When one thinks of the GREek gods one thinks of Mount Olympus1, and vice versa. It is impossible to dissociate them. In myths all the gods resided at the court of Zeus2.
In the epic Iliad3, Homer spoke of their dwelling on a lofty peak rising above the clouds. In another epic Odyssey4 the now world-famous mountain seems more remote and less well defined. Succeeding poets vary in their descriptions from a specific peak to a vague idea of heaven.
Actually, Mount Olympus does indeed exist. It is located in GREece, on the border between Thessaly5 and Macedonia6, some 10 miles from the Aegean7 Coast. It is about 25 miles in length and its highest peak is 9,570 feet at its summit. This mountain range is massive in appearance, rising in precipices broken by ravines. It is covered with snow 9 out of 12 months of the year. It has always been of strategic importance and during the Second World War was a stronghold of Greek guerrillas.
Notes:
1. Mount Olympus 奥林匹斯山（在希腊东北部）
2. Zeus （希腊神话中的主神）宙斯（相当于罗马神话中的Jupiter——朱庇特）
3. Iliad n. 《伊利亚特》（又译《伊利昂记》，古希腊史诗，主要叙述特洛伊战争最后一年的故事，相传为荷马所作）
4. Odyssey n. 《奥德赛》（又译《奥德修记》，荷马史诗中记述了奥德修斯在特洛伊失败后的漂泊生活
5. Thessaly n. 塞萨利（希腊东部一地区）
6. Macedonia n. 马其顿（欧洲巴尔干半岛中南部一地区）
7. Aegean n. & a. 爱琴海（的）
