Greeker than the Greeks

Greeker Than The Greeks

The Thesmophoria - Ancient Greek Thanksgiving Festival Dedicated to Demeter - Goddess of the Harvest

Greek Customs traditions & celebrations / Greek Mythology

The Thesmophoria – Ancient Greek Thanksgiving – Harvest Festival

The Thesmophoria was a festival held in honour of Demeter, goddess of the harvest and agriculture and her daughter Persephone, goddess of the Underworld. The festival was celebrated in the month of...

Greek Mythology

The Myth of Greek Hero Theseus – King Minos – The Labyrinth and the Minotaur

The most famous labyrinth in Greek mythology is the one commissioned by King Minos of Crete. It was designed by the architect Daedalus, at the Palace of Knossos, located on Kephala hill,...

Aeneas at the Entrance to the Elysian Fields - 1520 - Dosso Dossi (Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri)

Greek Mythology

The Elysian Fields of Greek Mythology

In Greek mythology Elysium, also referred to as the Elysian Fields, is the idea of an afterlife separate from the Underworld (Hades). Elysian is a word from Greek Mythology relating to...

Untranslatable Greek Words

Kudos – The Ancient Greek Word for Well Done

Here’s yet another Greek word used frequently in English today taken from ancient Greek: Kudos (κῦδος – kydos), meaning praise and honour received for an achievement. Synonyms of Kudos: Prestige –...

Greek Mythology

Pegasus – The Mythical Winged White Horse of Greek Mythology

One of the most recognized creatures in Greek mythology is Pegasus, a mythical, winged white horse with magical powers. Pegasus is said to have been born of the sea-god Poseidon and the...

Greek Saints

Saints Peter and Paul – Feast Day June 29th

The Greek Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of Peter and Paul on the same day, June 29th Saint Paul, or Paul the Apostle, was a Greek Jew, born Saul of Tarsus (a city...

Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounion. Athens, Greece.

Greece: ancient and modern / Greek Customs traditions & celebrations

Summer Solstice Celebrations in Ancient Greece

The summer solstice, the longest day of the year, officially marks the beginning of summer. In the ancient Greek Attic, or Athens calendar, the New Year began with the appearance of the...

The quintessential Greek - Traditionally Greek - Zembekiko - Image by Dimitra Tzanos for Art Source Publishing

Great Greek Lists / Greece: ancient and modern

20 Little-Known Intriguing Facts about Greece and the Greeks

After more than forty years of living in Greece I thought I knew all there was to know about the country and What makes a Greek a Greek . However, as they say,...

Greek Mythology

The Ancient Greek Myth of Sisyphus

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus, maybe the most well-known inhabitant of the Underworld, was the greedy and conniving king and founder of Ephyra (now known as Corinth in the Peloponnese), who ruled with...

Greek Mythology / Untranslatable Greek Words

Philoxenia – Greek Hospitality – The Myth of Baucis and Philemon

The Greek word “Xenia” meaning foreigner or stranger and “Philoxenia”, meaning “friend to a stranger”, are both words which depict the Ancient Greek idea of hospitality. It was extremely important to the...

Greece: ancient and modern

What Makes a Greek a Greek – 40 Adorable Characteristics

What Makes a Greek a Greek? I found the answer more than forty years ago when I left England for a new life in Greece. Passion made me do it; I had...

Greeker than the Greeks