A landmark mountain in central Greece.
Parnassos was the son of Poseidon and a Nymph named Kleodora who lived on the mountain that would bear the name of her son Parnassos. He was raised by a mortal man named Kleopompos. Parnassos gave his name to the mountain and also the surrounding Parnassian Glen ... he discovered the art of augury—foretelling the future from the flight and cries of birds.
Mount Parnassos is especially sacred to Pan. The proximity of Parnassos to the Oracle of Apollon at Delphi as well as the presence of the Korykian Nymphs makes Parnassos particularly holy. Before they became known as the Korykian Nymphs, the Nymphs of Parnassos would cavort with Pan on the slopes of the mountain. When Apollon arrived to establish the Oracle at Delphi, he took one of the Nymphs as his consort ... her name was Korykia. From that time onward, the Nymphs of Parnassos became known as the Korykian Nymphs. The cave is located approximately 6.8 miles (10.9 kilometers) from Delphi.
When the traveler-historian Pausanias visited the Korykian Cave circa 160 CE he described the cave thus, "But the Korykian Cave exceeds in size those I have mentioned, and it is possible to make one's way through the greater part of it even without lights. The roof stands at a sufficient height from the floor, and water, rising in part from springs but still more dripping from the roof, has made clearly visible the marks of drops on the floor throughout the cave. The dwellers around Parnassos believe it to be sacred to the Korykian Nymphs, and especially to Pan. From the Korykian Cave it is difficult even for an active walker to reach the heights of Parnassos."
The Titan gods ruled the earth with indulgent self-interest. The Titan Kronos, fearing a prophecy that one of his children would usurp his power, devised a cruel and unconventional way to thwart the prophecy. Kronos decided to swallow his children as soon as they were born. He swallowed the first five children born to his Titan wife Rhea but she concealed their sixth child to prevent Kronos from swallowing it ... the child's name was Zeus. Rhea wrapped a stone in swaddling cloth and Kronos swallowed it without realizing the deception. Rhea hid the infant Zeus on the island of Krete.
When Zeus reached maturity, he ambushed Kronos while the aged god was out hunting. Zeus kicked Kronos in the stomach so hard he vomited up the stone and the five children he had swallowed. In this way Demeter, Hades, Hestia, Hera, and Poseidon were born. Zeus took the stone Kronos vomited up and placed it at the foot of Mount Parnassos near the city of Delphi and proclaimed that the stone would be a portent and marvel for the mortals of the earth for all time. The stone was called the Omphalos (Navel) and Delphi became known as the Navel of the Earth.
| References: Homer, Odyssey book 19, lines 394, 411, 432, 466; book 21, line 220; book 24, 332 |