The Callapheia

The Callapheia is an epic story from the plane of Theros that recounts the adventures of Callaphe the Mariner after the Akroan War.

The Callapheia is a narrative focused on a single hero and her exploits. Callaphe was a human trickster from Meletis who sailed a ship called The Monsoon. She was the first mortal to decipher the secret patterns of the winds, and she sailed over the edge of the world and into Nyx to claim her place among the stars. Her adventures are a mythic tour of the Dakra Isles and the coastlands of Theros, describing a panoply of creatures, nations, and marvelous phenomena—some of which still exist as described in its verses, though others are lost to history or myth.

Some of these verses are related through flavor text on cards in the Theros Beyond Death expansion set.

Excerpts

Excerpt	Card Source
Storms drove them westward to Kethaphos, white plains shimmered in starlight. Centaurs greeted them, offering gold-hued apples and grain-cakes.	Nyxborn Courser
One-eyed and frightful, the cyclops lifted a boulder and hurled it seaward from cliff's edge, shattering masts and scattering sailors.	Nyxborn Brute
Storm-tossed and broken, Callaphe cried out to deep-dwelling Thassa. Tritons came swiftly to save her, bringing her north to the Lindus.	Nyxborn Seaguard
Callaphe guided them into darkness of Hetos, the bleak mire; Blood-horned minotaurs circled them, axes aglimmer in shadow.	Nyxborn Marauder
Tree-tall giants confronted her, fiercely demanding her tribute; Fox-cunning Callaphe's slippery speaking entangled their senses.	Nyxborn Colossus
Callaphe gazed on the coastline, certain her destiny called her here, where the mist-shrouded rocks sang, promising glories undreamed of.	Unknown Shores (Theros Beyond Death)

Trivia

The Callapheia shares a similar name and structure to the epic poem The Odyssey, written by Homer near the end of the 8th century BC.