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Hello Greek friends! I was wondering how many of you know that Lisbon has a beautiful legend about its foundation, supposedly created by the ancient Greek hero Ulysses. I am sorry for the long text, I had to translate everything from Portuguese to English for you, I hope you like it.
Portugal is the most western country in Europe, being also one of the oldest in its borders. Before the formation of the Portuguese nation, several people inhabited the place, among them the Lusitanian warriors, who bravely faced the dominion and the oppression of the Romans.
Being such an old country, many legends have been created to tell such an extensive history. Medieval legends and legends even older, the most beautiful narratives that tell the saga of a people and of their nation, which has shaped a culture that has spread throughout the four corners of the world until our days. From ancient Lusitania to Portugal today, a collection of marvellous characters were brought from the pages of Homer (Ὅμηρος), others from the medieval imagery, from the pages sung by troubadours.
"Olisipo, the City of Ulysses" is one of the most cultivated legends by the Portuguese people. It is the story of the foundation of Lisbon, which according to legendary tradition was founded by the Homeric hero Odysseus (Ulysses), who in his wandering trajectory after the end of the Trojan war got lost for twenty years in the European seas. The Greek hero would have crossed the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar), reaching the mouth of the river Tagus, encountering the kingdom of strange creatures half women, half serpents. Olisipo, the mythical city of Ulysses, would later be Lisbon, the beautiful Portuguese capital.
Long ago, in a remote point of the calendar, there was a land that received the end of the Tagus river. It was an inhospitable kingdom, far beyond the Pillars of Hercules, known by the name of Ufiusa, the land of serpents. This serpent kingdom had as its queen a strange being, half woman, half serpent, who had a beautiful face, owner of a sorcerer's look and a voice almost like a child.
An absolute lady of her kingdom, the serpent queen used to visit the top of a hill and shout in the wind the words that echoed throughout the Tagus river:
"This is my kingdom!" Only I rule here, nobody else! No man will dare to set foot here. Alas than to dare! My snakes will not let you breathe for a minute!
That's how the years went. Until one day came wandering, with the winds, the Greek Ulysses (Odysseus). The king of Ithaca, the hero of the destroyed Troy, as soon as the war had ended, at the whim of the gods, sailed through the Mediterranean without end. One day the ships of Ulysses were blown far beyond the Pillars of Hercules, coming in at the mouth of an immense river which they called the Tagus, contributing to the kingdom of Ufiusa. As soon as he reached these lands, the Greek was dazzled by its beauty, the softness of its breezes, the taste of its fruits, and the sweet taste of the waters of the Tagus. Dazzled by so much beauty, Ulysses gathered his men, declaring all of them brave:
"Here, where nature is so lavish, I will build the most beautiful city in the world! I will give you my name ... it will be Olisipo, capital of the beauties of the world!"
Thus were built the first foundations of his city. But the land which brought such beauty to the eyes of the Greek proved treacherous in the face of the serpents that were slipping through them. Many of the men of the crew fell poisoned by snake bites, others disappeared, victimized by treacherous traps. More and more the hidden enemy flanked Ulysses. In the face of strangers, the brave king of Ithaca cried out:
"By all the gods of Olympus, I challenge you, invisible enemy and treacherous. Come out from the shadows, show your face and challenge me to hand-to-hand!"
But the enemy remained hidden, Ulysses only continued to hear the snakes' hisses, which came like a nocturnal symphony. So the danger was about Ulysses and his men, who were increasingly poisoned. Annoyed, Ulysses shouted with all his strength:
"Treacherous enemy, you can try everything you want, yet I will not abandon this land without leaving here the most famous built city you have ever heard of!"
It was then that the queen of the serpents, deeply attracted by the valiant warrior, revealed itself to him. It emerged from the disguise of a rock, with its voice of child and beauty in its face of woman, slippery in its serpent half:
"Welcome to the kingdom of serpents, known as Ufiusa! You are brave and dare to face the subjects of this kingdom, of which I am the absolute and absolute queen!
Upon seeing the queen's revelation, Ulysses became aware of the face of the mysterious enemy, finally revealed. Once the enemy had been revealed to him, the Greek hero no longer feared her. He saw in the sweet voice of the woman the hissing of the serpents, reflected in the bitter gaze.
Already in love with Ulysses and his bravery, the queen realized that his surrender was not going to happen. No longer did she wait for her, on the contrary, she had decided that she wanted the warrior forever in his kingdoms.
"For days I waited for your surrender. Your courage was superior, which attracted my admiration! I know of your dream here to build a city! Well, I allow you to realize this dream, with one condition: to stay here forever!"
Enigmatic, Ulysses smiled at her, never giving her an answer with words, shaking his head, as if agreeing. With the consent of the queen of the serpents, Ulysses proceeded to build his city, raising gardens, houses and streets. The snakes no longer attacked the men, who were more and more there. As the men worked, the serpent women sang to make their toil softer.
Raised to the city of Ulysses, which became known as Olisipo, a gentle breeze flooded such a superb work. But Ulysses' heart belonged to Ithaca and to Penelope, his wife, who had waited for his return for many years. Thus, even astonished by his work, the Greek only thought of leaving, sailing until he arrived in his native land. But the queen's snake's passion prevented Ulysses from leaving, making him a prisoner of his own city.
Knowing himself to be a prisoner of the queen, Ulysses was filled with the most false affections and ardent and treacherous love, while drawing his plan of escape. At last the night of the long-awaited escape had come. He'd arranged to get the queen for a walk in the moonlight. Instead of attending the meeting, Ulysses sent one of his men, who was the same height as him and in the distance, could be mistaken for him. Thus, while Odysseus fled sailing across the waters of the Tagus river towards the Ocean, his faithful companion, very well disguised, went to fetch the queen, taking her away from the river.
During the tour, only the queen spoke, she showed the companion the future of Olisipo. Suddenly the woman was disturbed by the silence of the beloved. As she looked at him, she realized that the eyes were different. The Queen uttered a cry of indignation upon realizing the deception. Seeing herself betrayed, furious, she bit the impostor, poisoning him with his venom. Before he died, the unhappy man murmured that his master should go far, sailing the great Ocean Sea, to the Greek lands.
Desperate, the queen tried to go beyond all her strength, stretching out over the city of Ulysses, in the asphyxiating urge to reach the sea. So great was her striving to reach the beloved, that where she stretched out the serpent's body, from its contortions seven hills were drawn upon Olisipo. But Odysseus was already far away, and the unhappy queen could not resist, she died after such an effort.
Without their queen, the serpents fled the city. In the ancient kingdom of poison and death, the city of Ulysses was built high above the seven hills. Odysseus never returned, but Olisipo became the principal city on the banks of the Tagus river. Many years later the city of Ulysses became known as Lisbon.
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