Calypso

In Greek legend, a sea nymph; daughter of the Titan Atlas. Homer tells how she waylaid the homeward-bound Odysseus for seven years when he was shipwrecked on the island of Ogygia (probably Malta).

She treated Odysseus hospitably and promised him immortality if he would marry her. They had two sons, but Zeus eventually sent Hermes to command his release. At the hero's departure, Calypso died of grief.

calypso

West Indian satirical ballad with a syncopated beat and repeating melody. Calypso is a traditional song form of Trinidad, a feature of its annual carnival, with roots in West African praise-singing. It was first made popular in the USA by Harry Belafonte (1927– ) in 1956. Mighty Sparrow (1935– ) is Trinidad's best-known calypso singer.