Hellas is the name used in ancient Greece, and the name modern Greeks use to refer to their country. The country’s official name is the Hellenic Republic (Helliniki Dimokratia) and it is referred to as Hellas in the European Union. “Greece” was adopted into English from the Latin name Graecia, which was what the Romans used to refer to Hellas. Graecia simply translates to “land of the Greeks”. There are several theories regarding the etymologies of Hellas and Graecia, with roots in ancient mythology. One theory says Hellas came from Hellen, son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, who survived the Great Flood; and that Graecia came from Graecus, son of Zeus and Pandora, who is the sister of Hellen. However, the source of the terms remain uncertain and no theory is widely accepted