Legend of Kamarina and Ippari
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The myth tells of the love between Shepherd Ippari and Nymph Kamarina and explains origin of Kamarina lake and Ippari river.
The myth, mentioned by the Greek poet Pindar in his work "Olympia" dating back to the fifth century BC, tells of the love between the demigod Shepherd Ippari and the young nymph Kamarina. The shepherd Hippari lived in the Iblei Mountains and went down to the fertile valley at the foot of the mountains to take his flock to pasture. One day while he was near the shores of the Mediterranean Sea he saw the nymph Kamarina in the company of a large swan and fell in love with her. The nymph immediately returned her love.
The god Zeus, who was also in love with the nymph, managed to separate the two lovers who, however, suffered the distance to such an extent, to the point of both dying of heartbreak.
The gods, pitied by what had happened, transformed the dying body of the shepherd into a spring from which a river flowed, while the nymph was transformed into a lake, making sure that Ippari and Kamarina could be reunited after their death. In fact, the Ippari River, before flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, joined at Lake Kamarina.
Lake Kamarina no longer exists as it was drained in Greek times.
