Why Greece is called Hellas and who are the Hellenes?
How did Greece come to be called Hellas (Eλλάς- Ellás, Eλλάδος- Elládos), and who are the Greeks? The who, what, when and where, when talking about the Greeks, could go on forever, I...
Category: Greek Mythology
How the Aegean Sea Got Its Name – The Myth of King Aegeus
The ancient Greeks were admirable story-tellers, in this tragic myth telling us of how the Aegean Sea, located between mainland Greece and Turkey, got its name, a wonderful but sad tale, there’s...
25 of the Most Famous Ancient Greek Statues and Sculptures
The ancient Greeks are legendary for many reasons; their story-telling through mythology, for their twelve glorious gods, their esteemed philosophers and their proud, brave warriors but maybe we remember them most for their...
Dionysia – the Original Ancient Greek Carnival
How did Greek Carnival originate? The Greek Orthodox Church rather try to play down the goings on of Greek Carnival, all this bawdiness is not seemly. As with many Christian celebrations, Saint Valentine’s...
Ancient Greek Origins of Saint Valentine’s Day
There’s a Greek connection to everything and it seems it’s no coincidence that St.Valentine’s Day fell in the ancient Greek month of Gamelion (February), the month of love, lust and marriage! Not...
The 12 Labours of Hercules
The story of how ancient Greek hero, Hercules, came to be assigned his laborious labours, begins with the tale of a woman scorned and we all know the saying: “hell hath no...
How the Ancient City of Athens Got Its Name
In ancient times, the most well-known city of Greece and center of commerce, a beautiful city, atop a hill, was named Cecrops, after its ruler, a mythical creature, half man and half...
The Siren – Legendary Creatures of Greek Mythology
How the sirens, these weird and wonderful, half bird, half woman, legendary female creatures of Greek mythology fascinate me. Maybe they will fascinate you too, let me introduce you to them. First...
Good Demons Vs Bad Demons in Ancient Greece
What is a demon, or, in Greek, a ‘daimon’? You are probably thinking; a malevolent being, something rather devilish, something negative. Am I right? Sorry folks but you’re wrong! You can be...
10 Ancient Greek Aphrodisiacs – The Food of Love
The word aphrodisiac has its roots in Ancient Greek and derives from the name of the Greek Goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, who, according to Greek mythology, was born from the sea,...
