Termopylae



Lower photo, a goat-track, the Persians used to encircle the Greeks

     

Written on 16th of October, 2012

I have a very special relationship with my dreams. I dream a lot in color and always remember what happened in this extraordinary space, where the consciousness sleeps and the heart decides... .in my dreams. When I was a child, very often, I could not distinguish the reality and dreams, Sometimes a disaster happened and I got a bad dream, a nightmare. ..I was usually crushed, unhappy and could not get over bad dream for many days...Before I went to sleep, my Mom used to relax me as much as she could, so I could have nice dreams and did not get an EFIALTI- so I did not get a nightmare, we Greeks call it efialtis (ephialtes ).
This scary Greek word “efialti” got my attention lately not only because I remember a mystery of falling asleep when I was a child, but because right now, I do some research about Ancient Sparta, the land of my forefathers. The more I read and compare the scientific information about Sparta, the more I am coming to conclusion, that in reality there is not much information about everyday life in Ancient Sparta...and the best source about the customs, which survived for thousands of years are the old people in the village of my parents.
But there is one exception: EFIALTIS.

What or rather who was Efialtis ( Ἐφιάλτης )?
Why did he become a synonym of the worst nightmare, which can happen in Greek life?
Ephialtes of Trachis is a historical figure, he was a son of Eurydemus of Malis a champion Spartiate.
His wife and he waited for a long time to have a son. When the baby boy finally was born it was examined by Gerussia and it came out that the infant was deformed and was deemed for the wilderness to die. The wife of Eurydemus, though, disobeyed the order of Gerussia and kept the infant. Ephialtes became an outcast. Not accepted anywhere, he did not exist in the Spartan society... He devoted himself to exercises and grew into a very strong man who could do most things any Spartan soldier could do and was even stronger than most of them, but one thing he could not do. He could not lift the shield (aspetha).
The Spartan shield could weigh from 100 lbs. to even 170 lbs. It was very heavy and made of bronze. A Spartiate was expected to lift it with his left arm as high as he could (to protect from spears). Carried in the left hand, the shield would interlock with other shields in line and create a protective wall during the battle. A Spartiate without the shield did not exist.

Ephialtes' deformity left him with a very weak and muscle depleted left arm. He could not lift the shield and therefore was useless as a Spartan soldier. When King Leonidas with his Spartiates left Sparta for Thermopylae, Ephialtes followed them from the distance, obsessed with the thought of becoming one of them. After he plead to be accepted as one of the Equals was rejected, he cursed Leonidas and all the Spartans, and turned to Xerxes. Persian king made him a mercenary and Ephialtes in return showed him a small path, a goat track, which went around the mountain of Thermopylae and that gave access behind the Greek lines. The Persians were able to use this path to encircle the Greeks and destroy their army. This is how a miserable outcast from Sparta became a traitor, a person well known for his role in the most important battle in the history of mankind, the battle which shaped the consciousness and thinking of Western Civilization. And Ephialtes, for thousands of years, now lives in Greek tradition as a synonym of a nightmare.

These days I am not afraid of efialtis anymore. I sleep nearby the Spartiate every day; US-born Greek man - 6' tall, pure muscles human machine with a big heart. Like his forefather s in Laconia, he has a huge love and needs for a physical activity, and he loves to fight....not humans, but diseases. Did I write that I am the owner of his heart? He has given his heart to me...At least that is what he says...and I believe him.