Greeks are always proud of their descendants and their history (as should every nation in this world be). We’re also proud of the mythology, our heroes, and philosophers.

The time came to select the personalities of our Community’s wapuus, for the mascot of each city with an active official meetup. However, it was hard to make a final decision, but we decided to go with history and mythology as well.

Athens

In Athens, the community selected the name Socrates and their wapuu was designed by Popi Papanastasiou based on the personality of Socrates. Yes, we mean the ancient Greek classical philosopher, who lived in Athens from 470 BC to 399 BC. Socrates before becoming a philosopher was a craftsman as he worked as a stonemason. Known not only for being wise but also brave. He participated in the Peloponnesian War and involved in politics. He claimed to know only about the art of love, while his most famous quote is

“I know one thing; that I know nothing.“

Larissa

When the time for Larissa – my hometown – came to pick our wapuu, we realized that we had to try hard, once again to select someone to represent us. Searching among mythology and history in order to get inspired by a local figure, the name “Achilles” shined like a star in our minds and Alexandros Itsios gave life to our inspiration!

Achilles is one of the famous mythology heroes, son of the Thetis, who was an immortal Nereid and Pileas, the king of Myrmidons. As his mother wanted him to be immortal, she kept him over divine flames and the only week part of his body was the heel from where she was keeping him. Achilles known for his braveness in the war was the central character and greatest warrior of Homer’s Iliad, and killing prince Hector and revenging the death of his best friend Patroklos.

Thessaloniki

Last but not least, for now, the community had to select a wapuu for Thessaloniki, since the first WordCamp is also coming this year. We knew from the beginning who would be our inspiration. There could be no one else but king Alexander the Great!

Nick Savvopoulos tried to give breath to our most loved Macedonian hero, as portrayed in every ancient greek coin, statue, painting, or described in books, with his blonde curls crowning his face and the untamed look in his eyes. Alexander the Great was a student of the philosopher Aristotle, famous as a military commander, conquered the world by spreading the greek culture and before he died, he bequeathed his reign “to the best”. His best friend was a horse from Thessaly, Bucephalus, which he tamed when he was thirteen years old. This horse has been the sign of my city for centuries since this breed has started here.