Ourea – The Primordial Gods of Mountains
Before the Olympians. Before the Titans. Before even the seas took shape, there were the Ourea—the ancient, towering gods of the mountains. They weren’t just deities of the peaks; they were the mountains themselves. Silent. Immovable. Eternal.
Born from Gaia
The Ourea were the children of Gaia, born without a father, emerging from the earth itself. They stood tall, watching over the world as gods and mortals came and went. Each mountain had its own Ourea, a spirit bound to the land, watching over those who dared to climb its slopes or settle at its base.
The Silent Guardians
Unlike other gods, the Ourea didn’t meddle in mortal affairs. They did not fight, did not take sides in wars, did not play games with humanity. They simply existed—watching, waiting, standing still while the world changed around them. They were as ancient as time, older than the seas, untouched by the chaos of Olympus.
The Named Peaks
Though there were many Ourea, ten were named in mythology:
- Athos – The great peak that would later bear the name of Mount Athos.
- Helicon – The sacred mountain of the Muses, a place of poetry and inspiration.
- Cithaeron – A mountain often tied to dark myths, including Oedipus and Dionysian madness.
- Etna – The volcanic peak in Sicily, later said to house the forge of Hephaestus.
- Nysa – The legendary mountain where Dionysus was raised.
- Olympus – The greatest of them all, destined to be the home of the gods.
Each of these mountains had its own godly presence, its own ancient Ourea watching from above.
Untouched by Time
The Ourea were never worshipped like Zeus or Poseidon. There were no temples, no altars, no grand myths of their battles or loves. They simply were. Unmoving. Unchanging. And yet, they have outlasted even the greatest gods. Empires crumble. Cities fall. But the mountains remain.
Even now, when mortals look up at the towering peaks, when they feel the humbling weight of a mountain’s presence—they are feeling the Ourea. The forgotten gods who still watch from above.
