The Prophet Elias



 

A visitor to this island cannot help but notice the many rustic chapels that dot the landscape here.  Some cling to isolated mountain faces, or perch atop prominent hills or mountain tops.  Most of the ones "nearest to heaven" were built and dedicated to the Prophet Elias (Elijah in the Western Church).  Every year, near July 20, each will host a special mass and feast dedicated to the prophet.  Like so many rural festivals dedicated to Orthodox saints, these festivals have unbroken local rituals that predate the Christian era.  The name Elias for instance, is very closely spelled in Greek, like the ancient name Helios, and shares many coincidental traditions associated with the pagan deity.  There are also several other threads that connect Elias' story to Classical references.*

* On his last journey, Odysseus is instructed by Tiresias to take an oar from his ship and to walk inland until he finds a "land that knows nothing of the sea."

To escape the sinful ways of his neighbors, Elias put an oar on his shoulder and walked inland until he reached a place where a stranger mistakes the oar for a 'winnowing fan'.  From that point he ascended to the top a mountain where he drank only water from the mountain's brook and was nourished only by ravens who brought him "flesh and bread" to eat. 



Kathy's icon of the Prophet Elias

For his piety, Elias was whisked, still living, into heaven in a 'whirlwind' or 'chariot of fire,' where he waits to be returned to Earth, and to experience a normal mortal's death there.  In Eastern icons the prophet is often depicted on a craggy mountain face, with a raven bearing food in its mouth.  This is the icon Kathy painted of the prophet (right) and presented to 'Pappa' Kostas, the Orthodox priest who serves the village.

 

In Vourloites, the Feast of Elias is sponsored by one of the neighbors, and is celebrated at a chapel above the village. An Orthodox mass is sung to commemorate recently departed souls and to bless a specially baked bread and a ritual dish called Yourti.  The recipe for Yourti varies from island to island, but the local dish calls for 3 equal parts of goat (usually whole), wheat grain, and onions.  It cooked in a large open pot, and stirred for hours by the men from the village, with a large wooden (oar like) paddle.

 

 

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