Vines and golden olive trees (photo book) - Babis Kavvadias

Vines and golden olive trees...

BABIS KAVVADIAS

A photographic ramble around the stream Kerynitis, as he travels through the regions of Kalavryta and Aigialeia.

At the land where, according to the ancient Myths, the pastures of the sacred hind with the gold horns, the “Ceryneian Hind�, were, until Hercules came and captured her.

"Vines and golden olive trees..."

At the pastures of the hind with the golden horns

Photography - Translations BABIS KAVVADIAS

AIGIO 2016

https://500px.com/bampgs

Vines and golden olive trees... – Babis Kavvadias Photo book Aigio, 2016 Creative Commons licence Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

According to the ancient myth, one day, as the goddess Artemis was hunting on the mountains of Peloponnisos, she came across a herd of five hinds with golden horns, who were playing at the banks of the river Anaurus.

Dazzled by their beauty and vividness, she decided to catch them, so she started chasing them. She captured four of them and tied them to draw her chariot. The fifth hind managed to escape from her and she ended up living under her protection at the Ceryneian mountains, getting known as “the Ceryneian Hind”.

Until Eurestheus commanded Hercules to catch her alive and bring her at Mycenae…

In the next pages you’ll witness a photographic ramble around the stream Kerynitis, as he travels through the regions of Kalavryta and Aigialeia: From the villages of Vililina and Plataniotissa near his sources, to his wild canyon and the villages Mamousia, Boufouskia, Agios Andreas, Dervenaki and Kato Pteri, almost to his mouth, where he meets the Corinthian gulf.

At the mythical pastures of the hind with the golden horns.

Aigio, August-September 2016 Babis Kavvadias

All the photographs, geotagged, are free to download at www.flickr.com/photos/babiskavvadias/albums

At ancient Ceryneia

After Helice you will turn from the sea to the right and you will come to the town of Ceryneia. It is built on a mountain above the high road, and its name was given to it either by a native potentate or by the river Cerynites, which, flowing from Arcadia and Mount Ceryneia, passes through this part of Achaia.

Pausanias, “Description of Greece”, Book 7 “Achaia”, 25.5

Ancient Ceryneia’s theatre, with a view to the plains of Aigialeia, the Corinthian Gulf and Roumeli.

About the “Ceryneian Hind”

Having your hounds with you, you discovered at the base of the Parrhasian hill deer gamboling - a mighty herd. They always herded by the banks of the black-pebbled Anaurus - larger than bulls, and from their horns shone gold. And you were suddenly amazed and you felt a strong desire: “This would be a fine capture worthy of Artemis.” They were five; and you captured four running fast - without the help of your dogs - to draw your swift chariot. But one escaped over the river Celadon, by devising of Hera, that it might be in the after days a labour for Hercules, and the Ceryneian hill received her.

Callimachus, 3rd Hymn, to Artemis, 98-109

Obeying to the commands of Eyrystheus, forced by his father, he went on a quest of the hind with the golden horns, the one that Taygete once had devoted to the fair Artemis.

Pindar, 3rd Olympian, 28-30

ΤThat hind with the golden horns And the dappled fleece that preyed upon the peasants, he slew, pleasing Artemis, huntress goddess of Oenoe.

Euripides, “Hercules”, 375-379

The next command which Heracles received was the bringing back of the hind with the golden horns and the fast feet. To achieve it he employed not only the strength of his body, but also his sagacity.

For some say that he captured it by the use of nets, others that he tracked it down and captured it while it was asleep, and some that he wore it out by running it down. One thing is certain, that he accomplished this Labour by his sagacity of mind, without the use of force and without running any perils.

Diodorus Siculus, “Historical Library”, 4.13

As a third labour he [Eurystheus] ordered him [Hercules] to bring the Ceryneian hind alive to Mycenae. At that time the hind was at Oenoe; it had golden horns and was sacred to Artemis; so wishing neither to kill nor wound it, Hercules hunted it a whole year. But when, weary with the chase, the beast took refuge on the mountain called Artemisius, thence passed to the river Ladon, Hercules shot it just as it was about to cross the stream, and catching it put it on his shoulders and hastened through Arcadia.

But Artemis with Apollo met him, and would have taken the hind from him, and rebuked him for attempting to kill her sacred animal.

So, by pleading necessity and laying the blame on Eurystheus, he calmed the angry goddess and was able to carry the beast alive to Mycenae.

Ψευδο-Απολλόδωρου "Βιβλιοθήκη", 2.5.3

Vines and golden olive trees...

BABIS KAVVADIAS

A photographic ramble around the stream Kerynitis, as he travels through the regions of Kalavryta and Aigialeia.

At the land where, according to the ancient Myths, the pastures of the sacred hind with the gold horns, the “Ceryneian Hind�, were, until Hercules came and captured her.