Hyperborea on Maps – Always to the North

Abstract

Even if an almost entirely imaginary vision, the Hyperboreans remain the most productive and persistent Northern motif in ancient Greek literature. The Hyperboreans were thought to have traversed Greece during its mythical prehistory and to have left their mark on some of its innermost and sanctified places, thus helping to create, and sometimes to maintain, important values in Greek thought, such as justice, right, moral purity and religiosity. This study presents the roots of the Hyperborean myth, the main Hyperborean characters, Hyperborea’s location on maps according to ancient sources, the exploitation of the myth throughout the ages and some contemporary attempts to locate the Hyperborean lands.