According to Greek mythology, the first inhabitant and founder of the island, was a namesake man called Thassos. Thassos was either the son or the grandson of Aginoras, King of Phoenicia, who turned up in Thassos while trying to find Europa who had been kidnapped by Zeus in virtue of his passionate love.

The Phoenicians couldn’t stand the abduction of Europe, so they organized an expedition led by Kadmos (Europe’s brother) and Thassos, in order to find her and take her back home. This quest took a long time, thereby they had to split their mission in two: one part led by Kadmos, went to Boeotia and built the city of Thebes, and the second led by Thassos, ended up in the island of Thassos and settled there. At the same time, two more brothers of Europe, Phoenix and Kilikas, were seeking her in different destinations.

Another myth, derived by the inhabitants of Paros island after their establishment in Thassos, refers that Hercules donated the island of Thassos to Sthenelos and Alcaios, the two sons of King Androgeo.

Still, Thassos was the first inhabitant of the island of Thassos, after whom the island was named. Nevertheless, there are other and maybe more credible resources about the origin of the name of the island. Some ancient poets and writers refer to Thassos as “Aeria” for its cool summer breeze, “Aethria” for its clear sky, “Chrisi” for the gold of its goldmines, or “Seashore of Demetra” for the rich and exquisite fruits. According to a different resource, the etymology of the name “Thassos” relates to the word “Drosos” (=cool), due to the plenty of forests in the island. Others combine the name of the island with weather names, such as Asos, Kosos, Vrastoi.