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Erymanthos or Olonos is an elongated and many-peaked mountain, which stretches like a mountain range in the northwestern Peloponnese and on the borders of the prefectures of Achaia and Ilia. The Municipalities of Erymanthos and Kalavryta share its beauties and graces. Its highest peak is Olenos (Olonos) at 2,224 m. which is located in the territory of the prefecture of Achaia and almost on the border with Ilia. It has a south-west direction (from north to south), to the east it creates branches such as Kallifoni, the High Peaks and Mount Lampio. It is the fourth highest mountain of the Peloponnese and is included in the alpine mountains of Greece.

Other peaks are Moughila (2169 m), Prophet Ilias (2125 m), Pyrgakos (2050 m), Neraidovouni (1923 m), Psili Tourla (1891 m), Lepida (1541 m), Melissovouni ( 1464 m) and Agios Athanasios (1219 m). The rivers Pinios, Selinoundas, Erymanthos, Peiros, Parapiros etc. originate from it.

It belongs to the geological zone of Olenos - Pindos and to the Nature 2000 protected areas with the aim of preserving its wild flora and fauna. Erymanthos stands out for its wild natural environment, coniferous forests, dense vegetation, rare and wild species, excellent views, scattered springs, streams, beautiful rivers that often form valleys and steep ravines and impressive red-green slates.

Vegetation

Erymanthos is a term with many contrasts. On its slopes there are about 970 species of plants. Among them there are 90 Greek endemics of which 47 are endemic to Southern Greece and 13 are endemic to the Peloponnese.

Up to 600–800 meters and especially in the western parts, shrubs and forests dominate, with the predominance of evergreen-hardy species, especially holly. In the areas of sclerophyllous shrubs, there are also very often deciduous species such as honeysuckle. To the east of the mountain at 1000-1200 meters there are deciduous forests with oaks and chestnuts as well as deciduous species and holly trees. Fir trees cover the greater area of ​​the mountain, between 800–1600 meters. From 1,500 meters and above there are alpine meadows with many and rare herbaceous plants and in some of them cypress trees thrive in sparse clumps up to 1,700 meters.

It generally has forests of firs, oaks, cedars, chestnuts, holly, pines and plane trees (on the banks of the rivers), also some slopes between 1,400-1,700 meters are covered with sparse stands of mountain cypress. In Erymanthos also grows the "Amanitis the fly killer", the mushroom with the red cap and white balls, which is classified as poisonous as it causes gastrointestinal disorders but also a state of intoxication and ecstasy since it contains hallucinogenic substances. Also the asfakas are very widespread almost throughout the volume of the mountain since they thrive in stony and rocky places.

A complete floristic-phytogeographical survey has not been carried out in Erymanthos.

Fauna

Erymanthos has a rich fauna with a variety of different wild and rare animals.

The fauna of mammals includes mainly badgers, hares, foxes, jackals, weasels, wild boars, ferrets, while recently it became known that there are also otters. The most important birds are the golden eagle, the falcon, the woodpecker, the thrush, the wagtail, the blackbird, the cinderella, the partridge, the snipe, the sparrow and the corvids: the crow, the coruno, the magpie and the grebe.

The rare butterfly "Rarnassius Apollo" has also chosen to fly to Erymanthos.

History

This mountain was the refuge of the persecuted and the base of the rebels both during the Turkish occupation and during the German-Italian occupation.

The greater part of Erymanthos from antiquity until the beginning of the 18th century belonged to Arcadia.

Mythology

In ancient times it was considered the residence of Artemis and Pan. According to mythology, the king of Arcadia Lykaonas had a descendant named Erymanthos and from him the mountain got its name and he also appears as the founder of Psofida, an ancient economically powerful city of Arcadia which today belongs to the Prefecture of Achaia and is located near the borders of the three prefectures of Achaia, Ilia, Arcadia. Aphrodite blinded Erymanthos or, as another version says, stoned him because he saw her while she was bathing and preparing to unite with Adonis, Apollo to avenge Aphrodite transformed into a wild boar and killed Adonis.

On this mountain, Hercules performed his fourth labor, exterminating the Erymanthian boar, which had become the scourge of the region. In Erymanthos, however, Callisto will also meet with her son Arka, one day when he went to the forest to hunt. There he saw his mother transformed into a bear, but retaining human thought and intelligence, and prepared to kill her without knowing it was her. Then Zeus, in order to avoid matricide, also transformed Arcada into a small bear and thus he recognized his mother, but fearing Hera's reaction, he took them both up into the sky and transformed them both into constellations, having Arcturus protect them. Since then, Callisto has been the Great Bear and Arcadas the Little Bear.

Photo source: erymanthou.gov.gr

Source: Municipality of Erymanthos

Source Link: erymanthou.gov.gr