Yet on this night they danced to the same tune, in harmony, together. Often I see them dancing on top of Mt Ithos to the music of a lyre and a mandolin. Sometimes I wonder, in their moment of ecstasy, whether they leapt outward together and danced through an opening in the bright stars. There is much I will never know.
I often asked my father about Omega, the ancient priest from Oaxsa. Yet, even with his own daughter, he revealed very little. If he followed Omega to Ithos, I do not know. Of all his secrets, this was his most private. He would grin from ear to ear, knowing how inquisitive I was, saying, “One day, my dear, one day.”
That one day never came. For years I wondered why he never dug beneath the perivoli in Elefsis. Had he followed the footsteps of Omega, surely he would have found him there. Maybe he preferred just to listen to the voices that beckoned him beneath his home, hear the sweet music that sang of the buried life below. I imagined him sipping wine in the courtyard in full view of a trillion stars, smelling the sweet, flowering fruit blossoms in the orchard. I think he must have excavated the perivoli this way many times. From his chair in the courtyard, he uncovered an entire palace where an ancient priest once lived. With the soul of Omega guiding him through the chamber, he passed every hand-hewn pine pillar, entered every room. On the walls, surrounding each doorway, were continuous painted spirals, one linked to the other. Each doorway was the same. He imagined every one. Maybe his eidetic eye preferred to see the pristine objects as they were, perfectly, intact, painted in the colours of the earth. Maybe he never had to dig to see what was buried beneath his feet.
He was a man of principle, my father. To me, no greater man existed. Like the perivoli, he kept the secrets buried, preferring them to be dug up by another, and in another time.
Tonight as I sit at my desk, I look to the light in his old office across the way and wonder where he is. My thoughts are like a pebble sending ripples outwards on a lake the size of the universe. Soon his face appears within a sphere of bright light. It rushes towards me. I see his face so clearly. A gentle smile arrives and from his lips a whisper fills me with hope for his destiny and mine.
“Silent thoughts. Safe journey.”
Glossary
* * *
ABYSSOS:
The souls of the dead are not lost. They can be found. If a man finds abyssos, he finds this place.
ACONI:
An extremely hard stone found on Crete, used for tool sharpening.
AEOLOS:
God of the Wind. Aeolos gave Odysseus a bag with all the strong winds inside so he might reach Ithaca, but when he neared his destination, Odysseus fell asleep. His men opened the bag and brutal winds blew them far away.
AEOLOSEAN DEMON:
Demon of the Wind. The other face of Meterra.
AERRAS:
Wind and air.
AGAPI:
Love or lover.
AKROTIRI:
Ancient name for the island of Santorini (Thera). It is home to possibly the largest volcanic eruption in human history.
ANEMOS:
Wind. The Latin word anima refers to the soul.
AORATOS:
What cannot be seen by the human eye. Invisible.
APARCHUI:
Autumn festival.
ARIADNE:
The beautiful widow of Elefsis. In mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of Pasiphae and King Minos of Crete. She fell in love with Theseus (slayer of the Minotaur) who later abandoned her. Myth suggested she was protected by Dionysos.
ASVESTOS:
Traditional white paint used for painting Cretan homes.
BARBOONIA:
Red mullet fish.
BASILIUS:
The Keftiu high priest. His name is derived from Linear B ( quasileus) meaning king during Homeric times, but the earlier meaning was ‘one in charge’; chief/king, priest/king.
BASTOONI:
Greek cane or walking stick.
CAFFENEON:
Modern Greek for café.
CEPHALAU:
The name refers to an ancient story about Cephalau who leapt to his death attempting to fly with sheets tied to his arms.
CHI TU VUNO:
Tea of the mountain (mountain herbs).
CLAUKOS:
The myth of Claukos is about a snake who knows about the herbs of rebirth and the continuation of life.
COMBOLOYS:
Greek ‘worry’ beads.
DAMATE:
The original ancient name for Demeter from Linear B, goddess of the harvest.
DEMETRA:
A powerful fisherwoman and visionary. Mentor to Mimis Steffanakis. Her name is derived from the Goddess Demeter who was the principal at the secret procession of Eleusis (Eleusian Mysteries). Demeter was the Goddess of recurring vegetation and the recycling of life.
DIONYSOS:
Giant of a fisherman, protector of the widow, Ariadne. His name is derived from the mythological god of nature and wine. A ceremony in the cult of Dionysos is performed by women followers who return to nature by dancing and drinking into ecstacy.
DROMOS:
Dromena (see hora) is a sacred dance leading to a trance state linked to the circle dance (concentric circles), often linked to the labyrinth rope dance and partridge-hobble dance. Like the Phaistos disc, all movement is toward the centre through the membrane and outward again.
EPHOR:
From the Greek eporos meaning supervisor/overseer/director.
EPOPTIS:
The highest level of esoteric knowledge. The word epopsos means “witness to the light of the divine”. Those who took the journey, i.e. Eleusian procession, were thought to have been shown how to remove fear/death from their psyche.
ETETUMA:
From the ancient Greek ceremony where special herbs were used to discover truth. Truth expressed in metaphor, allegory or poetry.
ETOR:
Heart and, sometimes, belly.
EZOUVOS:
A black hornet.
GLECHON:
Mint or a plant in the mint family.
GLEEKO:
Dessert sweet.
GREAT GREEN SEA:
An ancient term for the Mediterranean Sea which refers to its often emerald colour.
HERACLITUS:
An ancient Greek philosopher who believed “good and bad” were opposing sides of the same thing, connecting the world into a harmony of opposites. Some believe this philosophy may have suited the Minoans over 1000 years earlier.
HIEROPHOS:
Demetra’s dead husband. His name is derived from Hierophant, meaning someone who interprets secret knowledge. He is a revealer of the sacred in the Eleusian Mysteries.
HORA:
A dance, also called geranos or circle dance. It is still common in Greece today and, possibly, similar to the circle dance conducted by Jesus in the Book of Thomas. It is believed the ancient circle dance was done in concentric circles, moving inward toward the centre, the crossroads, and then outward again, symbolizing dancing through the other side. Such a dance was sometimes called the ‘hobble’ dance, referring to the dance of the lame partridge, imitated during the Pesach at the Passover feast.
HYACINTH:
This bulb supposedly appeared after the slaying of a handsome Greek youth named Hyacinth. Apollo, the sun god, and Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, were both vying for Hyacinth’s attention, but Apollo won. In a rage, Zephyrus threw a quoit which killed Hyacinth. Where Hyacinth’s blood touched the ground, a bulb is said to have grown.
HYE, KYE:
Hye equals rain (sky). Kye means the fruitful earth. The expression means regeneration and rebirth.
ISIDOROS:
The clayman. His name is derived from the Egyptian Isis who breathed life back into her dead husband.
KAMIKI:
Barbed forks, long barbed spears used for catching octopus near the shore at night.
KEFFALI:
Head.
KOLIVA:
Whe
at, almonds and red pomegranate seeds moulded into a dome shape and covered with powdered sugar and offered to the congregation at the forty-day memorial service of the dead. Wheat (panspermia) is the seed of life. All new life begins again from it.
KROKUS ( Crocus sativa):
A bulb plant with thirty-five stigmas on each bloom that is harvested for saffron. Once used to dye Minoan clothing.
KOUKLA:
A colloquial word that refers to a beautiful doll.
KYKEON:
A drink used during the celebration of the Mysteries of Eleusis (pronounced Elefsis). It was a mixture of barley water and mint leaves. It is believed the ergot of the barley made the drink hallucinogenic, turning the mixture a purple colour.
LABYRS:
An Anatolian/Luvian word for double axe, from which the word labyrinth is derived. Crete was the land of the double axe, not the land of the minotaur labyrinth.
LABYROS:
Derived from the double-headed axe. The labyros depicts life and death on both sides, good and bad; the necessity of opposites in the universe to sustain life.
This was also the belief of Heraclitus, who believed the unapparent harmony was stronger than the apparent one, suggesting the path inward and outward (up and down) are the same. The Minoans’ consistent use of the labyros, the double axes, spiral and spiralling labyrinth may suggest they shared similar beliefs i.e. the way in and the way out are the same.
LINEAR B:
The ancient Cretan/Mycenaean script that was deciphered in the 1950s. It evolved from the undeciphered Minoan Linear A.
LASSITHI:
An elevated plain in central Crete known for its countless windmills and sacred caves.
MANTINADE:
A Cretan folk song passed down since the time of Homer, from father to son. It was an ancient narrative and music tradition often accompanied by the lyra (lyre) and lute plucked with the feather of an eagle. Lyrics were often invented and lasted hours.
MAZETHES:
Greek appetizers.
METERRA:
Goddess. Her name is derived from Linear B text meaning Mother Goddess ( matereteija).
METRIO COFFEE:
Greek coffee with one teaspoon of sugar added.
MIMOSINO:
The forty-day memorial service for the dead, so the spirit may rise into heaven. (See Koliva.)
MYSTES:
Ancient Greek initiates in the sacred rites of knowledge such as the Eleusian procession of Demeter.
NARKISSOS:
A plant (root of narcotic). The root of the fragrant narkissos lured Persephone to the underworld. Both narkissos and krokus were sacred to Demeter and Persephone.
NOOS, NOOZ:
This is an ancient expression referring to the head. It also means reflective and practical intelligence. It was often related to pneuma, the breath/spirit. It also means perception or field of vision (Zeus held Odysseus in his noos).
OAXSA, OAXSOS:
Mountain of a thousand winds. “OS” suffix is common in the Minoan tongue.
OMEGA:
Last letter of the Greek alphabet. Alpha and Omega are derived from ancient Hebrew. The first and last letters were found in the (Hebrew) word meaning truth. Later, in the Christian era, Alpha and Omega are joined, meaning the end is always the beginning.
OXI DAY:
“No” day, October 28, 1940, when Metaxas said ‘no’ to Mussolini. It is often related to Freedom Day when, in 1822, the Greeks said “no” to the Turks.
PARAMENDES:
A cranky fisherman. He is named after an ancient Greek philosopher (500 BC) who said, “Being is…not being is not.”
PAPPAS:
Greek expression for a priest.
PASHA:
An Ottoman official of high rank.
PASOK:
Left-wing political party in Greece.
PERDOS:
Angalia’s husband. His name is derived from Perdix, one of Athena’s ancient kings who was thrown from a high tower into the sea and carried away upon the wings of a partridge.
PEREEPTERRO:
Small enclosed kiosk.
PERIVOLI:
Orchard.
PERSEPHONE:
Daughter of the archaeologist, Mimis Steffanakis. In mythology, Persephone was the daughter of the Goddess Demeter who was taken to the underground by Hades. A pact was made for her return, but Hades tricked Persephone into eating a pomegranate seed, ensuring she was to return to him each year. Persephone was to spend four winter months in the underground and eight months of every year with Demeter.
PERTHEKES:
A mountain partridge revered since Minoan times. The name descends into “petriche” and “perdix” meaning “lost one”. (The son of Perdix was thrown from the highest peak and the Goddess turned the youth’s soul into a partridge while it flew through the air.) The partridge symbolized incarnation/rebirth, sometimes conceived by the wind. Afflatu Fecunda in Latin was interpreted as the fruitful breath of air, meaning the Virgin Mary was made pregnant by the wind, the Holy Spirit. Similarly, rebirth/birth could also be conceived by the voice(s). Avdita Voce Fecunda means the fruitful heaving of the voice.
PHARMACOS:
Son of Angalia and Perdos. The name is derived from pharmakoi meaning scapegoat in ancient Greek; someone sacrificed to prevent a plague or a calamity.
PHOTON:
The light of the moon.
PHOUTOUNA:
Foretelling the future.
PHRENES:
An ancient word which mean intelligence both reflective and practical (of the head). Sometimes it can relate to pneuma and ancient breath spirit.
PITHOI:
A clay vessel, the largest (six to seven feet tall) used for the storage of olive oil, grain etc.
PLATEA:
Village square.
PNEUMA, PNEUMOS:
A word meaning both breath and wind.
PNEUMOS OF THE LADYTOS:
Wind of the underworld.
PNEUMA HAIGON:
Greeks used these words together to mean the Holy Ghost. It is not the Holy Spirit, but the gift of the Holy Spirit. Christians believe the Holy Ghost impregnanted Mary.
POTNIA:
Demetra’s childhood friend. Her name is derived from Linear B script ( potinija) meaning mistress and was depicted with a snake and a double axe.
PSYCHROS:
Soul or music of the soul. It once meant frozen, as in music frozen until death or when the soul was freed. ( Psyphoi means pebbles.)
RAKI:
A strong alcoholic drink distilled from the skins of the grapes and remains of wine making. Cretan raki differs from the raki of Turkey or of the Middle East. Most is home-brewed in Crete. It tastes similar to grappa from Italy. It has a high alcoholic content.
RHYTON:
Long tapering Minoan cult vessel. Though an impractical shape for standing, it was an object of beauty designed for libation purposes, also for collecting blood from sacrificial animals.
SARAPOS:
The son of Wannaxsos and Mendaphi. His name is derived from conjoined Apis and Osiri, gods in Ptolemaic Egypt.
SEMELE:
The church attendant at St Constantino and Eleni. In mythology, she is a woman who suffers misfortune throughout life, yet finds redemption in the end.
SISTRUM:
A rattle used by Egyptians as a musical instrument. Depicted often with an Egyptian Goddess.
SKATOOLI:
From the Greek term of endearment, skata, meaning “a little shit”.
STAVRO:
The cross. In the Orthodox Church, people use the three fingers representing the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost to make the sign of the cross on their head and chest.
TALUS:
In Greek mythology, Talus was killed by Daedalus, thrown from a cliff because of jealousy and rage. The mask of Talus refers to scapegoats: those who perished needlessly from the cliffs of Oaxsa.
TAVLI:
&nbs
p; Backgammon.
THEMOPHORIS:
Rites celebrated by women during the ancient mysteries of Eleusis in late October featuring a pig sacrifice (to a chthonic goddess) for the sake of the regeneration of life.
THUMOS:
An ancient inner sensation of “feeling”. It is not restricted to humans (a raging ocean has a thumos). Later it was restricted to emotions or human feelings. It can tell a man to eat or fight. (Achilles will fight when the thumos in his chest tells him to.)
VARKA:
The Keftiu fisherman. His name means boat in Greek.
VASSALIKO:
Basil.
VROEDROMION:
A part of the mysteries of ancient Eleusis and its festival surrounding the goddess Demeter.
WANNAXSOS:
The Keftiu king. His name is derived from Linear B “Wanaka” or “Wanax” meaning priest-king.
XARLOMENA TO PHENGARI:
Seafarers searched for their direction by the night stars and moon, but the moon foretold the future. “Orthio to phengari. Xarlomenos o kapetanos” – if the crescent moon is upright, the captain can lie down. “Xarlomenos to phengari, orthios o kapitanus” – if the moon faces the opposite way, the captain must stay at the helm.
XOANON:
A Minoan god/goddess figure carved from wood, dressed in cloth and attached to clay feet. (Pronounced zonan.)
YIASAS:
A Greek word of greeting.
ZEEZEEKUS:
A cicada. A term used for someone or something that is noisy.
Digging at the Crossroads of Time Page 30