Arcadia
placeArcadia was both a real mountainous region in the central Peloponnese and an idealised landscape of pastoral innocence, forever associated with Pan, nymphs, and rustic simplicity.
The Myth
The historical Arcadia was a rugged, isolated region whose inhabitants were considered the oldest people in Greece — autochthonous, born from the earth itself. They worshipped Pan as their chief god, and their mountains echoed with his pipes. Hermes was born in a cave on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia. Callisto, the nymph turned into a bear by Artemis, roamed its forests. The legendary king Lycaon, who tried to feed Zeus human flesh, ruled from Mount Lycaeum. Despite its harsh terrain, later poets transformed Arcadia into an idealised pastoral paradise where shepherds sang and loved in eternal springtime.
Parents
Named for Arcas, son of Zeus and Callisto
Children
N/A
Symbols
Fun Fact
The phrase "Et in Arcadia ego" — "Even in Arcadia, I (Death) am present" — became one of the most famous mottos in Western art.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth: