Ilissus
Ilissus is a small river in Greece that originates from two springs on the slopes of Mount Hymettus and flows through the Attica region, notably past Athens. Historically, it did not reach the sea before the drainage of the Phaleron marsh in modern times. In Greek mythology, the river is associated with the abduction of Oreithyia, the daughter of King Erechtheus, by Boreas, the god of the north wind, which took place either by its banks or on the Areopagus. Additionally, it is linked to the death of King Codrus, who sacrificed himself to protect his city from Dorian invaders. Notable features of Ilissus include the spring of Callirhoe, which was transformed into a prominent fountain house by the Athenian ruler Pisistratus in the 6th century BC. The area also housed a temple and an altar dedicated to the Muses in ancient times. Classical philosophers and poets, such as Plato and Ovid, praised the river's natural beauty in their works. Today, Ilissus exists mainly as a covered channel, with remnants supplying fountains in Athens' Palace Garden.
Subject Terms
Ilissus
Ilissos
A small river that has its sources in two springs on the slopes of Mount Hymettus, and descends through the stony plain of Attica past Athens to its southeast and south; before the Phaleron marsh was drained in this century, the stream did not reach the sea. According to Greek mythology, it was while playing or resting beside the Ilissus (or, on another version, upon the Areopagus that Oreithyia, the daughter of King Erechtheus, was carried off to Thrace by Boreas, god of the north wind. The Ilissus was also the legendary site of the death of the Athenian king Codrus, at the hand of Dorian invaders; he was said to have offered his death to save his country.
The spring of Callirhoe was converted into a large fountain house, the Enneacrounos, by the Athenian ruler Pisistratus in the sixth century BC. A temple of c 430–420 (of which drawings were made before its destruction in the AD 1770s) and an altar to the Muses stood beside the Ilissus. Plato's Phaedrus contains a passage expressing admiration for the natural beauties of the stream and its setting, which Ovid also praises in his Art of Love. Today, however, all that remains is a covered channel or drain, supplying the fountains in the Palace Garden at Athens.