Exploring Offbeat Greece

Greek folklore abounds with tales of the undead, the vrykolakes who are said to be particularly prevalent in the area around the volcanic island of Santorini, called by some the "Island of the Vampires"...when it's not being claimed as the site of sunken Atlantis!

Resort Island or Island of Last Resort?

The island of Santorini has been long renowned by the Greeks themselves as the final resting place of many suspected vampires, since the populace of the island was believed to be particularly adept in dealing with the undead. Nearby islands would bring the remains of suspected vampires to Santorini for proper, permanent disposal.

The dark banded cliffs created by the ancient eruption and the stark almost lunar landscape of the small islands offshore help create a certain eerie atmosphere where such superstitions seem more reasonable. When the wind is right a faint sulphurous scent whispers of the nearness of the underworld. Today, various unofficial "vampire" events are occasionally held in the summer months...keep an eye open for posters and flyers, since these events rarely make it into the tourist press.

Vampires with Suntans

And no, Greek vampires were not at any particular disadvantage from the blazing Greek sunlight. In this part of the world, demonic creatures are believed to be powerful not only at midnight, but at midday as well. Anyone who has been caught in a traditional village during the heat of the day is probably convinced of the supernatural powers of the inhabitants, all of whom seem to disappear until cooler temperatures coax them out again.

The Necromanteion

The abduction of the beautiful young goddess Persephone by Pluto, Lord of the Underworld, is commemorated at a number of sites, none more believably than at the grim and spooky Nekromanteion Oracle of Ephyra near Perga in the Amvrakian wetlands, where the local River Styx seeps into the dark subterranean chamber where offerings were once made to Pluto and Persephone. On my visit, a giant toad sat in one dark, dank corner, scowling at our flashlights and looking like a perfect representative of Pluto himself. Above, in a chapel placed as if to quell any rebellious spirits rising up from the miasma below, a hidden image of Mary as the Black Madonna spreads out her dark arms from an alcove.

The rest of Greece is filled with stories of ghosts; keep your eyes and ears open and you may discover new tales of your own.

The Nekromanteion is open to visitors. Admission is 2 Euro; the telephone number is +30-26840-41206.

Other Greek Ghosties

Athens Area

Maroussi Cemetery - Drivers are said to notice a little girl crying at the cemetery gates. When they look back, or drive back to help her, she's vanished. Locals call her Anna.

Davelis Cave
Once a refuge for a bandit, ghosts are said to abound in this odd cave, which also holds the remains of an ancient temple to Pan.

Ghosts Elsewhere in Greece

Delphi - Castalian Spring
This spring in a ravine once provided drinking and washing water for the priestesses who pronounced the oracles here. The spectres of three women are said to sometimes wander the area, which is now closed off to visitors - supposedly because of falling rocks. However, a channel filled with water running from the spring comes out to the pathway.

Sparta - Riviotis Cemetery
Here, the ghost of a mad butcher named Ioanis Koukoutsis is said to haunt the cemetery. Koukoutsis went mad, took home his favorite cleaver, and decapitated his sleeping wife. He now strolls the grounds "after twelve". Being Greece, where supernatural phenomena are believed to be most active at high noon, you might want to rethink your picnic plans here.

Frangocastello, Crete
Each May, the walls of the Venetian fortress at this coastal town on Crete are said to capture the shadowy images of men fighting on horseback. Scientists are said to have studied the phenomenon, suggesting that on calm spring mornings, a statue group in Libya 400-some miles over the sea somehow is projected by the rising sun. But a friend of mine claims to have seen the ghosts, and says that they were visible on the back walls of the well-preserved fortress, away from the sea, making the projection theory less plausible. I can personally attest that the area is eerie, especially on stormy days in spring. The inside of the fortress itself is said to have been the site of a massacre of over 700 Greek freedom fighters during an uprising against the Ottoman occupiers. Admission to the site is free.

An old account of vampires on Crete suggests that the "dew spirits" of Frangocastello are not the only unusual inhabitants of the island. Compare airfares to Greece here: Find Greek Airfares

Find and compare hotel rates on Santorini: Santorini Hotels