Scary legends of Greece: the woodcutter from Olympus, enchanted houses and the ghost of a smoker

Greece is a magical land where myths are closely intertwined with reality, and where it is sometimes difficult to draw a clear line between truth and fiction. This feature is felt not only in ancient legends, but also in modern folklore.

Modern urban legendsor simply horror stories, rarely make it into tourist brochures and guidebooks. Guides usually don’t talk about them either, so as not to irritate impressionable travelers. These stories are passed on from mouth to mouth: they can only be heard from local residents, in a confidential conversation over a cup of coffee – and then a completely different, dark side of Greek reality is revealed.

The Legend of the Young Woodcutter

This story happened not so long ago – about thirty years ago. In a small village at the very foot of Olympus There lived a young guy who constantly went into the forest for firewood. Every morning he harnessed his horse, got into the cart and set off, and in the evening he returned home.

On one of these days, as usual, he went out into the forest early in the morning, but in the evening he never returned. His family spent a sleepless night in anxiety and anticipation. At dawn there was a knock on the door. The missing young man stood on the threshold, but without a horse and without a cart. What happened to him in the forest remained a mystery: from that day on, the poor fellow did not utter another word. From the horror he experienced, he was forever speechless.

Olympus – one of the most beloved themes of modern folklore. Local residents tell many stories about it, and this is not surprising: the place is truly mysterious; it is not for nothing that the ancient Greeks believed that the abode of the gods was located there.

Secrets of Olympus and the “golden” cave

According to legends, some rocks Olympus They are hollow inside and serve as an entrance to the underground city, where the gods once lived. Old-timers claim that not far from the top of Stephanie there is a stone door hidden, closing the entrance to the “golden” cave.

They say that one day a shepherd from a nearby village accidentally noticed a small hole in the rock. He looked inside and was surprised to notice a golden light breaking through as if from underground. Curiosity overcame fear, and the shepherd decided to find out what secret this cave was hiding. Inside, he saw twelve statues, from which a golden glow emanated.

Nobody knows how long he spent in the magical place. After returning to his native village, the shepherd withdrew into himself for a long time, lived alone and spoke to almost no one. Only before his death did he tell his children about what happened to him many years ago, and forbade them to ever try to find that cave.

Enchanted houses in Lehonia and Kalamaria

In the village Lechonia near the city Hair there is an abandoned house. It is located in a very beautiful place, almost by the sea, but no one lives in it. The house stands alone in the middle of a bustling Greek village, the windows are boarded with plywood, and the garden around is overgrown with weeds and tall grass.

According to local residents, during World War II, the Germans set up a torture site in this house. In the evenings, screams could be heard from there, and many of those who crossed its threshold never returned back. The war ended and the house was soon put up for sale.

There was a man who decided to buy it, but before he could even begin the restoration, he unexpectedly died. After that, three more buyers purchased the house – and each of them soon died under strange circumstances. There were no more people willing to buy the house. So it still stands by the road, lonely and abandoned, and locals say that at night, blood-curdling screams are sometimes heard from there.

Similar stories in Greece not uncommon. Almost every village has its own “cursed” house, which no one dares to buy. The plots of the legends are usually repeated: either the house was a place of torture, or a very bad man lived there, who was subsequently killed, and his soul did not find peace.

The officer who sold his soul to the devil

IN Thessalonikiin a lively and quite prestigious area Kalamariahidden among modern buildings is a small neoclassical mansion. The building is noticeably dilapidated, but traces of its former luxury can still be discerned in it. The mansion evokes mute surprise and alarm among passers-by: the windows are boarded up, reproductions of icons are hung on them, and someone carefully hung a bunch of garlic at the door.

According to one version, many years ago the mansion belonged to a wealthy officer who sold his soul to the devil. He led a wild life, denying himself nothing, until one day he was found dead in his own home. History is silent about who killed him and why. It is only believed that the officer’s soul has not found peace and still thirsts for revenge. The locals decided to secure the “bad” house with the help of icons and garlic, but so far no one has found anyone willing to buy it.

To believe or not to believe legends about enchanted houses is everyone’s personal choice. Skeptics are sure that housing is sometimes given a bad reputation deliberately, for selfish reasons. Romantics believe that treasure can be hidden in such houses, and popular rumor protects treasures from lovers of easy money.

The Legend of the Tobacco Lover

This story is not recommended for people with a particularly rich imagination. The Greeks usually tell it late at night, when there is silence outside and the full moon is shining.

A few years ago, not far from Athens There lived a woman who was a heavy smoker. Every day at the same time she went out onto the country road to get on the bus and get to work. One day something terrible happened: a bus driver carelessly hit a woman, and she died on the spot.

Since then, as local residents say, at night on this country road appears ghostwho asks everyone he meets for a cigarette. If he is not given a cigarette, the ghost takes the soul from the person. They also say that a ghost is afraid of fire, so when passing or driving past a “bad” place, you must light a match or lighter.

Some consider this story to be an ordinary horror story, while others consider it a warning that it is better not to take some habits to extremes. But in the silence of the night, on a lonely road, even the most convinced skeptics prefer not to take risks and still keep fire at hand.

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