Meet Mount Olympus, the tallest mountain of Greece with a mythological past
Just like India has Mount Kanchenjunga as its highest mountain, every country has its own tallest peak. For Greece, it is Mount Olympus that stands at an elevation of 2918 metres above the sea level. It is located in between the provinces Pieria and Larissa, on the boundary of Macedonia and Thessaly. Okay, but how is it related to Greek mythology and how was it formed? Well, let us look at them one by one.
Formed millions of years ago
If you look at Mount Olympus carefully, you will notice that it has an unusual microclimate. Wait, what is it? Microclimate is a combination of local atmospheric conditions that vary from those in the surrounding areas. It is the result of being closely situated near the sea and its sharp rise in the elevation above sea level. Experts suggest that the mountain was formed more than 200 million years ago when sedimentary rock deposits from the shallow sea nearby piled to give it its shape. To top it off, there were series of geological occurrences that were mostly the result of glacial movements. These further created depressions around the mountain. Over time, the temperature increased and the glaciers began to melt. In turn, it carried away huge amounts of crushed rocks from the base to the sea while the remaining took the shape of a gigantic alluvial fan (a cone shaped heap of alluvium deposited by the sea) that birthed Mount Olympus.
Mount Olympus in Greek mythology
According to Greek mythology, Mount Olympus has always been the abode of gods and goddesses. In fact, ancient Greeks believed that it was on this mountain top that Zeus’s throne was located where he and other Olympians (Olympus is thus the home of 12 Olympiad Gods) lived in palaces hidden inside numerous gorges. They also believed that just like they slept, ate, socialised, so did the gods and goddesses besides ruling from their respective castles on the summit.
Maybe that’s why the Greek tribes thought that the highest point of any area deserved to be named Olympus. That is why the term became synonymous with all summits across the country. Thus, mountains including Mysia, Laconia, Lycia, Cyprus, Attica, Euboea, Ionia, and Lesbos all have peaks named Olympus. In addition, the ancient Greeks also worshipped Mount Olympus as the source of Zeus’ power, which, in turn, meant supernatural forces. What’s interesting here is that human habitation was confined to the foothills of the mountain as it was the abode of the deities.
Ecology of Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus has a varied topography and a wide variety of flora and fauna. There are Mediterranean shrubs and several deciduous and coniferous trees including willows, alders, beeches, black pines, red lilies, etc. Then there’s the endemic species called robolo or Olympus pine that has formed into a lush sub-alpine extensive meadow. Several flower species also predominate in the area such as daphne, buxus, juniperus, astragalus and berberis.
Besides, there are nine to 10 woodpecker species native to the region alongside horned larks, alpine accentors, two to four kinds of golden eagles, short-toes snake eagles, European honey buzzards and the rare wallcreeper among others. Moreover, over 170 species of butterflies can be found in the region.