Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/HighStrangeness/comments/1tfu7on/the_three_most_famous_legends_of_psara_island/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/highstrangeness by /u/Atlandios000 on 2026-05-17 16:25:08+00:00.

Psara is a small island in the Aegean Sea in Greece. It is located west of Chios, 3.5 kilometers away. It is known for its long-standing maritime tradition, thyme honey, local cheese, and the lobsters caught in its waters.

It is a place steeped in history; its inhabitants distinguished themselves during the national liberation struggle against the Ottoman Empire. They are particularly known for the massacre carried out by the Turks on June 21, 1824, during the struggle for freedom.

In fact, the first of the island’s most famous legends is related to the destruction of the island by the Ottoman Turks. The locals say that on the very day of the destruction, every year on June 21, voices, drums, and battle cries can be heard from beyond.

The second legend is said to have taken place shortly before the destruction. At that time, there was a feud among the monks on Mount Athos; the so-called "Kolivades" were one of the factions.

Many of the "Kolivades" were expelled, so they found refuge on the Aegean islands, where they founded monasteries.

One of these monasteries was the Holy Monastery of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Psara.

It is said that every night the monks would send a young man to bring them food. He did the shopping for the monastery, went to his mother’s house where he slept for a while, and then got up without knowing what time it was.

On his way to the monastery, he saw about 20 women, all dressed in white. Curious to find out what was going on, the young man went to speak to them, but they didn’t speak to him; instead, they grabbed him and began dancing with him without saying a word.

From their ecstatic atmosphere, the young man realized that the girls were actually fairies; as soon as he realized this, he began to pray silently. Around midnight, they led him to a deserted location and simply left him there without another word. In fact, it is said that out of fear, the young man never left his house at night again.

Here we see a blending of Christianity with older beliefs; the ideas of nymphs and fairies living in the mountains are one of the main elements of ancient Greek religion. These beliefs have survived, as we can still see even in recent years.

The third story perhaps refers to the snakes that are said to have once been numerous in Psara. However, one day a priest went to celebrate Mass at the little church of Saint Matrona, a local saint who lived and died on the nearby island of Chios.

When he took the Holy Chalice to administer Holy Communion, he saw a snake inside it. There are two versions of what happened next: some say she cursed it and all the other snakes on the island, while others say he took the snake, was forced to eat it, but this exhausted him mentally, so he begged Jesus Christ to rid the island of snakes.

It is said that the soil in the area where the little church is located , which is actually called “phidolakos” (meaning a pit full of snakes showing how many the snakes were before this took place ) is such that anyone having a problem with snakes in their home should take some of it and scatter it or place it in a corner. The snakes seem to be afraid of this soil and disappear.

They say that many people from all over Greece go to Psara to get some of this soil to deal with the snakes.

Some even claim that from time to time, many have experimented by bringing snakes from other islands to Psara and releasing them to see what would happen. The snakes moved around for a while and then suddenly died.