Every civilization has its own unique take on the story of creation. Ancient Greeks are no different. In Greek mythology, the beginning of the world starts with the birth of many primordial deities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They personified many foundations of the known world, making it easier for early Greeks to understand their surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One long-forgotten and rarely mentioned primordial god is Parnes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parnes belongs to a group of early deities known as “The Ourea.”<\/strong> They existed long before the Titans<\/a>, the Olympians<\/a>, and humans. Personifying the various mountains of the known world, the Ourea<\/a> helped explain natural phenomena and put a face to places early Greeks would see every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story of Parnes begins before the existence of the world. Before the Earth came to be, the universe existed in a state of nothingness called “Chaos.”<\/a> It was a primeval state of existence that preceded all life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Hesiod, the poet responsible for detailing the lineage of Greek deities, the first-ever being to exist was Gaia. In “Theogony,”<\/a> Hesiod talks about how Gaia “arose to be the everlasting seat of the immortals.” Gaia personifies the Earth. With her birth came the birth of the world as we know it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gaia is the ultimate mother figure. In many cultures, a similar character exists in respective mythologies. She’s often referred to as “Mother Nature” or the “Mother of all things.” Because she predates all living beings, many consider Gaia to be an ancestor of every immortal being that follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shortly after her creation, Gaia gave birth to Uranus, the Ourea, and Pontus<\/a>. Uranus and Pontus personified the sky and the sea, respectively. Meanwhile, the Ourea represented the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a total of ten Ourea, and each one personifies one of the mountains of the known world. The mountains all exist today, and many hold the same name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, there aren’t too many depictions of these demi-gods. Like most primordial deities, the Ourea didn’t interact as much with other figures. They were there to personify the fundamentals of the world, and many later Greeks didn’t even view them as having human-like forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Titans and Olympians had rich lore and known personalities, the same isn’t true with primordial deities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ourea were often written about as older men. In the surviving works, they are seen as wise figures who offer advice when necessary. They reportedly lived on the mountains they presided over, keeping a low profile as much as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some early art shows them emerging from mountain crags whenever they needed counsel or judgment. But even those moments were rare. According to most scholars of Greek mythology, the Ourea didn’t concern themselves with matters they weren’t a part of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Titans and Olympians had a reputation for meddling in the business of others. Olympians went so far as to interact with humans! But the Ourea preferred to stay out of sight and mind. While they might have appeared briefly to settle matters that occurred on their mountains, the Ourea acted more like invisible background players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parnes is one of the more enigmatic of the Ourea. While others make a brief appearance at some point in Greek mythology, Parnes does not. Any stories involving this are most to the sands of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parnes is the ruler of Mount Parnitha. It’s located in Attica. The mountain is on the smaller side, standing a mere 1,413 meters tall. Thanks to its relatively centralized location, it does have some significance in Greek mythology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several stories occurred on Mount Parnitha. But even through all of the action, Parnes was nowhere to be found!<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are a couple of theories about why Parnes never makes an appearance. One is that he doesn’t have true control over the mountain. That’s because Mount Parnitha is considered sacred to Zeus, the king of the gods<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zeus is the ultimate ruler, so it would make sense that Parnes preferred to keep a low profile as the Olympian gained control. A similar theory exists for Oreios<\/a> and Olympus. Oreios presides over Mount Othrys where the Titans set up their base during the Titanomachy<\/a>. Meanwhile, Olympus was the Ourea for the famous Mount Olympus. It was home to the Olympian gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those Ourea personified their respective mountains. But because other deities occupied the locations, they may have lived a quieter existence. Other Ourea had to step in to resolve various conflicts in their domain, but Oreios, Olympus, and possible Parnes wouldn’t have to handle any of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The significance of Mount Parnitha is still up for debate. However, some accounts say that it was a secondary home to Zeus. While he ruled on Mount Olympus, Zeus reportedly viewed Mount Parnitha fondly. It was where the clouds of his storms gathered. Mortals dedicated Mount Parnitha to the Olympian ruler. It ultimately became a temple, of sorts, to the highest god of Greek mythology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, Parnes was practically invisible in all of the tales. He likely watched over the mountain but left any governance and control to Zeus.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Origins of Parnes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Depictions of the Ourea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Parnes – the Demi-God of Mount Parnitha<\/h3>\n\n\n\n