The Rambling Writer Explores More Greek Islands, Part 35: Sacred Delos

Delos, ancient hub of the Cyclades Islands, is the birthplace of the twin gods Apollo and Artemis. Here are highlights of my own pilgrimage.

NOTE: Since our recent trip to Greece to research more settings for my novel-in-progress, THE ARIADNE DISCONNECT, Thor and I knew we had to return to this magical region. My first entry in this new blog series posted here on Saturday, 10/20/2018. It gives an overview of our rambles from Athens to seven islands in the Dodecanese and Cyclades groups, ending our ferry-hopping pilgrimage on the anciently sacred island of Delos.

I was excited to end our Greece trip with a boat excursion from Mykonos and day tour of Delos and its extensive ancient site. It’s one of the most important sites in Greece, settled by the 3rd millenium B.C. The original inhabitants were apparently pirates who were expelled by King Minos of Crete, when the Cretans dominated trade in the Mediterranean and Aegean. The later development of Greek Olympian mythology held that the twin deities Apollo and Artemis were born on the island. Apollo became the main deity worshipped here, along with many others, including Dionysos and the Egyptian Isis.

This statue in the small island museum represents Apollo stomping on war captives’ shields:

And here is the virgin Artemis, goddess of wilderness and hunting, spearing a deer:

In the 6th and 5th centuries B.C., purifications of the island were undertaken by Athenian rulers, partly under advisement of the Delphic Oracle. All buried bodies were removed to a nearby island, and thereafter it was forbidden for anyone to die or give birth on the island. Later, all inhabitants of the islands were relocated. Today no one may live there except the few archaeologists engaged in excavations. Only about a third of the extensive settlements and temples have been excavated so far.

In the upcoming weeks, Thor and I will take you on a tour of the island’s features, history, and mythology. Meanwhile, some highlights:

I was delighted when we met our archaeologist tour guide and learned her name: Ariadne. Thor said it was an omen of good luck for my novel-in-progress, The Ariadne Disconnect. You’ll meet her next week as we arrive on the island. Meanwhile, “Kali nichte!” Good night!

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You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Cafe is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection.  It’s a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?”  The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara has recently returned from another research trip in Greece and is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com