Same

The name of the island which was later called Kephallenia (Cephallenia).

In some translations of the older Greek texts (The Odyssey by Homer in particular), the island of Samos and the island of Same are regarded as identical; the two names seem to be used interchangeably even though the island to which the text is referring is near Odysseus’ home island of Ithaka (Ithaca); in many cases, the Greek text clearly says Samos, but the context denies that fact; at other times, the text calls the island Same; as I understand the distinction, Same was the name of the island which was later called Kephallenia and is very near Ithaka (Samos is 500+ miles (800+ kilometers) by sea from Ithaka).

As to how and why the islands of Samos and Same are equated, I have no explanation; some translators, such as Robert Fitzgerald, avoid this confusing problem by simply not calling the island by name; Kephallenia is the largest of the Ionian Islands located in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece; the island has an area of 287 square miles (743 square kilometers).

• Iliad, book 2, line 634 (Samos)
• Odyssey, book 1, line 246 (Same); book 4, lines 671 (Samos) and 845 (Samos); book 9, line 24 (Same); book 15, lines 29 (Samos) and 367 (Same); book 16, lines 123 (Same) and 249 (Same); book 19, line 131(Same); book 20, line 288 (Same)