Greece is riddled with stories from ancient Greek mythology, and Pelion is no exception!
OK, just checking your general knowledge now … 🧐 who knows the name of this Pelion guy, who greets all our guests at the door❓️
If you’ve answered Κένταυρος / Centaur, or Χείρων / Chiron, both are correct, since it is indeed Chiron, the wisest and justest of all the Centaurs. But, let’s take it from the beginning (here goes today’s crash course on Greek History/ Mythology 😄) 🏛
According to the ancient Greek mythology, Mount Pelion took its name from the mythical king Peleus, father of Achilles, and it was the homeland of Centaurs, (you know, the mythical creatures, half🚶♂️ and half 🐎). In fact, it was Chiron, the Centaurs’ leader who became the tutor and guardian of Jason till the time he grew up – the same Jason who lost his sandal 🩴 and who sailed to Colchis on the Argo ⚓️ along with his companions and fellow sailors, the Argonauts, to fetch the Golden Fleece, ( in Greek: ο Ιάσων κ οι Αργοναύτες).
Btw, Pelion is also the region the Olympian Gods chose for their summer holidays (and if the Greek Gods chose Pelion, where are you gonna spend your holidays this year… take the hint ? 🤨😄) The Centaurs of Greek Mythology are amongst the most famous composite creatures of antiquity. They were half-men and half-horse beings, representing an intermediate stage between human civilization and nature. The ancients portrayed them as barbarians who were unable to control their primal instincts. Perhaps the Centaurs myth was partly a way for the ancient Greeks to interpret the sight of people on horseback for the first time. 🐴
Doesn’t all this make hiking into the Pelion woods even more intriguing? You might even cross paths with a real Centaur… Who knows? 🤔
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