Olympus

Olympus , ī, m.: Olympus, the name of several mountains in Greece and Asia Minor, the most famous of which was Mount Olympus in the northeastern part of Thessaly; the home of the superior gods; heaven, Olympus, 1.374; referring to the gods, 8.533.

Ŏlympus and -pos (anciently written Olĭmpus), i, m., = Ὄλυμπος.

• The name of several mountains, the most celebrated of which is one on the borders of Macedonia and Thessaly (now Lacha), of great height, and consequently regarded as the seat of the gods, Mel. 2, 3, 2; 4, 8, 15: Musae quae pedibus magnum pulsatis Olimpum, Enn. ap. Varr. L. L. 7, § 20 Müll.: his diis Helicona atque Olympon attribuerunt homines, Varr. R. R. 3, 16, 7: frondosus, Verg. G. 1, 282: opacus, Hor. C. 3, 4, 52: nubes excedit Olympus, Luc. 2, 271.—
• • B Transf., poet. for heaven: caelum dicunt Graeci Olympum, Varr. L. L. 7, § 20; Verg. E. 6, 86: longus Olympus, the distant heavens, id. G. 3, 223: annuit (Juppiter) et totum nutu tremefecit Olympum, id. A. 9, 106: stelliger, Sen. Herc. Oet. 1907.
• —Hence, Ŏlympĭădes, um, f., the Muses (perh. only acc. to the foll. remark): caelum dicunt Graeci Olympum montem in Macedoniā omnes, a quo potius puto Musas dictas Olympiadas, Varr. L. L. 7, § 20.—
• II Of other mountains.
• • A In Bithynia, Plin. 5, 32, 43, § 148.—
  • B In Mysia, Plin. 5, 32, 40, § 142.—
  • C In Galatia, Liv. 38, 18, 15; 38, 20, 2.—
  • D In Lycia, Plin. 21, 6, 17, § 31. —
  • E In Ionia, Plin. 5, 29, 31, § 118.—
• F In Peloponnesus, Serv. ad Verg. A. 8, 352.

Ŏlympus, i, f.,

• a city in Cilicia, named from a neighboring mountain, now the ruins of Deliktash: Olympum cepit, urbem antiquam et omnibus rebus auctam, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 21, § 56 (Zumpt N. cr.); Flor. 3, 6, 5; Eutr. 6, 3.—
• II A city of Lycia, named from a neighboring mountain, Cic. Ac. 1, 21, 56.

Ŏlympus, 1, m.,

• a famous fluteplayer, pupil of Marsyas, Ov. M. 6, 393; id. P. 3, 3, 42; Hyg. Fab. 165; Plin. 36, 5, 4, § 29.

Olympus [CL < Ὄλυμπος] 1 Olympus, mountain on the border of Thessaly and Macedonia (also partly fig.); b (as the abode of the gods). transportare ‥ in montes quoslibet, ut est Olimpus supra aerem Comm. Cant. I 62; Olimpus, mons in Macedonia GlC O 145; si ‥ me viderent alii homines ‥ elaborare circa montem ~um, ad confirmandum illum ne alicujus impulsu ‥ subverteretur Anselm (Incarn. A 1) I 281.  b ut Jovem pro flammea regnandi cupidine summo detruderent ~o Lib. Monstr. I 55; qui dicuntur in Olimpho habitare quia celsitudo Olimphi pro superbia accipitur Wals. AD 150. 2 (general) the sky, the heavens (ruled or governed by God); b (w. ref. to the Christian heaven). Cynthia non dicor nec frater Apollo vocatur / sed potius summi genuit regnator Olimpi / qui nunc in caelis excelsae praesidet arci Aldh. Aen. 79 (Sol et Luna) 5; clarum stelligeri conscendens culmen Olimpi Aldh. CE 3. 32; ab aethereis Olimpi [v. l. Olimphi] nubibus Felix Guthl. 5; do vitae tempus, superis do lumen Olympi Bonif. Aen. (Misericordia) 93; olimphum, caelum GlC O 144; tu, Christe, nostrum gaudium, / manens Olimpho [AS: on rodore] preditum AS Hymns 91; 940 crux que excelsis tot et dominaris Olimpo / inclita lex Domini Christi fundamen et aule (Vers.) CS 751; 972 Olimphum cum syderibus rotari suo nutu perficiens CS 1285.  b ut ‥ in aethrali Olimpho ‥ semper gaudeamus Ælf. Bata 5. 11; proximus a Christo Stephanus prothomartyr Olympum / per lapidem meruit martyriique stolam Garl. Tri. Eccl. 76; Indorum gladio Thomas transfertur Olympo Ib. 102. 3 (understood as) the space between heaven and earth. Olimpus, spatium inter celum et terram vel mons Macedonie dictus quasi Ololampus, i. celum propter altitudinem Osb. Glouc. Deriv. 403.

1 Ŏlympus, (10) ī, m. (Ὄλυμπος), ¶ 1 Olympe [montagne entre la Thessalie et la Macédoine ; séjour des dieux] : Varro L. 7, 20 ; Virg. G. 1, 282 || [fig.] le ciel : Virg. En. 9, 106 ¶ 2 montagnes de Bithynie, de Lycie, dʼIonie, de Mysie, de Galatie : Plin. 5, 148 ; 21, 31 ; 5, 118 ; 5, 142 ; Liv. 38, 18 ¶ 3 f. , ville maritime de Pamphylie : Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 58.

2 Ŏlympus, ī, m. , célèbre joueur de flûte, élève de Marsyas : Ov. M. 6, 393 ; Plin. 36, 35.

olympus, i. m.
至高之山名。天。

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Olympus (-pos) ī, m

• a high mountain on the borders of Macedonia and Thessaly, V., H.—The abode of the gods, heaven, sky: invito processit Vesper Olympo, V.: longus, the distant heavens, V.: (Iuppiter) totum nutu tremefecit Olympum, V., O.

OLYMPUS

OLYMPUS(Ὄλυμπος).

1.

One of the loftiest mountains in Greece, of which the southern side forms the boundary of Thessaly, while its northern base encloses the plains of Macedonia. Hence it is sometimes called a mountain of Macedonia (Strab. 7. p. 329; Ptol. 3.13.19), and sometimes a mountain of Thessaly. (Hdt. 7.128; Plin. Nat. 4.8. s. 15.) It forms the eastern extremity of the Cambunian range, and extends to the sea as far as the mouth of the Peneius, being separated by the vale of Tempe from the heights of Ossa. Xenagoras, who measured the perpendicular height of Olympus from the town of Pythium, ascertained its elevation to be ten stadia and nearly one plethrum (Plut. Aemil. 15); which Holland, Dodwell, Leake, and others regard as not far from the truth, since they estimate its height to be between six and seven thousand feet. But these writers have considerably undercalculated its elevation, which is now ascertained to be 9754 feet. Herodotus relates that Mt. Olympus was seen by Xerxes from Therma (7.128); and we know from modern travellers that in clear weather it is visible from Mt. Athos, which is 90 miles distant. ( Journ. Geogr. Soc. vol. 7. p. 69.) All travellers, who have visited Mt. Olympus, dwell with admiration upon its imposing grandeur. One of the most striking descriptions of its appearance is given by Dr. Holland, who beheld it from Litókhoroat its base:--We had not before been aware of the extreme vicinity of the town to the base of Olympus; but when leaving it, and accidentally looking back, we saw through an opening in the fog, a faint outline of vast precipices, seeming almost to overhang the place; and so aërial in their aspect, that for a few minutes we doubted whether it might not be a delusion to the eye. The fog, however, dispersed yet more on this side, and partial openings were made, through which, as through arches, we saw the sunbeams resting on the snowy summits of Olympus, which rose into a dark blue sky far above the belt of clouds and mist that hung upon the sides of the mountain. The transient view we had of the mountain from this point showed us a line of precipices of vast height, forming its eastern front toward the sea; and broken at intervals by deep hollows or ravines, which were richly clothed with forest trees. The oak, chestnut, beech, planetree, &c., are seen in great abundance along the base and skirts of the mountain; and towards the summit of the first ridge, large forests of pine spread themselves along the acclivities. Behind this first ridge, others rise up and recede towards the loftier central heights of Olympus. Almost opposite the town of Litókhoro, a vast ravine penetrates into the interior of the mountain, through the opening of which we saw, though only for a few minutes, what I conceive to be the summit,--from this point of view, with a somewhat concave ascending line on each side.(Holland, Travels, vol. 2. p. 27.) Though the lower sides of Olympus are well wooded, the summit presents a wide extent of a bare light-coloured rock. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. 1. p. 434.) The broad summit of Olympus is alluded to by Homer, who gives to it the epithet of μακρόςmore frequently than any other. Next to that, is ἀγάννιφος ( Il. 1.420), from its being covered with snow during the greater part of the year. Hesiod (Hes. Th. 118) also gives it the epithet of νιφόεις.Below the summit its rugged outline is broken into many ridges and precipices, whence Homer describes it as πολυδειράς. ( Il. 1.499, 5.754.) The forests, which covered the lower sides of Olympus, are frequently alluded to by the ancient poets. (πολύδενδρος, Eurip. Bacch. 560; Ossae frondosumsinvolvere Olympum, Verg. G. 281; opacusOlympus, Hor. Carm. 3.4. 52.) The mountain is now called Élymbo, i. e. Ἔλυμπος, by the surrounding inhabitants, which name Leake observes is probably not a modern corruption, but the ancient dialectic form, for the Aeolic tribes of Greece often substituted the epsilon for the omicron, as in the instance of Ὀρχομενόςwhich the Boeotians called Ἐρχομενός. (Dodwell, Tour through Greece, vol. 2. p. 105;. Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iii. pp. 341, 407.) Olympus was believed to be the residence of Zeus and the other gods; and as its summit rose above the clouds into the calm ether, it was believed that here was an opening into the vault of heaven, closed by a thick cloud, as a door. ( Il. 5.751.) [See Dict. of Biogr. Vol. 3. p. 25; Liddell and Scott, Greek Lex. s. v. ]

2.

A mountain in Laconia, near Sellasia. [SELLASIA]

3.

A mountain above Olympia in Elis. [OLYMPIA475a.]

OLYMPUS

OLYMPUS(Ὄλυμπος).

1.

A mountain range of Mysia, extending eastward as far as the river Sangarius, and dividing Phrygia from Bithynia. To distinguish it from other mountains of the same name, it often is called the Mysian Olympus. Its height rises towards the west, and that part which is of the greatest height, is the highest mountain in all Asia Minor. The country around this mountain was well peopled, but its heights were thickly clad with wood, and contained many safe retreats for robbers, bands of whom, under a regular leader, often rendered the country unsafe. (Strab. 12. p. 574, comp. 10. p. 470, 12. p. 571; Hdt. 1.36, 7.74; Ptol. 5.1.10; Steph. B. s. >v.;Plin. Nat. 5.40, 43; Pomp. Mela, 1.19; Ammian. 26.9; Schol. ad Apollon. Rhod. 1.598.) The lower regions of this great mountain are still covered with extensive forests; but the summit is rocky, devoid of vegetation, and during the greater part of the year covered with snow. The Turks generally call it Anadoli Dagh, though the western or highest parts also bear the name of Keshish Dagh, that is, the Monk's Mountain, and the eastern Toumandjior Domoun Dagh. The Byzantine historians mention several fortresses to defend the passes of Olympus, such as Pitheca (Nicet. Chon. p. 35; B. Cinnam. p. 21), Acrunum, and Calogroea (B. Cinnam. l. c.;Cedren. p. 553; Anna Comn. p. 441; comp. Brown, in Walpole's Turkey, tom, ii. pp. 109, foil.; Pococke, Travels3. p. 178).

2.

A mountain in the north of Galatia, which it separates from Bithynia. It is, properly speaking, only a continuation of the Mysian Olympus, and is remarkable in history for the defeat sustained on it by the Tolistoboii, in a battle against the Romans under Manlius. (Liv. 38.19, &c.; Plb. 22.20, 21.) Its modern name is Ala Dagh.

3.

A volcanic mountain in the east of Lycia, a little to the north-east of Corydalla. It also bore the name of Phoenicus, and near it was a large town, likewise bearing the name Olympus. (Strab. 14. p. 666.) In another passage (14. p. 671) Strabo speaks of a mountain Olympus and a stronghold of the same name in Cilicia, from which the whole of Lycia, Pamphylia, and Pisidia could be surveyed, and which was in his time taken possession of by the Isaurian robber Zenicetas. It is, however, generally supposed that this Cilician Olympus is no other than the Lycian, and that the geographer was led into his mistake by the fact that a town of the name of Corycus existed both in Lycia and Cilicia. On the Lycian Olympus stood a temple of Hephaestus. (Comp. Stadiasm. Mar. Mag. § 205; Ptol. 5.3.3.) Scylax (39) does not mention Olympus, but his Siderus is evidently no other place. (Leake, Asia Minor, p. 189; Fellows, Lycia, pp. 212, foll.; Spratt and Forbes, Travels in Lycia, 1. p. 192.) Mount Olympus now bears the name Janar Dagh, and the town that of Deliktash;in the latter place, which was first identified by Beaufort, some ancient remains still exist; but it does not appear ever to have been a large town, as Strabo calls it. [L.S]

OLYMPUS

OLYMPUS(Ὄλυμπος, Strab. xiv. pp. 682, 683; Ptol. 5.14.5), a mountain range in the lofty island of Cyprus. On one of its eminences--breast-shaped (μαστοειδής)--was a temple to Aphrodite of the heights(ἀκραία), into which women were not permitted to enter. (Strab. l. c.) This probably implies that all but the hierodulaewere excluded. (Comp. Claudian, Nupt. Hon. et Mar. 49--85; Achill. Tat. 7.13.) According to Pococke ( Trav. vol. 2. p. 212; comp. Mariti, Viaggi, vol. 1. p. 206), this part of the chain is now called Haghios Stavros, or Sta. Croce, from a convent dedicated to the Cross. (Engel, Kypros, vol. i. pp. 33--37).

[E.B.J]

Olympus

(Ὄλυμπος). (1) A mountain situated in Thessaly, the summit of which (nearly 10,000 feet above the sea) rises from the region of the earth's atmosphere into the sky, and was, according to the earliest popular belief of the Greeks, the abode of the higher (hence named Olympian) gods. Below the summit, which, according to Homer's description, is never ruffled by winds or drenched with rain, but is always radiant in cloudless splendour ( Od. vi. 42-45), comes the region of clouds, which Zeus at one time gathers together and at another dispels; it forms the boundary between the celestial region and that of the earth, and, accordingly, Homer elsewhere implies that the clouds are the gates of heaven, which are guarded by the Horae (Il. v. 749). On the highest peak Zeus has his throne, and it is there that he summons the assemblies of the gods. The abodes of the other gods were imagined to be placed on the precipices and in the ravines of the mountain. When the height of the vault of heaven came to be regarded as the abode of the gods, the name Olympus was transferred to the sky. See Henzey, Le Mont Olympe (Paris, 1860); and Tozer, The Highlands of Turkey, vol. ii. (London, 1869).

(2) A chain of mountains in Mysia, Bithynia, Galatia, Paphlagonia, and Pontus.

(3) A volcano on the eastern coast of Lycia.

(4) A mountain in Cyprus.

(5) A mountain in Lesbos.

Olympus

(Ὄλυμπος). One of the mythic poets and musicians belonging to Phrygian mythology, pupil of Marsyas. The art of flute-playing, invented by Marsyas, was supposed to have been perfected by Olympus. A Phrygian family, in which the art of flute-playing was hereditary, traced their descent from him. The Phrygian Olympus, who lived about the seventh century before Christ, invented the auletic νόμος, and brought it into esteem among the Asiatic Greeks, was said to be descended from the mythical Olympus ( De Mus. p. 1133).

Olympus Olympus

• Hera hung by Zeus from: Apollod. 1.3.5, Apollod. 2.6.4
• Mount, Ossa piled on: Apollod. 1.7.4
• the mares of Diomedes destroyed by wolves at: Apollod. 2.5.8
• mountain of Thessaly, lions on: Paus. 6.5.5
• Mount, in Thessaly: Hdt. 1.56
• northern boundary of Thessaly: Hdt. 7.129
• pass between Olympus and Ossa: Hdt. 7.173

Olympus (2), In Mysia

• haunted by a wild boar: Hdt. 1.36, Hdt. 1.43
• Mysians called Olympians: Hdt. 7.74

Olympus(3), name given to Mount Lycaeus in Arcadia

• Paus. 8.38.2

Olympus(4), sculptor

• Paus. 6.3.13

Olympus(5), son of Herakles by Euboea

• Apollod. 2.7.7

Olympus (6)

• taught to play flute by Marsyas: Paus. 10.30.9