FORMATION OF SAHARA DESERT

FORMATION OF SAHARA DESERT -

As other humans, Phaeton who’s the son of god Apollo goes to school at certain age. Few of mortals with divine ancestry also go to the same school. One of them is Epaphus, son of Zeus and Io. As he’s the son of king of gods himself, Epaphus is a bit proud, arrogant and tend to have superiority over other students. Epaphus usually brags about the parties he gets to attend and gods he gets to meet in heaven as he’s an Olympian. Phaeton who’s also a son of the god Apollo, gets irritated by his fellow mate Epaphus’s bragging. Even though Phaeton is the son of a god, he never got to meet his own father Apollo as he was adopted by Merops (his father- mortal) and clymene (his mother – maybe mortal). Phaeton feels low whenever Epaphus describes about the parties he attend. One day, while Epaphus is saying how his father Zeus let him sit on his throne, Phaeton says that he’s the son of Apollo. Also, his father wants him to learn how to ride the sun’s chariot and he would say hi to them from the chariot. After going home, Phaeton asks his mother about his meeting with his father Apollo. His mother convinces him that god Apollo is very busy and has more duties to do. Phaeton gets the information about his father’s castle. He goes there and asks his father Apollo to fulfill his wish. Apollo promises to grant his wish by the Styx. Phaeton asks Apollo to let him drive his chariot. Apollo asks him to take back his wish and ask for something else instead as it's not safe but the stubborn child won't give up until Apollo accept. He warns that even Zeus himself couldn’t handle the horses of the sun's chariot. Apollo gives all the suggestions on handling the horses and tells him to fly neither too high nor too low i.e. a middle course between the sky and the earth. Phaeton nods to everything his father says. He starts driving the chariot. Phaeton starts to explore the world from the chariot. After some time, he jerks which makes the horses roam loose but Phaeton remembers his father’s words that never let the horses think that he couldn’t handle them. Phaeton reaches near the coast of Africa. As he reaches the coast line, he slips a bit and the chariot tends to go towards the earth. As he couldn't handle the horses, due to the terrible heat of the sun’s chariot the ground sets on fire. The entire part of Africa below the northern coast lay waste. To this day, most of the land is deserted which we call “The Sahara”. Phaeton tries to control the horses and fails as the horses won’t stop. Later, Zeus hears the news and takes the situation in his hands then decides to destroy him otherwise the whole world would be on fire. Due to Zeus’s thunderbolt hit, Phaeton falls down into river Eridanos. This is how Greek mythology says that the great Sahara desert has formed.

                                                                         Phaeton falling from the Sun's Chariot

Reference Book - Mythos by Stephen Fry

Picture - Pinterest