Parnassus (surrounding island) In Greek history and mythology, mountain of Phoas near Delphi, northwest of Athens, consecrated to Apollo, the Muses, and Dionysus. Its slopes contained the famous oracle of Apollo. The boat of Deucalion came to rest on the mountain’s slopes after the flood. The theme of Apollo and the Muses was painted by Raphael, Mantegna, Poussin, and Domenichino, all using images from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The name of the culture center in Paris, Montparnasse, is derived from Parnassus. Between 1860 and 1876 a group of young artists published a periodical, Le Parnasse contemporain (The Modern Parnassus), in which they showed their love for Greek and Roman art and cultue.
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante