Parnassos

HELLENIC CULTURAL SOCIETY

THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME “PARNASSOS”

“Parnassos” is the name of one of the most holy mountains in classical Greece.  Parnassos was hallowed by the worship of Apollo, of the muses, and of the Corycian nymphs.  On a shelf above the ravine of the Pleistus, is the site of the Pythian shrine of Apollo and the Delphic oracle¹.

The mountain and its mythic name have inspired many scholars around the world.  Initially, the name was given to three satirical scholastic entertainments –PARNASSOS PLAYS¹ – performed at St. John’s College, Cambridge between 1597 and 1603.  The plays –The Pilgrimage to Parnassos, The Return From Parnassos, and The Scourge of Simony-- aim at setting forth the wretched state of scholars and the small respect paid to learning by the world at large, as exemplified in the adventures of two university men, Philomusus and Studioso.  Later, PARNASSIANS¹ was the name given to a group of French poets writing between 1866 and 1876.  On 2 March 1866, the poets Catulle Mendrés and Xavier de Ricart, helped by the young publisher Lemerre launched the Parnasse Contemporain.  But, the spirit of Parnassianism, or the formula ‘Art for art’s sake’ and the mot juste, had its vogue outside France in the later years of the 19^th century, notably in Spain and in England where it fitted into the reaction against the ethical preoccupations of the Victorian classics^1. 

Modern Greeks used the name of the mountain for the first time when they established the “Parnassos” Literary Society in Athens in 1865^2.  The Society quickly developed into an important organization, which has as its goals the ethical, cultural and social improvement of the citizens.  It includes 4 divisions (literature, archeology, law, and art).  In addition, the Society organizes exhibits, lectures, and literary competitions, and, since 1872, it runs evening schools for needy children.  From 1877-1895 and from 1959 until today the Society publishes its literary journal also named “Parnassos”.

Not to be outdone, a group of Canadians of Hellenic descent established the “Parnassos Hellenic Cultural Society of Ottawa” on 16 December 1974.  The objectives of the Society are purely cultural and its focus is the promotion of Greek culture in the multicultural community of Canada by sponsoring and cosponsoring high quality programs.

Ref.      ¹Encyclopaedia Britannica, publisher Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., U.S.A. 1963.

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