Olympus

Olympus (ōlĭm`pəs), Gr. Ólimbos, mountain range, c.25 mi (40 km) long, N Greece, on the border of Thessaly and Macedonia, near the Aegean coast. It rises to c.9,570 ft (2,920 m) at Mt. Olympus, the highest point in Greece. The peak was first ascended in 1913. In Greek mythology the summit, shut from the sight of men on earth by clouds, was the home of the Olympian gods. Later the name Olympus was given to the remote heavenly palace of the gods.

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Olympus

1. Mount. a mountain in NE Greece: the highest mountain in Greece, believed in Greek mythology to be the dwelling place of the greater gods. Height: 2911 m (9550 ft.)

2. Mount. a mountain in NW Washington: highest peak of the Olympic Mountains. Height: 2427 m (7965 ft.)

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Olympus

abode of the chief gods. [Gk. Myth.: Espy, 22]

See : Heaven

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Olympus

the highest mountain massif in Greece, along the Gulf of Salonika in the Aegean Sea. There are elevations to 2,911 m. Olympus is made up primarily of marmoraceous limestone and crystalline schists. The slopes are steep and ravined, and the peaks are rocky. There is evergreen scrub, as well as broad-leaved and pine forests.

In ancient Greek mythology, Olympus was the sacred mountain where the gods, headed by Zeus, lived (hence the name “Olympian gods”). The meeting, or assembly, of the Olympian gods was also called Olympus.