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Acherontas | The "mythical" river of Epirus
Acheron (Acheron in the municipal) is a river in the region of Epirus and crosses the prefectures of Ioannina, Thesprotia and Preveza. Acheron's sources are many. Its first springs come from the snows of Mount Tomaros in the Prefecture of Ioannina (maximum altitude 1,986 meters), and its other springs come from the mountains of Souli and the mountains of Paramythia in Thesprotia. Important springs are also those of the village Glyki Thesprotia. Acheron flows into the Ionian Sea, in the village of Ammoudia in Preveza, where it forms a delta, from which the two main swamps of the area are formed, the swamp of Splantza and Valanidorrachi.
Acheron, due to the Necromancer of Acheron, its ancient tradition and environmental value attracts thousands of visitors from its sources to its estuary. Its length is 52 km while its waters irrigate about 85,000 acres, of which 28,000 are located in the Prefecture of Thesprotia and 57,000 in the Prefecture of Preveza. The upper course of the river is also called "Mavropotamos", while the lower part, the plain of Fanari is also called "Fanariotiko". There is also the name Kamariotiko river.
The river has all been explored. The last unexplored part of it was the Acheron Gorge, 10 km long, which was crossed and photographed for the first time in its entirety, in June 1994 by a team of EOS Preveza.
Despite its great length, this river is navigable in a part of it and specifically only in its last kilometers. It is a favorite destination of visitors because of its beauty. But also a home for many animals and birds. There lives a large part of the fauna of the area, which consists of plenty of small fish, eels, frogs, butterflies, and a few harmless water snakes, while in its last part, that of the "Persephone Forest", begins a really wonderful riverside route of several kilometers.
In ancient times, it was believed that Acheron was the river whose crossing was made, according to ancient Greek mythology, by the "psychic transmitter" Hermes, handing over the souls of the dead to Charon to reach the kingdom of Hades. Every soul, passing by Charon's ferry, had to give an obol for the transport, while the case of Menippus, mentioned by Lucian, as the only one who crossed Acheron without paying, is remarkable.On its way, the river Acheron intersected with Pyriflegethontas and Kokytos, in the present village of Mesopotamos, at the place where the ancient Necromancer of Acheron is located. The jurisdiction of the Necromancer of Acheron was different from that of Delphi and Dodoni. Its purpose was not to provide amusement but to facilitate the communication of visitors with the souls of their dead relatives. Acheron, Kokytos and Pyriflegethon were the three rivers of Hades.
Homer in the "Odyssey" referring to the descent of Odysseus to Hades to be informed by the seer Teiresias about his return to Ithaca describes in detail the meeting point of Acheron with Pyriflegethontas and Kokytos:
… ἄραξ' ἐκεῖ τὸ πλοῖο σου στοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ τὴν ἄκρη,
καὶ στοῦ Ἅδη κίνησε νὰ πᾶς τ' ἀραχνιασμένο σπίτι,
Ἐκεῖ ὁ Πυριφλεγέθοντας στοῦ Ἀχέροντα τὸ ρέμα
κυλιέται μὲ τὸν Κωκυτὸ ποὺ πέφτει ἀπὸ τὴ Στύγα,
κι ὁ βράχος ποὺ βαρύβροντα τὰ δυὸ ποτάμια σμίγουν…
Lake Acherousia no longer exists. It was drained in the 60's by the British company Boots Ltd and a complex network of irrigation canals crosses the plain of Mesopotamia and Ammoudia.
At Lake Acherousia, on the Acheron River, it was believed that there was one of the entrances to Hades (Gates of Hell). Charon (son of Erebus and Night) was the boatman who carried the souls of the dead to Hades and took the obol that the relatives put on the lips of the dead. In the abyss of Styga stood the guard Cerberus who was a three-headed dog with a lion tail that ended in a snake and his hair and body were full of snakes (in the coins of Elea of Thesprotia we see representations of Cerberus). The souls were presented in the court of Hades (Hades, Minos, Radamanthis and Aiakos) which judged the deeds of the dead in life.
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