KULTURA / CULTURE
He arrived barely alive on the island of Ogygia, home of the beautiful nymph Calypso. She fell madly in love with him and kept him as a “prisoner of dreams” for seven years. She offered him eternal youth and immortality if he stayed with her, but every night Odysseus sat on the shore and wept as he looked into the dis- tance, longing for his mortal wife Penelo- pe and the rocky Ithaca. Eventually, the supreme god Zeus sent Hermes to order Calypso to release him. INTERESTING FACT: Alternative his- torical theories claim that Ogygia was ac- tually in the Atlantic Ocean, close to the British Isles, as ancient writer Plutarch wrote that the island was “five days’ sail west of Britain”. Nevertheless, the Med- iterranean tradition won out and tied the myth to Malta’s Gozo. TODAY: The Maltese island of Gozo is more serene, greener and more mysti- cal than Malta itself. Above the beauti- ful red sand beach of Ramla Bay is Calyp- sa’s Cave, which offers views that make it completely clear why anyone would want to remain there for seven years. Gozo also hides temples that are older than Stone- henge and the Egyptian pyramids. HOW TO GET THERE: Air Serbia flies to Malta, and from there you are just a short, scenic ferry ride away from the mythical island of Gozo. SCHERIA (CORFU, GREECE) Hospitality before the finale MYTH: When he finally left Calypso on a raft that he constructed himself, the sea god Poseidon (who hated Odysseus for blinding his son Polyphemus) sent another storm and destroyed the vessel. Torment-
TODAY: Corfu is a cosmopolitan par- adise with Venetian architecture, old for- tresses and the turquoise coves of Paleo- kastritsa (where Odysseus is believed to have come ashore). HOW TO GET THERE: Air Serbia flies directly to this Ionian paradise, taking you straight to the beaches of the mythical mariners. ITHACA (GREECE) Return of the King MYTH: Twenty years after heading off to war, Odysseus arrived alone on his native Ithaca, without a single companion or any treasure. There he found the island in cha- os. His castle had been occupied by over a hundred arrogant suitors, who were ruining his estate, getting drunk and blackmailing Queen Penelope to choose a new husband, in the belief that Odysseus was surely dead. Disguised as an old beggar, with the help of the goddess Athena, Odysseus entered the court. In an effort to buy more time, Pe- nelope had set a challenge: she would mar- ry the suitor who managed to stretch Od- ysseus’s old, stiff bow and drive an arrow through the heads of twelve axes. None of the suitors could even bend the bow. Odys- seus took the bow and shot an arrow with ease, before killing all but one of the suit- ors to reclaim his throne. INTERESTING FACT: The Penelope of legend told the suitors that she would make a decision only when she finished weaving a shroud for Odysseus’s father. She wove in public all day long, only to se- cretly undo all her work at night, by can- dlelight, deceiving the suitors for three whole years until she was betrayed by a maid. This is the source of the idiom “Pe- nelope’s work” for work that is endlessly started and undone. TODAY: Ithaca remains a wild, beau- tiful and uncommercialised island that ex- udes tranquillity. There you can visit the “School of Homer” (the remains of a Myce- naean palace) and the cave where Odysseus is said to have hidden the Phaeacian gifts and where archaeologists indeed found 13 ancient bronze tripods that perfect- ly match the description in Homer’s epic. HOW TO GET THERE: The easiest way to reach Ithaca is by boat, and either Athens or Thessaloniki could serve as your starting point in the Air Serbia flight net- work. There are also charter flights to Ke- falonia and Lefkada.
ed, Odysseus was washed ashore on the island of Scheria. There he was found by Princess Nausicaa, daughter of the King of the Phaeacians. The Phaeacians were a legendary, civilised seafaring people. They clothed and fed him, and at a royal ban- quet, Odysseus finally revealed his true identity and recounted all his trials and tribulations (Homer’s entire epic is actually his retrospective story told to the Phaea- cians). Impressed, they give him their fast- est ship to finally take him home. INTERESTING FACT: According to the myth, when the Phaeacian sailors returned after safely transporting Odysseus to Itha- ca, an enraged Poseidon turned their ship to stone at the very entrance to the har- bour. In front of Corfu stands the small, rocky islet of Pontikonisi, which is shaped like a ship with unfurled sails. Locals believe this island is the fossilised Phaeacian ship. Kralj Itake ima bistu na trgu Stavrosa, glavnog sela severne Itake The king of Ithaca has a bust in the square of Stavros, the main village of northern Ithaca
48 | Istorija » History
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator