The Cimmerians were a people who were active in Anatolia during the Archaic Era. They came into conflict with the Assyrians, the Phrygians, and the Lydians, among others. Within Greek mythology, they make an intriguing appearance in a very unexpected location, which has caused considerable debate. What conclusions can we come to regarding the Cimmerians of Greek mythology?
The Cimmerians in Greek mythology
The earliest written reference to the Cimmerians within Greek literature comes from the Odyssey, written by Homer in the second half of the seventh century BCE. In this tale about Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca from Troy, the Cimmerians appear in a strange and mythological context.
After spending some time at the island of Circe, Odysseus journeys to the nearby mainland and reaches the entrance to the Underworld. This is just next to the Acheron River and the River of Lamentation. In this part of the Odyssey, Homer describes the fact that there was a kingdom and city of the Cimmerians in this area.
Homer describes how they were surrounded by mist and clouds, with a permanent absence of sunlight.
Where were the Cimmerians of Greek mythology?
The appearance of the Cimmerians in Homer’s Odyssey has caused considerable debate. The reason is that most interpretations of the route that Odysseus took to get home conclude that the Odyssey is describing places in the western Mediterranean Sea, whereas the Cimmerians were historically active in Anatolia, right at the other end of that sea.
For example, one interpretation places the setting of this story in southern Italy. Another places it as far west as Spain. However, the point is that all of the normal suggestions for the setting of this story place it far to the west of Anatolia. Therefore, it would seem as if the appearance of the Cimmerians here must be a mistake.
A different theory is that Homer was simply using the name in a mythological context with no regard for accurate history or geography.
The Cimmerians uncovered by the true route of the Odyssey
By far the most likely explanation for the appearance of the Cimmerians in Homer’s Odyssey is revealed by the correct identification of the setting of the story. As we noted before, Homer places it in the vicinity of the Acheron River and the River of Lamentation.
The word translated ‘Lamentation’ is ‘cocytus’. As it happens, there was both an Acheron River and a Cocytus River in Epirus, western Greece. The former, in fact, still has that name even today. There was also an oracle of the dead in that same area, just as Homer described in the Odyssey.
The idea that the Odyssey took place so close to Greece itself is not a common interpretation. Nonetheless, modern research strongly supports it. Just off the shore of this area of the mainland is the small island of Paxos, which fits Homer’s description of Circe’s island very well.
The truth about Homer’s Cimmerians
Nonetheless, this location is still nowhere near the area in which the Cimmerians were historically active. However, by correctly identifying the setting of this story, the answer to the mystery becomes readily discernible.
In this very area, just next to the ancient oracle of the dead near the Acheron River in Epirus, there was an ancient settlement called Cheimerion. This name was also applied to the surrounding area and the people. It is virtually certain that Homer’s reference to the kingdom and city of the Cimmerians in this part of the Odyssey is actually a reference to this settlement within Greece itself.
What about the fact that it was said to have been surrounded by mist and clouds and was devoid of sunlight? This is nothing more than an exaggeration of the fact that this area was notoriously stormy. In fact, scholars believe that the very name ‘Cheimerion’ derives from the idea of being wintry or stormy. The Greek word for ‘wintry’, for instance, is ‘cheimerinos’.
Therefore, the Cimmerians of Greek mythology (in the Odyssey, at least) actually had nothing to do with the Cimmerians of Anatolian history.
