Thessalonike of Macedon was a princess. According to myth, a mermaid will surface to encounter sailors on their way to Macedon asking, “Is Alexander the king alive?” To this question there was only one appropriate answer that will allow the sailors to continue their way, “He lives and reigns and conquers the world.” Any other answer will enrage the mermaid and transform her into the monster Gorgon which drowned the ships and the sailors. The myth says that the mermaid is no other than Thessalonike, sister of Alexander the great who in her attempt to kill herself threw herself into the sea but instead of drowning, she was transformed into a mermaid.
There is a very interesting show in the History channel where fascinating stories, history, science, and archaeology are presented together trying to the reality in myth. All cultures their stories where myth and reality are intertwined in ways hard to separate them. Interestingly, it is possible to see where some stories are very similar in different cultures. Stories like the creation, the flood, giants on earth, forgotten kings, lost civilizations, and fantastic adventures can be found in more than one culture.
One of my favorite stories of greek mythology is the story of king Minos and the minotaur. It is one of the most bizarre stories ever told in ancient Greece. The Greeks tried to depict their disgust to the practices of the Minoans that the story is nothing but a description of a barbarian nation. After all, for them either you were greek or barbarian. Same with the Romans, it was either Roman or barbarian. Many people think like that still today. People constantly judge others because they don’t believe the same, or practice the same, or share their lineage, language, or nationality. People still today create myths to degrade others mixing some reality with it to try to make it believable. Maybe on the other side others are doing the same with them.
The Reality in Myth
Thessalonike of Macedon was a princess. According to myth, a mermaid will surface to encounter sailors on their way to Macedon asking, “Is Alexander the king alive?” To this question there was only one appropriate answer that will allow the sailors to continue their way, “He lives and reigns and conquers the world.” Any other answer will enrage the mermaid and transform her into the monster Gorgon which drowned the ships and the sailors. The myth says that the mermaid is no other than Thessalonike, sister of Alexander the great who in her attempt to kill herself threw herself into the sea but instead of drowning, she was transformed into a mermaid.
One of my favorite stories of greek mythology is the story of king Minos and the minotaur. It is one of the most bizarre stories ever told in ancient Greece. The Greeks tried to depict their disgust to the practices of the Minoans that the story is nothing but a description of a barbarian nation. After all, for them either you were greek or barbarian. Same with the Romans, it was either Roman or barbarian. Many people think like that still today. People constantly judge others because they don’t believe the same, or practice the same, or share their lineage, language, or nationality. People still today create myths to degrade others mixing some reality with it to try to make it believable. Maybe on the other side others are doing the same with them.
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