Dikteon Cave, Childhood home of Zeus

On a hot day last week my guest Ian Murphy and I made the trek across Crete to Mount Ida and the Dikteon Cave.

It is about a three hour drive although less that 200 kilometres. Such is travelling on Crete through the rugged mountains. We took a wrong turn and discovered the wonderful village of Mochos- a place to which I certainly want to return.




















Zeus appears to have had his roots in Crete.

Many other places make this claim as well but this Canuck is convinced that it was here that Zeus came into existence in the minds of the people long ago. Why- because I can.

Before any written record that can be read Zeus was worshipped on Crete.

It may be that when the Linear A texts are deciphered [the Minoan writings] they will record an earlier version of Zeus' evolving story than previously known

According the oldest Greek myths Zeus was born to the sister and brother Rhea and Cronus

The goddess Rhea appear to mean "ground" or Mother Earth and she was mother to all the Olympian gods although not an Olympian herself. The second largest moon of Saturn is named for her.

Cronus had killed his own father - Uranus- to become the most powerful god and knew one of his children was to dethrone him.

So Cronus ate his sons and daughters as they were born so none could challenge him.




Rhea was disturbed by this pattern of behaviour so when the 6th child was born on Crete, Zeus, she tricked Cronus with a stone which he swallowed believing it to be Zeus.
She then secreted Zeus away to the Dikteon Cave, where he was raised by the nymph Adamanthea.




Cronus was the god of earth, air and water so hiding him was a challenge. Adamanthes suspended him on a rope in the middle of the cave so Cronus could not know where he was.

The Dikteon Cave is found within Mount Ida- the highest mountain on Crete at 2500 m or just over 8000 feet.


The mountains on Crete are quite dangerous as they are limestone and full of caves and holes into which many explorers and hikers have disappeared. Remember the old movie- "Journey to the Centre of the Earth?" The survivors of that movie emerged on Crete.


To get to this side of Mt Ida requires a trip across the spectacular Plateau of Lisithi and up to Psychro - which means the "cold village" and is one of the few villages in the Mediterrean that is above 800 meters. It gets several feet of snow in the winter.











I have a bad knee so I had an excuse to take a donkey so Dora took me to the top of the trail to the Dikteon Cave while Ian took the "scared way" and thus is a true worshipper of Zeus.

The cave is almost vertical and defends steeply into a cool, damp gloom. I can only imagine the ancient people with some sort of fire torch making their way down the treacherous rock falls with the slimy algae growths on the rock. The torch would have cast strange and terrifying images as the stalagmites and stalactites emerge from the ceiling and down the walls, walls etched in coatings akin to those found in the horror movie Alien 1.

The entrance to the cave is down a set of steep steps and care has to taken as these are damp and slippery.

This map of the cave depicts the stairways- not a boardwalk as I had first assumed when I saw it. 















The subdued cave lighting is just enough to make one's way around safely and to see the incredible rock formations yet dark enough to let the imagination wander. It is weird and magnificent at the same time and I can easily see why such a place was attributed spiritual significance for surely a god did live here.

According to an old legend mortals were forbidden to enter the scared cave. Laius, Cerberus, Celeus and Aegolius were determined to enter the cave to collect the sacred honey from the countless sacred bees that make this home.

Entering the cave they found the swaddling clothes of Zeus who was enraged and threw thunder bolts at them. I guess we could conclude they found themselves in deep "s..t on more than one level at the same time. But it was impossible to die in the sacred cave so Themis and the Fates turned the men into birds to save them from eternal torture at the hands of Zeus.

Another myth has it the Minos, king of the Minoans, met his father Zeus in this cave every nine years to receive the renewed laws of people.

This myth resulted in the myth that Minos became the absolute judge of all and after his death became the judge of Hades where all injustices of life were accounted for in the afterlife.

Another myth says that Minos was born in this cave. When Zeus abducted Europa from Phoenicia where she was a princess, he took her here and after their union Minos was born.

 Epimenides was attributed as being one the wisest men of he ancient world. He visited this cave and fell asleep. He awoke many years later having not aged but having acquired his great wisdom and insightful divine knowledge.

The Diktone Cave has been a special place for millennia and remains such a place to this day.

I feel wiser for just having been here

Worshippers throughout many centuries made their own pilgrimages to this cave to worship Zeus and offer sacrifices such as these incredible, but impractical, bronze shields from the Bronze age. These appear to have been buried in the cave as offerings to Zeus. 

Thank you for reading this post. I would welcome some feedback or questions and of course any inaccuracies that you may have found.

Europa and Zeus

Earlier in this blog I introduced the myth of Europa and Zeus.

I visited the site where Zeus supposedly took the young maiden to complete...  well, to have his way with her... etc





I rather doubt mutual consent was part of the thinking then.

So,  a brief review:

Zeus liked young women.










One day he took a fancy to Europa, a young women from Attica.

One day, as she gathered flowers, he disguised himself as a beautiful white bull.

He enticed her to embrace him and, when she did, he ran to the sea with her holding on for dear life - jumped into the waves and swam her to Crete



This is an ancient Athenian vase that depicts the myth. Note the use of both red and white in the depiction which indicates a date late in the Athenian pottery skill phase.








In Crete, they had three children.

One was Minos who became the king of the Minoans and founder of the civilization.

On my visit to Gortys,  I came across not only the place, but the "very plane tree" under which Zeus and Europa - well - you know.  For a myth that goes back a few millenia, the darn thing looked pretty hale and hearty.








Legend has it that this plane tree has refused to shed its leaves ever since - out of bashfulness? Respect?

And you know what- it still has its leaves!

Regardless- it's official - this sign says so.

Honest- No Bull !

A Mountain Hotel Stay - Zaros

Now this is a key.

It weighs over a couple of pounds.

It does not fit into any pocket.

It is the sort of key you would not casually toss to a partner, unless you were intent on inflicting possible harm.

This is the key to the large oaken door of my traditional hotel room in Zaros.


 Following my visit to Phaistos, the second most important Minoan palace site that sits on a hill with a commanding view of the Mesara Plain, the main agricultural belt of Crete, I went to Zaros for the night.


 Zaros is a high mountain village tucked away in a beautiful valley. It has a panoramic view of Mt Ida, where Rhea hid Zeus as a child to keep him from Chronus who wanted to eat him.  Here on Mt. Ida, he was raised by the nymphs. 
 






 I stayed at the utterly charming Keramos Hotel, a family run business.

 This very old hotel features a truly authentic experience of Cretan mountain hospitality.

The family owns large organic farm and other than coffee and such - everything they serve is fresh from the farm. In January, that still includes plump ripe tomatoes, lamb, fresh beans of all sorts, greens, juicy oranges and mandarins and their own feta, yogurt, homemade wine and more.

 The night I arrived I was met at the door by Katrina, a lovely lady, probably over 70 yrs old, with a wide smile and one of the most jolly personalities I ever met. I was welcomed with herbal tea, traditional spoon sweets, delicious savoury biscuits and made to sit a spell by her fire, snapping with olive wood.  Her son-in-law dropped by and shared tiny glasses of tsikoudia with us.  Katerina doesn't speak more than a few words of English, but with gestures, lots of laughter and my limited menu Greek, we managed to communicate quite well.

She explained all the tavernas were closed that night so she would make me supper: what time would I like to eat?

Supper began with stuffed vine leaves and scrumptious tzatziki, ----- and their own wine, which would have been enough.

Then came a huge platter of roast lamb with roasted potatoes- delicious.  Then came the vegetables - stewed beans, okra, onion and fava beans. As I was taking one mouthful of each new offering, she'd bustle out of her kitchen, giggling, with another platter of something yummy - next up was mashed fava and onions and a plate of banana peppers stuffed with feta and herbs. While I ate she was busy poking at the fire place finally taking an enormous home made smoked pork sausage from the fire and serving it up.

By now I was begging for mercy!  Keep in mind, that I was the only guest in the hotel.




Katrina is known across Crete for her famous breakfasts and her pastries- especially her phyllo pastry. She is written up in several magazines and offers cooking classes in the high season. I went to bed stuffed like a Christmas goose, but dreaming of the morning feast to come.

Breakfast was a feast to behold. Over 16 different pastries from a light cookie-like sweet to fruit filled pastry to spinach and cheese stuffed pies. Again, she kept bringing out platter after platter of the next savoury treat - all the while, I could hear her singing in the kitchen along with the broadcast of the church service on the radio.  I was stuffed. Then, she brings out a bag and signs for me to take all the leftovers for a picnic lunch later that day. She didn't have to ask twice.



 Should you ever visit Crete, one of the world's top 10 destinations this year according to CNN, this is an experience you will not want to miss. 

The cost for all this?

Room. A welcome snack and drink, a feast of a supper, an astonishing breakfast.

35 E or about $50!

Lest you think my entire visit there was about food (OK, it was a highlight) let me tell you a bit about the hotel too - it is built and decorated in the traditional Cretan style - roughly plastered walls, high beamed ceilings, whacky uneven floors and corridors, an open fireplace, gorgeous ornately carved heavy wood furniture, and small antiques everywhere - including the old pistolas from the revolution casually placed on the mantle.  The walls, floors, tables and windows are adorned with traditional weavings and embroideries that Katerina made as a young girl for her dowry.  Her work is astonishing. What a treat is was to be inside this home!

Fascinating hotel, abundant generous food and drink - but honestly - what made this stay so special was the delightful experience of meeting this lovely woman and being so welcomed into her home.

If you ever get the chance to visit Zaros, I encourage you to stay with Katerina..... here is the hotel website:   http://www.studiokeramos-zaros.gr/en/aboutus.html