Geographically seen, Thessaly is a very peculiar region, consisting of a large plain, surrounded by a ring of mountains. It seems that once upon a time there was a lake, been made of the stream water from the surrounding mountains. But whether because of the erosive effects of water, or after a tectonic earthquake, sometime the ringer of those mountains broke. This happened between Olympus and Ossa, the current Kissavos, and this is how the Valley of Tembi was formed. Through this valley, the whole volume of water of the huge lake leaked into the Aegean Sea.
But, according to Greek mythology, the one who opened Tembi constructing a canal by own personal hard work, was the god Poseidon. For this reason the worship of Poseidon was widespread all over Thessaly, and several celebrations had been established in his honor.
Beside, of course, Poseidon, in culmination (in terms of worship) were a multitude of gods, demigods, heroes, fairies and other relevant fantastic creatures, which helped the people of that distant era to cope with the difficulties and fears they had to face around and within them. You see, they had just begun to realize themselves both personally and socially, in an often hostile natural environment.
And it is understandable that there were such a plethora of related 'helpers' here, as long as this region seems to be among the first populated ones, hosting very ancient settlements such as Sesklo (mid-7th millennium BC), Dimini (5,000 BC), Gonnoi (mid-3rd millennium BC) and others.
Thessaly and I
Born in Larissa, Greece, I have studied Forest Engineering and Languages.
So far I have lived in different places, including Thessaloniki and Marienhagen, but most of them being in Thessaly: Larissa, Volos, Agia, Pelion, coast of Magnesia (Aegean and Pagasitikos).
I have also had quite a few jobs till now, such as: forest engineer, fisher, taiji/qigong instructor, Greek teacher for Germans, restaurant owner and more..
For the time being I live partly at the entrance of the Valley of Tembi, and partly in Pelion. One of my activities is the collection of wild medicinal plants in the mountains of eastern Thessaly, namely (from north to south) lower Olympus, Kissavos, and Pelion.
A particularly attractive feature of these mountains is that there’s always one of their slopes that merges with the sea: The Aegean! An unlikely view, lacy seashores, rocks sculptured by the wave, small boats going to and fro, …all this stuff, you know…..
In many spots indeed, the mountain does not 'end' somewhere near one of the -numerous and amasingly beautiful- beaches, but plunges simply in the water, continuing to exist therein. With other kinds of herbs to sprout on it, with other kinds of living creatures to inhabit it, but still itself.
And so, while you are, say, at 900 meters high picking yarrow and oregano (so to speak ‘sage, rosemary and thyme’) you can, if you want, take off and in less than a half-hour be swimming in the crystal clear waters of a vivid blue sea.
Simply cool!