Lake Stymphalia

We venture into the valley of Lake Stymphalia (Λίμνη Στυμφαλία). A storm hovers over the valley, the filtered light illuminating a patchwork of cultivated earth. This entire region is sacred to the goddess Artemis in her form of Artemis Stymphalia, protectress of the lake, fowl and forests.

Mountain Windflower (Anemone blanda)

Hyacinth (Muscari spp.)

Wild Usnea

Humans have lived in relationship with this land for thousands of years: the limestone basin providing ample sinkholes and rich irrigation for the surrounding plain. It is said that Artemis, angry at her followers for failing to honor her properly, once blocked the flow of water and flooded the plain with stagnant water. It wasn’t until an offering was made that she allowed the obstruction to clear and the people to prosper again.

The lake was also the site of Hercules’ sixth labor, when he was set the task of killing a flock of carnivorous birds that hid in the marsh, terrorizing villagers of the region. Given a bronze rattle by the goddess Athena, Hercules frightened the birds from their hiding place among the reeds and shot them down, one by one, with his bow and arrow.

Lake Stymphalia, Greece, covered in reeds

When we pass the lake, it is easy to imagine the mythic birds crouching among the thick reeds. In fact, the reeds are so thick that it is nearly impossible to see the water’s surface from the road.

At the local environmental museum, we learn that the exposed surface of the lake is shrinking, due in part to human over-draining and the build up of commercial farming sediment. Combine this with a “natural” increase in mud deposits on the lake floor and the reed beds are spreading, doubling in area within just the last 50 years.

While the reed beds are an important shelter for migratory birds, the loss of open water affects other species that are essential to the health of the ecosystem, like reptiles and amphibians. Hercules’ tale seems an ample warning against the dangers of allowing the reed beds to form so dense a shelter.