|
In Greek mythology, Peneus
(Πηνειός) was a river god, one of the three-thousand Oceanids, a child of Oceanus and Tethys.
Apollo chased the nymph
Daphne, daughter of Ladon, who had scorned him.
His infatuation was caused by an arrow from Eros, who was jealous because
Apollo had made fun of his archery skills. Eros also claimed to be irritated by Apollo's singing. Daphne prayed to the river god
Peneus to help her and he changed her into a laurel tree, which became sacred to Apollo.
Peneus River
(known for most of the 1000s as Salambria) is named after this god. It flows from the Pindus mountains and empties into the Aegean Sea northeast of Tempe. In the 1960s, a
freeway connecting Athens and Thessaloníke runs into much of the Tempe valley.
Another Peneus River (probably not named after this god) flows from the mountain Erymanthus (Olonos) and empties into a bay SW of Gastouni
connecting the Ionian Sea. The river flows through the southern half of the
Elia plain. The river passes through:
- Aghia Triada
- north of Simopoulo
- Kentro
- Ancient Elis
- between Roupaki and Aghia Mavra
- south of Kavasilas
- east of Vartholomio
In ancient times, the river passed into where is now east of Staphidokampos, the Andravida Military
Airport, Lechaina, and the former wetlands where is now drained for
agricultural purposes near Aghios Panteleimonas. (name ?)
In the 1960s, The government began building an earth-shaped damnamed the Peneus Dam
(Φράγμα Πηνειού) to supply water for Northern and much of Elia.
This has flooded a couple of roads including from Gastouni to Simopoulo, and from Borsi
to Simopoulo which is now accessible over the earth dam. The direction is almost directly form north to south. The water is not
safe for drinking, because it contain some contaminants. It dams up the Peneus River. Its dam is made out of earth and it is
considered the highest dam in Elia, but not the Peloponnese. A village named Kentro is near this dam. The population is around 200. The floodway has cut off two roads
relocated. The floodway length is nearly 1 km. Roads were remapped and bypasses Kentro. It contains the Prefecture's (then the
Peloponnese's) longest suspended bridge, and Hills surround this earth-built dam. Distance from Gastouni is 16 km, and Amaliada
is nearly 20 km NE.
|