The Hyperboreans: Myth and Religion

Abstract

The hyperboreans were people who lived somewhere in the North. They used to spend their time dancing, listening to music and enjoying their spare moments. They only had to make sure Apollo recieved the offerings they gave him, which they took to Delos Island. As Apollo moved to the north, where the hyperboreans lived, he became the most important god for those people. It is clear that Apollo and the hyperboreans are related and also this relation has to do with the sun. We know that some of the offerings from the hyperboreans got to Delos. In the beginning, the offerings were taken there by some young women, but the hyperboreans soon started giving them to their neighbours, so the offerings arrived at Delos after travelling from town to town. Unfortunately, we don’t exactly know what those offerings consisted of. We’ll try to explain here the reason why Apollo was born in Delos and then moved in with the hyperboreans, what the route taken and the content of their offerings were and, fi nally, who the young women were and why they went to Delos.