Discover the myths and legends about Mount Olympus. One of the most sacred places of Greek culture that has great stories.
Mount Olympus
A mist-shrouded mountain, reaching up to the sky, Mount Olympus was the home of ancient gods, who looked down to Earth every day to decide on the fate of mankind.
What is Mount Olympus?
Mount Olympus is the mythical home of the gods in Greek mythology. According to the authors, the mountain was created after the Titanomachy, the epic battle between the young gods, the Olympians and the older gods, the Titans.
As a result of this battle, the victorious Olympians created their new and majestic home: Mount Olympus. It was hidden from human eyes by clouds that constantly obscured its peaks. In Greece, you will also find Mount Olympus, the highest mountain in the country.
Description
The sacred mountain was believed to have a temperate climate throughout the year, and the mountain gorges were filled with forests. However, the gods did not always reside in their paradise, and left or returned from there through a cloud gate guarded by the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons.
Authors claim that the tables in Zeus palace on Olympus were made of gold and were actually automatons, created by Hephaestus! They entered and left the rooms as the gods demanded. Zeus’ throne was located in the Pantheon, the meeting hall of the gods.
It was also designed by Hephaestus and was constructed of black marble, inlaid with gold. Each of the gods had his own mountain palace, usually built of gold and marble, and situated in a gorge on the mountain tops.
Who lived on Mount Olympus?
The 12 Olympian gods resided on Mount Olympus: Zeus and his wife Hera, Athena, Poseidon, Artemis, Apollo, Demeter, Hester, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hephaestus and Ares. Since Hades resided in the underworld, he was not considered an Olympian god and did not often visit the great mount.
The nine muses, the daughters of Mnemosyne and Zeus, resided at the foot of the mountain. According to some sources, the goddesses were water nymphs and were responsible for the following: Clio; Calliope; Thalia; Euterpe; Terpsichore; Melpomene; Erato; Urania; and Polyhymnia.
The Olympians ruled Olympus until the monster Typhon attacked their stronghold. Typhon was supposedly a fire-breathing dragon with 100 heads. When he attacked Olympus, most of the gods chose to flee, except Zeus, Athena and Dionysus. Zeus was able to defeat the giant monster with 100 bolts of lightning, and banished it to Tartarus.
Activities
The gods met daily in the palace of Zeus in the Pantheon, where they celebrated feasts and discussed the fate of mortals. There they drank nectar and ate ambrosia, which perpetuated their immortality. Supposedly, when the gods drank ambrosia, the blood in their veins was replaced by ichor, a substance toxic to humans. Ichor also ran through the veins of Talos, the giant Greek automaton.
Bellerophon and Mount Olympus
No human being could approach Olympus, but the authors tell the story of Bellerophon, the son of Eurynome and Poseidon, who tried to reach the top of the mountain. One day he captured Pegasus when the horse was about to drink from a fountain in his village.
Later, Bellerophon was exiled from his hometown and was supposed to be executed, but was given a second chance. Instead, he had to conquer a chimera, a fire-breathing monster! He managed to kill the beast by driving a spear with a lead tip into the monster’s throat.
After winning in two more difficult challenges, he was finally recognized as the son of a god, but Bellerophon wanted more! He decided to fly with Pegasus to Mount Olympus, the home of the gods.
Zeus was furious at his actions and sent a vicious fly to bite Pegasus. The fly did as requested, causing the horse to throw its rider from its back, sending Bellerophon back to Earth.
Modern references
Today, a group called the Return of the Hellenes hopes to revive ancient Greek religion and mythology. They gather at the foot of Mount Olympus in Greece to celebrate the hero Prometheus, through the Prometheus festival. The celebrations begin with the runners, in all their ancient battle gear, wielding shields and spears, running towards the sacred mount.
The group supposedly worships the 12 Olympian gods and tries to live by the same values the gods represented. Followers even decorate their homes with antique furniture and give their children ancient Greek surnames.
Mount Olympus today is located in the Olympus mountain range between Macedonia and Thessaly. The area is also a National Park. Historians discovered an ancient Macedonian city called Dion at the foot of the mountain, believed to have existed between the 5th century BC and the 5th century AD.
Some authors claim that the town had luxurious mosaic houses, theaters and shrines. Dedicated to the gods where sacrificial offerings were made. Athletic competitions were also held there, according to some sources.
Ancient civilizations have often tried to understand the divine and the mythical through anthropomorphism and personification. Inspired by the mysterious peaks stretching beyond the clouds, the ancient Greeks understandably believed that their sacred Mt. Olympus.
