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Olympus

 
Dictionary: O·lym·pus
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(ə-lĭm'pəs, ō-lĭm'-) pronunciation

A mountain range of northern Greece near the Aegean coast. It rises to 2,918.9 m (9,570 ft) at Mount Olympus, the highest point in Greece and home of the mythical Greek gods.

 

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Classical Literature Companion: Olympus
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Home > Library > Literature & Language > Classical Literature Companion

Olympus (not to be confused with Olympia), the highest mountain in Greece, situated at the eastern end of the chain of mountains which forms roughly the northern boundary of Greece proper, overlooking the Vale of Tempē. In Greek myth it was believed to be where the twelve Olympian gods had their houses, built for them by the god Hephaestus, with Zeus' house occupying the summit. (The gods could also be thought of as dwelling in the heavens above Olympus.)

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Olympus
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Olympus (ōlĭm'pəs), Gr. Ólimbos, mountain range, c.25 mi (40 km) long, N Greece, on the border of Thessaly and Macedonia, near the Aegean coast. It rises to c.9,570 ft (2,920 m) at Mt. Olympus, the highest point in Greece. The peak was first ascended in 1913. In Greek mythology the summit, shut from the sight of men on earth by clouds, was the home of the Olympian gods. Later the name Olympus was given to the remote heavenly palace of the gods.

 
 

 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Classical Literature Companion. The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Copyright © 1993, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more