The Idaea’s Chronicles is a series of short stories and children’s books. Their main theme is the herbs and plants of Crete. The olive tree and the vine are presented firstly. Their cultivation has been directly connected to the island for over 3,500 years, We also present herbs and healing plants that one can find in the rivers, on the mountains, or even as weeds in our garden.
At the moment, the first book about Malotira has been published and Trygos (The Vine Harvest) is under publication. Liomazoma (Oil Picking) is scheduled to be released shortly thereafter. The stories take place in a wonderful, new to us, world, the Idea: a world untouched by the destruction brought to nature by the overexploitation of the last centuries.
Each plant is accompanied by one or more myths as it has been since ancient times. Some are known from ancient mythology, such as the myth of Daphne of Hyacinth, or of Cypress, and others are new, adapted to suit the temperament and healing properties of each herb. On our website you can find summaries of the books as well as more short stories. There are also games with their solutions to consolidate the new words, food recipes described related to the food mentioned in the stories and of course recipes for healing herbs!
Its name is inspired by the Idaean Cave (Greek: Ιδαίον άντρο), located on the slopes of the famous mountain Psiloritis or Ida: is the gate through which the first inhabitants entered it, a stunning 800 years ago! To learn the story, click here
When I was at the primary school, I was dreaming of a magical world. At the beginning I just wanted a nice place to go and do all my lessons. Then, I would come back home and it would still be noon because not a moment would have passed since I left. That way I would have the whole afternoon to myself to play! Later this world began to acquire other qualities besides saving me time. It was a place where I wouldn't feel alone, or different, nor would I need to be what others wanted me to be in order to be accepted. Then it became more universal: a place where no one will be unwelcomed because of what they are: gender, race or other such characteristics.
Later, the ecological concerns began. So, my magical world became the paradise of ecology. Organic farming, biodiversity protection, renewable energy sources and, not to say too many difficult words, a world before the industrial revolution, before the beginning of the systematic and uncontrolled exploitation of nature. My love for peace, made Idaea a place without wars and without preparations for wars. I cannot yet tell you how such a thing can be possible. But I will make an allusion: All the people who live in Idaea are people with special characteristics. Could perhaps one quality be a common special characteristic of these people? Something like a common mutation? An "acceptance" or "non-aggression" gene? "common property" perhaps? It would be a nice idea to provide your own answers to these questions.
The Chronicles of Idea series of books as well as the other anecdotal stories published from time to time. These stories are like small or a little bigger dreams about a world that is different from ours: A world without wars, without injustices, where diseases are cured before they got serious, only with herbs; where people live in harmony with each other and respecting their environment.
