Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Myths, the Myths!
Some of the greatest stories of all time - and some say the wellspring of story itself - are
to be found in the Greek myths. For many of us, the fantastical stories of Heracles and
Odysseus we heard as kids still linger in our imagination, and contemporary writers con-
tinue to reinterpret these stories and characters for books and films. Standing in the an-
cient ruins of an acropolis and peering across the watery horizon, it's not difficult to pic-
ture the Kraken (Poseidon's pet monster) rising from the Aegean, nor to imagine that
fishing boat you see heading into the sunset as Jason's Argo en route to Colchis for the
Golden Fleece.
The average Greek is fiercely proud of their myths and will love entertaining you with
a list of the gods, but they'll love it even more if you know a few of them yourself. Here
are a few of the most famous heroes and their stories to refresh your memory, but it is
only the start of a rich, fantastical tapestry, that stretches all the way from the mists of Mt
Olympus down to the farthest reaches of Hades.
MUST-SEE THEATRES
ArrgosDating from Classical times; could seat up to 20,000 people.
Anciient D
t Delph
elphiiA well-preserved 4th-century-BC theatre,
Oddeon o
n of He
f Herroddes A
s AttttiicuusBuilt in AD 161 by Roman Herodes Atticus.
TTheattrre o
e of D
f DiionysosOnce held seating for 17,000 spread over 64 tiers,
TTheattrre o
e of D
f DoddoniiA colossal, 3rd-century-BC ancient site.
TTheattrre o
e of E
f Epida
idavrrosOne of the best-preserved Classical Greek structures.
Heracles (Hercules)
The most celebrated, endearing hero of ancient Greece, Heracles was set 12 labours for
mistakenly killing his family. These included slaying the Nemean Lion and the Lernian
Hydra; capturing the Ceryneian Hind and the Erymanthian Boar; cleaning the Augean St-
ables in one day; slaying the Stymphalian Birds; capturing the Cretan Bull; stealing the
man-eating Mares of Diomedes; obtaining the Girdle of Hippolyta and the oxen of Gery-
on; stealing the Apples of the Hesperides; and capturing Cerberus.
