I had wondered about this over the years — whether the Greeks had ever tried to ascend Olympus. Do we know how early the first reference is to Olympus being the gods’ abode? Is it Homer?
Yes it all goes back to Homer snd Hesiod c. 750 BC. Both came from Ionia so who knows how close they ever got to it. I suspect they thought of it as a distant and magical mountain fit only for gods. In later centuries sanctuaries etc pop up but it’s likely these were due to the poets’ huge influence on Greek belief.
Is it purely a coincidence that Olympia and Olympus are near-homonyms? Could the site of the Olympic Games have been chosen (in addition to the geographic reasons you cite) partially because of the divine resonance of the name?
Fun, and informative. Thanks
I had wondered about this over the years — whether the Greeks had ever tried to ascend Olympus. Do we know how early the first reference is to Olympus being the gods’ abode? Is it Homer?
Yes it all goes back to Homer snd Hesiod c. 750 BC. Both came from Ionia so who knows how close they ever got to it. I suspect they thought of it as a distant and magical mountain fit only for gods. In later centuries sanctuaries etc pop up but it’s likely these were due to the poets’ huge influence on Greek belief.
Is it purely a coincidence that Olympia and Olympus are near-homonyms? Could the site of the Olympic Games have been chosen (in addition to the geographic reasons you cite) partially because of the divine resonance of the name?
As mentioned, Olympia was founded in honour of (Olympian) Zeus - hence the name
I must have been reading too fast, and I got the cause and effect mixed up. Thanks for the clarification! Excellent piece as always.