Mythology was at the heart of everyday life in Ancient Greece and even today, modern Greeks continue the tradition of recounting their oral history in the form of vivid stories of gods, heroes, and monsters. Greek mythology, that body of wildly imagined, fantastical oral and artistic teachings created by the ancient Greeks, is an integral part of their history and religion, and represents an attempt to explain, in human language, the beginnings of the universe, cultural variations, traditions, and natural phenomena. They are the inspiration for contemporary comic book heroes and super humans, and the imagination of poets, dramatists, musicians, and artists.
Our tour guide, Lalia, vividly recounted the local Greek myths as we traveled across a wide valley ringed in mountains which cover eighty percent of this country of sun and rock. The hills were thickly covered in groves of native olive trees that left the lingering scent of their ripe fruit in the air. The modern city of Sparta, just 26 miles north of the port of Gythion, where we docked, lacks little resemblance to it’s historical past. Sparta was one of the most important Greek city-states throughout the Archaic and Classical periods and was famous for its military prowess. And today, we were told, it is difficult to obtain building permits in the modern city, in an effort to protect the ancient archaeological ruins hidden underground that may be destroyed by unrestricted construction. We briefly visited the city’s downtown to see the statue of Leonidas, a tribute to the Greek warrior king who led the Spartan forces during the Second Persian War.
We continued on to Mount Taygetos, and the beautiful, mystical Byzantine ghost fortress of Mystras, perched on the mountainside overlooking the once ancient city of Sparta on the Laconian plain below. Mystras is considered the best preserved example of a medieval town in the Greek region, and remains non-commercialized to retain its authenticity. Wander around the castle city and one can sense, through the silence, the city’s sheer grandeur in its palaces, cathedral, monasteries, and lavish mansions.
Of great importance in the 14th century, Mystras evolved into a major center of the Byzantine empire and was strategically developed around the mountainside fortress erected in 1249 to defy attackers. This is the stuff of fantasy…one can really imagine the silent monks and nuns, filing to chapel for prayer, young princes and princesses in their lavish palaces, housewives drawing water to their buckets, carts rolling up and down the uneven, steep, and winding narrow lanes and through the stone archways.
We returned to Gythion, meaning “The Land of the Gods”, now a small town of about 7,100 in Peloponnese, Greece, once the ancient port for the nearby city of Sparta. The town was destroyed in 4th century A.D., but has regained it’s stature again as an important port town, with a colorful promenade, cafes selling freshly-caught octopus sliced and served carpaccio at casual streetside tables, and as a stepping stone to the mythical, magical and mysterious ancient city of Mystras.
