Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The Sacred Island


A sacred location in Greek culture is the island of Delos, near Mykonos.  When Leto was about to have the child of Zeus, he abandoned her in fear of his wife (Hamilton 433).  He refused her any land to give birth to the child, and she wandered aimlessly and desperately until she discovered the "floating island" of Delos, which was said to have no actual connection to the Earth.  There she had Apollo and Artemis (Hamilton 434).  

Since then, it has become an interesting hub of activity. There are ruins dating back over 5000 years, including multiple temples to Apollo, Artemis and other related gods by a variety of cultures; Ionian, Macedonian, Roman, Phoenicians, Egytians, etc (Mykonos).  While these cultures inhabited the island, it is now only available for day trips to see the massive quantities of ruins built on top of each other.  

Delos is an interesting place because of its rich history, but also its place in Greek mythology.  It is curiously without foliage, and the sun always radiates the island's white marble.  The island emanates an auspicious sort of vibe, and even modern day people don't allow residents to stay overnight because of its sacred qualities.  In 425 BC it was purified; graves were removed and residence was declared illegal (Mykonos).  It represents a religious location for the ancient Greeks that will permanently stay religious.  They embedded their religion into their culture so that their beliefs would stand that test of time.  

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