Lesbos is the place where according to legend the head and Lyre of Orpheus was washed up.
It is homeland of Sappho, the famous poet who praised love.
Terpandros of Antissa was the inventor of the seven-stringed the lyra, who was antecedent of Sappho.
Alcaeus the political poet was mainly prosecuted along with Sappho, for his revolutionary for its time, poems.
A great musician of utmost fine art, who has been praised by Aristotle, was Arion of Mythimna.
Many great names which lived on the island, such as the historian Hellanicus of Mytilene, Theophrastusand Phainias the students of Aristotle, the botanist Tyrtanos, the Epicurus’ school, the historian again Theophanes, Longus with the famous Daphne & Chloe and its pastorals, made Mytilene famous as the cradle of arts and letters.
The Vernardakis, Eftaliotis, Myrivilis, Benjamin of Lesvos, Venezis and of course the great OdysseasElytis, the worthy successor of the old tradition of arts and letters glorified and praised Lesbos.
Iakovides, Geralis, Ithakisios, Anthonis Protopatsis, Orestis Kanellis, Kontoglou and many other painters with spearhead (was disclosed by the great technocratic Stratis Eleftheriadis from Mytilene) the best perhaps naïf painter Theophilos disseminated throughout the world the light and colours of the island.