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:''This article is about the mountain in Greece. For the mountain near San Francisco, California, see Mount Sutro. For the town in New Zealand, see Parnassus, New Zealand. For the municipality in Greece see Parnassos (municipality). For the flower, see Grass of Parnassus.''

Parnassus
Elevation:	2,457 m (8,062 ft)
Latitude:	38.533
Longitude:	22.6167
Location:	central Delphi, Greece
Length:
Easiest route:	walk up

'Mount Parnassus' is a mountain of barren limestone in central Greece that towers above Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth, and offers scenic views of the surrounding olive groves and countryside. According to Greek mythology, this mountain was sacred to Apollo, the Corycian nymphs, and the home of the Muses. The mountain was also favored by the Dorians. The name Parnassos seems etymologically related to the pre-Greek Substratum language (some call Pelasgian) that made use of
★ -ssos in placenames (eg. Knossos).
★ Parna- it has been suggested is derived from the same root as the word in Hittite meaning ''House''.

Contents

Parnassus in mythology

Parnassus as metaphor

Parnassus today

References

Parnassus in mythology

Mount Parnassus is named after Parnassos, the son of the nymph Kleodora and the man Kleopompous. There was a city of which Parnassos was leader, which was flooded by torrential rain. The citizens ran from the flood, following wolves' howling, up the mountain slope. There the survivors built another city, and called it Lykoreia, which in Greek means "the howling of the wolves."

As the Oracle of Delphi was sacred to the god Apollo, so did the mountain itself become associated with Apollo. According to some traditions, Parnassus was the site of the fountain Castalia and the home of the Muses; according to other traditions, that honor fell to Mount Helicon, another mountain in the same range. As the home of the Muses, Parnassus became known as the home of poetry, music, and learning.
Parnassus was also the site of several unrelated minor events in Greek mythology.

★ In some versions of the Greek flood myth, the ark of Deucalion comes to rest on the slopes of Parnassus.

★ Orestes spent his time in hiding on Mount Parnassus.

★ Parnassus was sacred to the god Dionysus.

★ The Corycian Cave, located on the slopes of Parnassus, was sacred to Pan and to the Muses.
Parnassus was also the home of Pegasus the winged horse of Bellerophon.

Parnassus as metaphor

The name "Parnassus" in literature typically refers to its distinction as the home of poetry, literature, and learning.
Thus, it receives mention in such works as

★ The Parnassus Plays (referring to the University of Cambridge)

★ John Clare's "To the Rural Muse"

★ Christopher Morley's ''Parnassus on Wheels'' (referring to a mobile bookseller)

★ The "New Parnassus," the salon of Marguerite of Navarre.
''Le Parnasse contemporain'', an influential 19th century French poets' journal, gave its name to an entire literary style known as "Parnassianism" (or less commonly "Parnasism"), which is placed between romanticism and symbolism.
In The Magus by John Fowles, Mount Parnassus is the destination for a trip taken by two estranged lovers.
The national epic of Belarus is "Taras on Parnassus" (author unknown).
In Edward Albee's play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," ^[1]Parnassus is also mentioned in this manner.
The Parisian region of Montparnasse has its name from the Greek location, and indeed many "muses" lived there.
In the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game World of Warcraft, the Night Elf capital is called Darnassus, seen by many as a nod to Parnassus. Night Elves are known for their deep appreciation for learning and the arts.

Parnassus today

Today, the slopes of Mount Parnassus are the location of two ski centres. The Parnassos Ski centre is composed of two sections, Kellaria and Fterolakka, which together make up the largest ski center in Greece. A smaller ski centre (only two drag lifts) called Gerontovrahos is across a ridge from Kellaria. Parnassus is mined for its abundant supply of bauxite which is converted to aluminium oxide and then to aluminium. Parnassus is also the name of the main campus of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and UCSF Medical Center, located on Parnassus Avenue in San Francisco, California.

References

1. John Fowles, The Magus, 1965, Published by Little Brown & Company.