Mount Olympus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Mount Olympus (Olimpos) | |
|---|---|
 Mount Olympus: View from Litochoro |
|
| Elevation | 2,919 metres (9,577 ft) |
| Location | Greece |
| Range | Olympus |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Mount Olympus (Greek: Όλυμπος; also transliterated as Ólympos, and on Greek maps, Óros Ólimbos) is the highest mountain in Greece at 2,919 metres high (9,570 feet)[1]. Since its base is located at sea level, it is one of the highest mountains in Europe in terms of topographic prominence, the relative altitude from base to top. It is situated at , in mainland Greece. It is located about 100 km away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city.
Mount Olympus is noted for its very rich flora with several endemic species. The highest peak on Mount Olympus is Mitikas at 2,919 metres high (9,570 feet), which in Greek means "nose" (an alternative transliterated spelling of this name is "Mytikas"). Mitikas is the highest peak in Greece, the second highest being Skolio (2912 m). Any climb to Mount Olympus starts from the town of Litochoro, which took the name City of Gods because of its location on the roots of the mountain.
Mount Olympus is a popular mountain name. Apart from the Greek Olympus, there was a mountain of the same name in ancient Phrygia and also currently one in Cyprus, one in Utah, one in Washington, one in San Francisco, CA, one on Mars, and many others.
Contents |
[edit] In Greek mythology
In the Greek mythology, Mount Olympus is the home of the Olympians, the principal gods in the Greek pantheon.
Olympus is reputed to be the home of the gods, although it is not easy to say what Olympus actually was. In Homer's [Illiad] it is indicated that Olympus resided far above any mountains, but not Heaven. In one passage of the Illiad, Zeus talks to the Gods from "the topmost peak of a many-peaked Olympus", clearly this would suggest the Olympus was indeed a mountain. A little further on, he says that if he willed, he could hang Earth and Sea from a pinnacle of Olympus, clearly no longer suggesting a mountain. Homer makes Poseidon say that he rules the sea, Hades the dead and Zeus the heavens, but Olympus is common to all three. Wherever it was, the entrance to it was a great gate of clouds kept by the seasons. Within were the Gods' dwellings, where they lived and slept and feasted on ambrosia and nectar and listened to the lyre of Apollo. The Greeks thought of it as built with crystal mansions wherein the gods, such as Zeus, dwelt. It is also known in Greek mythology that when Gaia gave birth to the Vols they used the mountains in Greece as their thrones. It was an abode of perfect blessedness:
"No wind ever shakes the untroubled peace of Olympus; no rain ever falls there, or snow; but the cloudless firmament stretches around it on all sides and the white glory of sunshine is diffused upon its walls" - Homer
[edit] See also
- Greek Gods
- List of tallest mountains by country
- Twelve Olympians
- Geography of Greece
- Mount Meru (mythology)
- Olympus Mons, Mars - tallest known volcano and mountain in our solar system
[edit] References
http://gserver.civil.auth.gr/glab/indexen-research.htm#f12
