Then I walked into the cave where Zeus was born!|Crete, Greece
Updated: Jul 6, 2020
During my trip through Crete, Greece, I rented a car and drove around the island. As a true adventurer, I highly enjoy not planning too much and exploring some locations merely by listening to my “internal GPS”.
Literally driving through Crete, with no idea about the location, passing by a small old village, an old man sitting on the side walk and I crossed eyes. He walked over to the car and since we couldn’t understand each other, we communicated with hands and some sort of noises suggesting “yes and no”. At one point, he just said “Zeus, Zeus, Zeus” gave me directions and somehow, I actually made it to what I could not believe was “Zeus cave”, also known as Psychro cave, the cave where according to legend, Zeus was born!
History in a Nutshell
Legend says: Rhea (mother of Zeus) fled from Kronos (father of Zeus) because he ate his children, so she hid in this particular cave. Another lady called Amaltheia (who was a goat or a Nymph) fed Zeus. Zeus was protected from Kronos by music and dances occurring around him as well as bees and animals covering up his cries, all in this cave.
∞ “Ancient Site of worship & Crete’s most impressive cave” Diktaion Antron (Psychro Cave)
∞ Discovered in 1883 by villagers. ∞ Artifacts dating back to the Medieval era proved its importance as a site of worship. ∞ Apparently the Greek philosopher Epimenides lived in the cave for a few years. ∞ Numerous birds and bats can be found in the cave today
Information:
∞ Location: Northern slope of Mount Dikti & southeastern slope of Mount Sarakinos. ∞ Opening Hours: 8:00am - 6:00pm ( 8:00am - 3:00pm in the winter) ∞ Price: 6 Euros
Juice bars
Arriving at the location, there were loads of fruit and honey stands as well as juice bars.
Path to Zeus Cave
From the parking area you walk up the mountain along a beautiful path. There is the option to go by foot or take a “donkey ride”. The view from the top was breathtaking.
Into the cave
Going into the cave, there is a stairway leading the way down. The colors, rock formations and vegetation inside is beyond incredible!
When visiting the Island Crete, I can only recommend exploring the Psychro Cave. Apart from being extremely interesting from a cultural and historical perspective, the cave itself is so extremely fascinating to walk in, it is one of those places that needs to be experienced firsthand to really grasp its breathtaking beauty.
We are generation change.
Enjoy! Yours truly,
© Isabel Buchbinder