According to legend the city was founded by Sandocus, a grandson of Phaethon, who emigrated here from Syria.
They also recall the legend of Phaëton, whose fiery accident burned the lunar records, forcing them to start their history anew, in "a new Lunar Era," now 7,914,522 years ago.
The term phaeton had earlier referred to a light, open four-wheeled carriage, which again referred to the disastrous ride of the mythical Phaëton, son of Helios, who set the earth on fire while attempting to drive the chariot of the sun.
The trees, however, he identified as more likely to represent larches (larices, singular larix), from which he derives the name Lariscolus ("young larch"), hence embodying the sisters of Phaëton transformed to larches.
There are other distance races, such as Suzuka, Phaethon, and the World Solar Rally.
His parents were Sandocus, son of Astynous (himself son of Phaethon), and Pharnace, daughter of Megassares (king of Hyria); he married Metharme the daughter of Pygmalion and built Paphos.
As well as being the last refuge of the Antiguan Racer, it is also home to a variety of other endangered creatures including the rare lizard Ameiva griswoldi, Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis), West Indian Whistling Ducks and Red-billed Tropicbirds (Phaethon aethereus).
Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus (tropical Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and Indian oceans)