The Telchines was the first tribe which inhabited Rhodes, coming from Crete andCyprus. They were strange people, wild, resembled to demons and used every kind of magic. They were nine in number and it was said that they were sons of the sea. The Telchines were good craftsmen and sailors. They created the statue of ‘Telchinian Apollo’ in Lindos, ‘Hera’ and the ‘Nymps’ in Ialisos and ‘Telchinian Hera’ in Kamiros.
According to the legend, Rea gave Poseidon to the Telchines and they raised him. When Poseidon reached manhood, he fell in love with and married the sister of the Telchines. They had six sons and one daughter, named Rodin, and the island was named after her.
Then, the Telchines caused a lot of trouble to the natives, since the goddess Aphrodite was furious with them and so Poseidon buried them into the Earth and they became demons.
