🏆Imagine standing in the sacred valley of Olympia, surrounded by whispers of glory carried through the olive trees. Here, victory was crowned not with gold or silver, but with a simple wreath, named kotinos, a crown woven from the branches of the wild olive tree.
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🌿According to legend, it was Iphitos who established the kotinos as the prize of the Olympic Games, following a divine oracle from Delphi. The branches for these sacred wreaths were taken from the “Kallistefanos Olive Tree,” which grew near the temple of Zeus.
A young boy whose parents were both alive (in ancient greeks: "a pais amphithalis”), would cut the branches using golden scissors. Then they were laid upon a golden-ivory table in the temple of Hera, awaiting the moment when the Hellanodikai (the Olympic judges) would use them to crown the victors.
But beyond any material reward, the moral glory of winning at Olympia was priceless. Great poets such as Simonides, Bacchylides, and the legendary Pindar immortalized these triumphs in verse.
🏆When an Olympic champion returned home, his city welcomed him as a hero. Part of the city wall would even be demolished. According to the tradition, a city that had produced an Olympic victor needed no walls for protection.
🏃The triumphant athlete would enter through this new gate, standing tall upon a splendid chariot, cheered by the entire city. He would dedicate his olive wreath to the city’s patron god, followed by a grand feast where everyone joined in celebration.
The honors didn’t end there. Olympic champions were granted lifetime meals at public expense, tax exemptions, and — in Athens, thanks to Solon — even monetary rewards.
🌿In Sparta, victors earned the privilege of fighting beside the king in battle. They held seats of honor at festivals, their names were carved into stone, and in some cities, they were even worshipped as heroes after death.
🏆Among all these distinctions, two stood above the rest: the right to have one’s statue placed in the sacred Altis of Olympia, and the composition of an epinikion, a victory ode written in the athlete’s honor. These two immortalized the champion’s name forever.
A symbol of eternal glory born beneath the olive trees of Olympia.
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The Greek Heaven Team
source:culture.gr