Mighty Mt. Etna


There is a powerful monster buried beneath Mt. Etna. 

He is the son of Gaia (earth) and Tartarus (Stormy pit prison of the Titans), and one of the giants who revolted against the gods. As punishment for his wrongdoings, Zeus (or according to some, Athena) captured him and crushed him under the weight of the mountain. Great wings sprout from his back, coils of vipers wrap around his legs and wind up to his head, and his eyes glow bright with fire.

Zeus battling Typhon

Yesterday, we visited this terrible creature--or at least the mountain on top of him--and walked around one of the volcano's dormant small craters. The visit began cool and foggy with a light rain, but after lunch the sun began to peek through the clouds.

                
Mt. Etna is a complex stratovolcano with 4 main craters and over 300 small craters. It has the longest recorded eruptive history in the world and has been visited by and written about and visited by famous historical figures such as Emperor Hadrian, Virgil, Pindar, and Homer.

  Needless to say, our visit was pretty incredible. 
 

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