ET-1 launches new series on mythology
State broadcasting companies are known for spending time and money on producing or airing interesting documentaries that let viewers into entire new worlds, opening a window onto the magic of life. Tomorrow at 10.30 p.m., tune in to the Greek state television channel ET-1 to see its latest ambitious documentary venture, «The Places of Myths,» which comprises 12 half-hour shows. The series takes viewers on a journey through Greece, from one end to the other, to known and obscure locations, tracing the stories of mythology as they have emerged in every corner of the country. «The Places of Myths» is the brainchild of Spanish Hellenist Pedro Olayia, who has for years been mapping Greece in terms of the toponomies and characters that appear in mythology. His efforts have already come to fruition in the highly successful publication «Mythological Atlas of Greece» (Road Publications), which received an Academy of Athens award in 2002. The atlas has been translated into various languages, growing in reputation on its originality and quality of research, which brings to the fore a world half-hidden behind the veils of myth and oral tradition. Olayia is a cultured and sensitive man, and as his efforts prove, a highly methodical one too. He spent several years working on the material he had gathered for his book in order to adapt it into 12 screenplays for television. The documentary has been shot and produced by another acknowledged artist, Dimitris Bakalbasis, who boasts a long career in producing documentaries that link ancient history and civilization to modern society. The direction is by Costas Maheras, while the music, an original score, has been penned by Vangelis Fabas.
