All that is left of the ancient continent is now ice covered shelfs in the Arctic, but earlier it was a part of two supercontinents. A recent research has refuted a myth about Hyperborea being located in a mythical northern continent.

What is Hyperborea?

Hyperborea is the mythical land of the people “beyond the North Wind” in Greek lore. It is mentioned by the Greek historian Herodotus as a continent-bound land from Egyptian legend, bordered by the river Oceanus. Eridanos was the main river that flowed through it, home to white swans and lined with poplar trees that would weep amber. At one point, it had been blessed with eternal spring, resulting in a double harvest of grain per year, with most of the countryside covered in forests called the Garden of Apollo. When it was destroyed by ice, its people were believed to have migrated to lands in the south. According to Greek legend, the land of Hyperborea is a place of total perfection, with sunlight 24 hours a day. The people never suffered from disease or old age, nor did they have to labor or fight in any wars or battles.

Hyperborea is believed to have been far north of Thrace, and in modern times would be considered to be located within the Arctic Circle. The actual location of Hyperborea is a mystery, however, and according to the Greek Poet Pindar, the road to the Hyperboreans could not be found by ship or on foot.

Mercator: Septentrionalium Terrarum descriptio. A map of the North Pole. 1623 ( Image Source

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