According to the Scythians, their story begins with Targitaus, their first king. They say that from his time until the invasion of their land by Darius, exactly one thousand years passed—neither more nor less. This long history connects their people and their kings to a sacred past.
The Royal Scythians, descendants of Colaxais, guard a special treasure of gold with great care. Every year, they hold a grand festival in honor of this gold. During the feast, the man who is in charge of the gold must stay awake and watch over it in the open air. The Scythians believe that if he falls asleep, he will die before the year is over. For his service, the guardian is given as much land as he can ride around on horseback in a single day Hercules Gives His Sons Symbols of Strength.
Division of the Kingdom
Colaxais divided his kingdom among his three sons. Each son ruled a separate part of Scythia, but one kingdom was larger than the others. This larger portion was where the sacred gold was kept. The region was considered extremely remote and difficult to reach. According to the Scythians, the lands north of their settlements are hidden and impassable because of an unusual phenomenon: feathers cover the land and air in such abundance that no one can see far into the region. These feathers, they say, protect the sacred lands from outsiders.
The Greek Account of Scythia
The Greeks living near the Black Sea (Pontus) tell a different story about Scythia. According to Greek tradition, Hercules traveled to the area during his famous labors. When he was carrying off the cattle of Geryon, he came to the region that is now Scythia, which was then a desert.
Geryon lived on an island called Erytheia, beyond the Pillars of Hercules near Gades in the far west. Some Greeks say the Ocean begins in the east and flows all around the world, though they have no proof of this Customized Daily Sofia Tours.
Hercules, coming from the west, was caught by a storm and frost while traveling through this empty land. He wrapped himself in his lion’s skin for warmth and fell asleep. While he slept, his mares—horses he had released to graze—mysteriously disappeared. The story emphasizes the wild and mysterious nature of the land that would later be called Scythia.
Different Perspectives
The two accounts of Scythia show how history and legend mix. The Scythians tell of sacred gold, strict rituals, and a thousand-year-old royal line. The Greeks describe Scythia as a remote, wild place where even heroes like Hercules faced danger and wonder. Together, these stories give a picture of a land that was both feared and revered, full of mystery, ritual, and legendary adventures.
