Ortygia

Ortygia is a small island which is the historical centre of the city of Syracuse, Sicily. The island, also known as the Città Vecchia , contains many historical landmarks. The name originates from the ancient Greek ortyx , which means "Quail".

The Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo has it that the goddess Leto stopped at Ortygia to give birth to Artemis, the firstborn of her twins. Artemis then helped Leto across the sea to the island of Delos, where Leto gave birth to Apollo. Other ancient sources state that the twins were born in the same place – which was either Delos or Ortygia – but Ortygia, according to Strabo was an old name of Delos. Further, there were perhaps a half-dozen other places called Ortygia, so that the identification is uncertain.

Author: Wikipedia