Alexander the Great and his sister the mermaid

Alexander the Great with his sister.

According to a myth, Alexander the Great had a stepsister from his father’s side, King Phillip (359-336 B.C.). 

Her name was Thessaloniki. 

There are many versions of this folk legend, but it begins with Alexander searching for the water of immortality. 

In one version, Thessaloniki drinks the water of immortality before her brother on purpose, and so he curses her and she turns into a mermaid. 

In another version, she drinks the water accidentally and is transformed into a mermaid out of her own sorrow. 

According to a third version, Thessaloniki found the water and brought it to Alexander, but he offered it to her.

Despite the variations, the end of the myth is always the same. 

#Thessaloniki wanders into the sea and whenever she sees a ship, she asks: “Sailor, sailor, is King #Alexander alive?”

If the sailor gives her a positive answer, she swims away happily. 

But if the answer is negative, she sinks the ship, kills all its sailors, and creates a sea storm from her tears.

Mentis #Bostantzoglou (#Bost), 1984.

Original post from Classics for All.

#Hellas #macedonia #Greece #Greek