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1st Junior High School of Pyrgos

Travelling in Europe Through Legends and Myths

Greece–Norway-Italy Croatia-Romania

Comenius Multilateral School Partnership

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Fairies •The faith in fairies and the worship of them is widespread in Greece since ancient times. It is said that they haunt

rivers, lakes, lagoons and moors and since these are typical characteristics of the natural landscape in Ileia, there are a

lot of legends in the area about them. •Fairies are beautiful, with tall and

slender bodies and long hair, which they wash in the rivers. They use the river

waters as mirrors. They are dressed in white and they enjoy music, dancing

and singing.•Although their gorgeous

appearance, they are wicked, jealous and revengeful. They appear in the

summer like a cloud or a tornado, and sensitive people are bound to meet

them.•They live in castle ruins, in

deserted houses, in caves and underground passages.

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The Chlemoutsi Castle

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• It is a medieval castle built by the Prince of Franks Geoffrey Villehardouin in 1220-1223. That period in Greek History is called Frangokratia when after the 4th Crusade a number of Italian and French states were established in Greece.

• Geoffrey Villehardouin was the Prince of the Principality of Achaea which was the strongest Frankish state in Greece. He chose this strategic place to build his castle on to defend the port of ancient Kyllini.

• After the end of Frankish domination Chlemoutsi gradually lost its importance. It passed through the hands of the Catalans, the Venetians, the Turks and it also became the court of Constantine Palaiologos, the future Byzantine Emperor. (It was given as a dowry to him).

• After the end of World War II and the Greek Civil War, it became a preserved landmark. Actually, it is one of the best preserved Frankish castles in Greece.

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• The shape of the castle is an irregular hexagon. It consists of an enclosed building surrounded by large walls with towers, arched gates and an area for throwing hot oil and stones on the heads of the inventors

• The main building consists of the Prince family’s rooms in two floors, the warehouse, the chapel and the residence of the guards.

•In the mid to late 20th century lights were added to it and it can be seen as far as 80 km by night. •Nowadays it holds concerts with famous both local and foreign artists as well as theatre performances. •It also holds ‘Medieval Events” weekends to revive that era. These include parades of knights along the streets of the town with a final destination to the castle where visitors can enjoy a demonstration of fights with swords, archery and a medieval bazaar with products of that era. Also kids have the opportunity to play medieval games.

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The Legend of the Fairies of Chlemoutsi and Santameri

• Once upon a time, there were two fairy sisters. One of them was the Dame of Chlemoutsi castle and the other one was the Dame of Santameri castle. The first one was beautiful and rich, but she had no children, while her sister was poor and ugly, but she had seven children and that consoled her when she thought of her ugliness.

• Hundreds of years ago, the fairy of Chlemoutsi, feeling alone, went to her sister and asked her one of her children to live with her. She promised that she would bring the child continuously to see its mother. So, after a lot of appeals, the fairy of Santameri finally gave her youngest child to her sister, a sublime and lovable girl. The fairy-aunt and the girl returned to Chlemoutsi but they didn’t come back, even for a visit, to Santameri anymore.

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• A lot of time passed but the fairy aunt didn’t bring the child back because she wanted it as her own company, so the fairy of Santameri decides to go herself to Chlemoutsi to take her child back. When she reaches the castle, she knocks the gate but nobody opens… She knocks again, nobody…. She knocks

again, nobody….• The fairy-mother returned to her castle but she didn’t lose her

hope. So, she continues to go to Chlemoutsi. When she does it, she is happy because she thinks that she’ll see her little girl again and that she’ll take her home. So, the weather is good,

there is sunshine and the wind is serene and pleasant. • But when she returns home without having taken the girl, she

is wild and furious, so a very intense twister sweeps the area and a gale blows up over the plain, and her weeping is heard

even by the inhabitants of the Netherworld.

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Another Legend• According to a local legend its architects had

chosen another location nearer the sea. • But whenever the builders took a rest and went

back to continue their work, they found their tools next to Saint Dimitrios’ chapel only a few metres away from the castle.

• They considered it as a sign and decided to build the castle on this site, 220 metres above the sea level , about 2.5 km away from the sea with a view of the Ionian sea and the islands of Zakynthos and Kefallonia.

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Treasures of NatureMyths and legends

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River Alfeios

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Myth• According to the Greek mythology Alfeios, son of

Oceanus, was worshipped as a god of fertility.• He fell madly in love with the nymph Arethoussa.

Unfortunately, she did not like him. So, she left for Ortygia, near Syracousses, in order to avoid him and she was transformed into a spring.

• Alfeios, desperate by her flight, he transformed himself into a river, which flowed into the Ionian Sea, and passing from underneath the sea, it ended up in Sicily, where it joined the spring of Arethoussa.

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River Alfeios

The canyon of Alfeios for those who are good at river sports, is

ideal for rafting and kayaking

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The Oak Forest of Pholoi

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• The forest of Pholoi is of crucial importance for the forestal resources of Ileia.

• It is considered the oldest European self-planted beech and oak forest and the biggest of the Balkans.

• Its name is connected with Centaur Pholos, the king of the Centaurs and friend of Hercules.

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The myth of Centaur Pholos & Hercules

• According to myth Hercules arrived there during his famous 12 Labors to slay the erymanthean boar and was hosted by Pholos the King of centaurs.

• Pholos offered Hercules his finest food but when Hercules asked for wine, Pholos hesitated because the wine belonged to all the centaurs. Nevertheless,

Hercules convinced him by claiming that god Dionysos had left it there for that specific occasion. Centaur Pholos

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• Thus they opened the storage jar to drink. The aroma of the wine was so strong that the other centaurs got upset and became

mad with Hercules. • An epic battle followed in which

Hercules killed a lot of centaurs and hunted the rest .

• Unfortunately he wounded by mistake Pholos with his arrows. Hercules felt very sad but he managed to bury Pholos and then he set out to fulfill his fourth labour and kill the Erymanthean boar.

Hercules and the Erymanthean boar

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The canyon of Erymanthos

• Three rivers Erymanthos, Seiraios and Aroanios mark the borders of three prefectures: Ileia, Arcadia and Achaia.

• But only Erymanthos continues its way until it meets the rich waters of Alfeios.

• It’s been thirty years since French and German naturalists discovered its outstanding beauty and ranked it among the best rivers in Europe.

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Myth• Mount Erymanthos was well-known since ancient times.• One of the most daring labour of Hercules was the

capturing of the wild boar of Erymanthos, which lived on the mountain and was the terror of the hunters and passers-by.

• It also caused extensive damage to the forest.• So the locals called Hercules for help.• The hero tracked the beast into the forest and led it with

wild cries to a slope covered with thick snow. By this clever trick, Hercules managed to immobilize and chain the boar and transferred it to Mycenae with great honors.

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NedaThe Nymph of the Water

• It’s the only river in Greece with a feminine name.

• It’s one of the fewest rivers in Greece which offers an environment untouched by human activity.

• The river flows through a varied landscape of wooden hill slopes, waterfalls, plane-trees, oaks, fig-trees and thick vegetation.

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River Neda Bridge of Jouloucha

The bridge of Jouloucha

links the two neighboring prefectures:

Ileia and Messinia.The most

exciting course starts

from here.

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Wooden handrails protect the hikers, through the dense foliage, to the waterfalls and the Stomio, the

cave which is traversed by Neda.

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River Neda Waterfall “Asproneri” (White water)

According to myth, Nymph

Neda changed into river and her

long braids became

wonderful waterfalls, that have

decorated the canyon ever

since.

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The huge, white foam of the waterfall flows down into a cavity shaded by huge plane-trees, forming a lake in

dazzling colours.

Myths

•Perhaps the most known myth is the one about the father of all gods Cronus, who used to swallow his children, fearing they would dethrone him. •When his wife Rhea gave birth to her last child Zeus, she decided to save him, so she entrusted him to the nymphs Neda, Thissoa and Agno and asked them to raise him.

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• According to another myth, nearby on Mount Elaion was a sacred cave.

• It’s in this cave that Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, found refuge and hid in for a long time, dressed in black, mourning for the kidnapping of her daughter Persephone.

• The Olympian gods moved heaven and earth to find her because the soil was no longer fertile and people were dying of hunger.

• The god Pan who had gone hunting in the area, came across Demeter and said it to Zeus.

• Zeus sent the Fates to soothe her anger. They managed to convince her to come out to the light again.• Unfortunately archaeologists haven’t discovered the cave

yet.

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Lake of Pineios

• The artificial lake of Pineios was made in 1960 to cover the irrigation needs of the plain.

• Throughout the years, it has become a popular recreation place. At the north side of the dam there is a municipal bar, a restaurant, as well as a refuge for

cyclists and hikers.• For those who enjoy water, canoes and sea jets are available.

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Kaifas Lake

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The Lake and the Hot Springs of Kaifas

• The natural thermal springs and spas located in Lake Kaiafas are known throughout the world.

• These unique spas, full of natural healing elements, attract a huge number of people here throughout the year, and are one of the highlights of the entire region.

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The hot waters of these spas and

springs flow through the cave

of the "Nymphs of Anigrides.

According to mythology, this is

where Dardanos, the ancestor of the

Trojans’ were born.

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Kaifas LakeA different view

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Myths-Legends

• According to myth, this is the place where centaur

Hiron came to wash himself and heal his

wounds, after his battle against Hercules.

• Hercules had wounded him with his arrows, damp with the blood of Lernaia Hydra.• That’s how the Ancient

Greeks explained the stench of the chloride, iodine and sulphurous

underwater.

• According to another legend, the name Kaiafas is said to

derive from the homonymous priest of Judea who

convicted Jesus Christ. • As he was sailing to Rome, his

ship encountered a storm and ran aground.

• The priest went to wash himself in a hot water spring, however, the curse he carried

for his role in Christ’s suffering made the waters stink from

the odour of his soul.

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The Hot Springs of Kyllini

•The hot springs of Kyllini were well-known in ancient

times.• A big temple and a healing

centre too of ancient god-doctor Asclepius, used

to attract thousands of people seeking cure.

•Nowadays, we can see the remains of the roman

springs. •The area of kyllini, after a

long period of decline, regenerated when a big, luxurious hotel with spa

facilities was built near the hot springs.

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On Our way to the Temple

of Epicourios Apollo

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Apollo Epicouriosin Vassae

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• The temple, built in 420-400 BC, was dedicated to Apollo Epicourios which means "Apollo the Helper".

• The combination of archaic elements with innovative architecture shows an inspired architect who according to Pausanias was no other than Ictinos, the architect of the

Parthenon.• The temple is unusual because it combines all three classical

orders: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.

• Inside the temple was found a single column with the oldest known Corinthian capital in the history of Greek architecture.

• Vassae was the first Greek site to be inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1986.

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Myths• One of the options is that the god was named

“Epicourios”(Helper) because he had helped the citizens of Phigaleia in their fight against Lacedaemonians in 659 BC.

• However, according to Pausanias the god’s name is attributed to the salvation of the citizens of Phigaleia in the epidemic that occurred during the Peloponnese war.

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Metopes

• The frieze, with 23 metopes, was

depicting the battle between the

Lapiths and the Centaurs and the

battle between the Greeks and the

Amazons.• In 1914 the Turkish

governor of The Peloponnese

received a payment to transfer the

frieze to Zante.• In the end, it was

sent to the British Museum where it is

exhibited next to the Elgin Marbles.

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Reconstruction of the temple

The temple of Apollo is presently covered in white tent in order to protect the ruins from the natural elements, and conservation work is

being carried out.

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Traditional Villages in our Area

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AndritsainaThe Capital of the province of Olympia

A picturesque village with traditional colour: wonderful wooden gates, wooden balconies of old mansions and cobbled

roads.

Folklore Museum

The most admirable

building is the

Folkore Museum

with traditional garments,

furniture and various

objects of rural life.

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AndritsainaThe Library

• Agathofron Nikolopoulos was

an archaeologist, poet, composer who worked as a librarian

in the Institute of France and he

managed to create one of the biggest private libraries in

Europe which he donated to the town.

• In the library there is an invaluable

treasure of 3.696 rare books.

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DivriPanoramic View

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Divri

• Divri is one of the most picturesque villages near the boarders of Ileia and Arcadia. It is considered “the balcony of Ileia”.

• According to a legend, god Pan , who had the legs of a goat, used to ramble the area.

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Religion and Legends

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Monastery of Sepeto

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Legend• The story about the naming of the Monastery survives even

nowadays by word of mouth. • Two women with their babies in their arms were standing on the

rock where the monastery is situated today. The first one was a faithful Orthodox while the second woman was an unfaithful. Those days, there rumors that Virgin Mary used to appear in the area.

• The faithful woman in order to convince the other, she threw her baby down from the rock. Virgin Mary was present and saved the baby.

• Therefore, the unfaithful woman threw her baby too, crying “se peto” which means, “I’m throwing you”. However, the child

was killed because Virgin Mary did not bless his mother. That is how the monastery was called.

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Monastery of Fraggapidima

•280 m. above the sea level is

the rock from where a Frankish

on his horse jumped, chased

by the Turks. •He was saved

appealing to Saint Nicolas’

help.• Fraggapidima

means “Frankish’s

jump” in Greek.•The monastery is

famous of its wonderful

handicrafts.

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Monastery of Ano Divri-Interior

• It was built in 1667. During the Turkish Occupation of Greece, it played a crucial role in the preservation of the Greek culture.

• In the basement of the monastery was a Secret Greek School: by candlelight , a monk taught the children reading, writing and history about their enslaved country.

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Monastery of Askitis ( Hermit)

Old legends add to the mystery of the place

• The stone church stands at the bottom of a giant rock.

• It has no roof. It is topped by the huge natural crevice of the rock.

• According to an old legend, long ago, a pious hermit lived in this place. A winter with a full

moon, a hunter came and waited in ambush for animals.

• The hermit was looking for food crawling on the grass.

• The hunter heard the noise and shot.

• The blood led the hunter to the corpse of the hermit, who had

crawled to the rock and died there, holding an icon of Virgin

Mary in his hands.• Holy Water sprang from his

wound. Even nowadays, people drink it in order to be cured from

various diseases. 51

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Monastery of Skafidia

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Pouqueville gives his own explanation about the name of the monastery: “It is built next to a village whose dwellers used to

make wooden skiffs, called ‘skafidia’. ”

• A monumental cluster of buildings, 2.500m2 in extent. • The monastery is very impressive as it has the form of a

medieval fortress. It gives the impression of a Frankish castle although it was constructed by Orthodox Monks.

• The most interesting building architecturally, is the tower of the monastery (9m. high) which was constructed in order to offer protection from the pirates.

• During the Greek War of Independence of 1821, it became the centre of war operations thanks to its strategic position and its fort-like form.

• Many treasures are kept in the monastery, such as rare manuscripts and icons.

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The endless blue of the sea

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Some of the most popular beaches in our area

Skafidia Beach, Hotel ‘Al de Mare’Zaharo Beach

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Agios Andreas beach

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Kourouta beach

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KotyhiA refuge for free flights

• The lagoon of Kotyhi is one of the most

important wetlands of Greece and it is

protected by the Ramsar Convention. • It gives shelter to many kinds of birds such as swans, wild

ducks, herons, starlings etc.

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Welcoming the Caretta-Caretta Turtle

The sandy beaches of Ileia

have been for thousands of

years the place where the

Caretta-Caretta Turtles give

birth to their offspring.

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Only in thePeloponnese

there are about 900

nests under protection

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The End

November 2012created by Prentza L. & Argyropoulou M.