Myth of Makar — the First Founder of Lesbos or How to Become a Greek

Abstract

Myth of Makar plays a special role in common Greek tradition about the foundation of Aiolian Lesbos, since the myth presents an alternative version of history of founding of Greek settlements in Lesbos, dating this event to the Late Bronze Age. However the most complete version of the myth presented by Diodorus Siculus contains very little that definitely indicates both the origin of Makar himself and his colonists as Greeks. On the contrary many of the details included in the myth testify to the non-Greek component of this myth. Accordingly, the ancient tradition tried in every possible way to rectify Makar’s genealogy and change the content of the holistic story to make it possible to incorporate myth of Makar into the common Hellenic tradition of founding Greek settlements outside the mainland Greece.