Excerpts from the book Karla, the Ancient Voeveis- The Lake of Myth and History with the Strange City of Water by Makis Exarchopoulos (journalist – researcher of history and culture) about the Odyssey of this lake from ancient times, mythology, to the present day:
“The ancient Greeks believed that the formation of the Tempe Valley was the result of the actions of the mighty god Poseidon, the god of geological phenomena, who ruled the depths of the earth and caused powerful earthquakes.”
“The lake’s oldest name was Voeveis, which reveals that it was dedicated to the prophetic deity of Delphi, the Titaness Phoebe, daughter of Uranus and Gaia, mother of Leto, who was the mother of Apollo, who also bore the epithet Phoebus, synonymous with the Sun, as Phoebe means ‘the Illuminating one.’ In ancient Thessaly, as in Macedonia, there was a linguistic practice of replacing the letter ‘Φ’ (Phi) with the letter ‘V’ (Beta). Thus, Phoebe becomes Voebe, and Phoebiis, meaning ‘she who is dedicated to Phoebe,’ becomes Voebeis.”
“The fishermen from Kanalos would visit their families in the village for two days every weekend, taking turns. They would leave the village every year after the Feast of the Assumption and return just before Easter, on Palm Sunday. They spent the entire winter in the lake, living on its waters. For a long period each spring, fishing in the lake was prohibited by law for fish reproduction. During this period, the fishermen referred to it as a ‘strike.’”
“Lakes… Have you ever noticed lakes? They are not like seas.
Seas speak… They sing.
Lakes dream!!!”
(Alkyoni Papadaki)
TRACKLIST: 1) Όλα Αυτά Που Δεν Θα Δω – Διάφανα Κρίνα, 2) Ήμουνα λίμνη μια φορά – Παντελής Κυραμαργιός, 3) The Book of Secrets – Loreena Mc Kennit, 4) Το τραγούδι της λίμνης – Αρλέτα & Χρήστος Καλαβρούζος, 5) Πόσοι θεοί – Βασίλης Λέκκας, 6) Καρδιά στη λίμνη (Heart in the lake) – Κωνσταντίνος Κληρονόμος, 7) Σαν τη λίμνη – Μέντα/Χρήστος Λαϊνάς, 8) Λίμνη – Έλσα Μουρατίδου