The name is said that comes from "Viennos" one of the "Kourites" (men who, in ancient times, lived in Crete and used to bang their arms and their shields together in order to cover Zeus cry - the Greek word "krousis" implies this). It is also said that the name comes from the fight (via = violence) of two of the Kourites, "Otos" and "Efialtis" - sons of Poseidon - against Aris, the god of war. Many findings prove that Viannos was a strong city during the ancient era, with its own coins and allies. During the Turkish and German occupation the inhabitants of Viannos added golden pages in Crete's struggle against the invaders. A nice - one of a kind - memorial stands at Amiras to remind the sacrifice of "Viannites" and the holocaust of September 14, 1943, when 358 men, women and children were executed and many villages were burnt after the strict order of the German commander "DESTROY VIANNOS COUNTY". Viannos has a long tradition in literature and science. Ioannis Kondilakis (1862-1920) a famous journalist and novelist was born there and his novels "Patouhas" and "When I was a teacher" are still among the most interesting in New Greek literature.