arion for many miles, all the way to the shore near Cape Tainaron, where he finally stepped onto dry land, safe and completely unharmed. From there, he made his way to the court of the king who had once welcomed him as a guest. Some time later, the very same ship arrived at port, its sailors telling anyone who would listen that Arion had simply chosen to stay behind in the city they had left. The king, already knowing the truth, revealed that Arion stood alive before them, and the sailors, caught in their own lie, had no choice but to confess everything.
To honor his rescue, Arion later placed a bronze statue of a boy riding a dolphin at Cape Tainaron, where the dolphin had first carried him to safety. And to this day, his story is still told and retold, a reminder that music and beauty can move even the wildest hearts of the sea, and that true kindness sometimes comes from the most unexpected of friends.
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Nani Nani
Play this softly while you read: a traditional Greek lullaby, from the same land this legend calls home.
More stories, more lullabies
This is one tale in a growing collection of traditional stories from around the world, each one paired, where we can, with a real lullaby from the same culture.