giovanniissue:gemsofgreece: Thessaloniki, Macedonia || Greece moodboards (2 / ?) Alexander the Great

giovanniissue:

gemsofgreece:

Thessaloniki, Macedonia||Greece moodboards (2 / ?)

Alexander the Great’s sister Thessaloniki drank the immortal water and transformed into a mermaid. She would ask the sailors on any ship she would encounter only one question: “Is King Alexander alive?” to which the correct answer was: “He lives and reigns and conquers the world”. This answer would please her, and she would calm the waters and bid the ship farewell. The bitter truth of his death would enrage her, and she would stir up a terrible storm, dooming the ship and every sailor on board. - Greek folk legend

_{Send me which mainland prefecture or island you want to see next.}

I wish thessalonice was never taken from us…. Macedonia would stand proud and tall… now that they’ve renamed it to Thessaloniki its an utter disgrace but that’s life…. Long live macedonia and the history of my people we shall never lay claim that we are Greeks…

And I was wondering when I will get a brainwashed ultra nationalist neighbour… the best thing would be just to ignore such nonsense but this is hilarious so let’s break it down:

I wish Thessalonice was never taken from us

Me having a brainstorm trying to think when the hell Thessalonice was theirs but then I realised this person here means he has Ancient Macedonian ancestors

Macedonia would stand proud and tall

Just like North Macedonia I suppose, that almighty country

Now that they ‘ve renamed it to Thessaloniki it’s an utter disgrace but that’s life…

Okay there are two possibilities here: a) This person thinks Thessaloniki is the renamed city and that the original was the Solun which is the way the city is called in Bulgarian and in their own South Slavic language which they like to call Macedonian. This means that this direct descendant of Ancient Macedonians doesn’t even know the city was founded in 315 BC and named after Alexander’s half-sister Thessaloniki.

b) the other possibility is that he means that Greeks changed it from Thessalonice to Thessaloniki (ignoring intentionally the fact that in his own language they call it Solun) but still trying to imply that this change is a Greek change and not an English one.

This is how the English chose to transliterate Greek words, it’s exactly like how they used to call Niki of Samothraki as Nice or Nike of Samothrace. I am afraid the way the city is written in Greek has been unchanged :(

Thessaloniki in Ancient Greek:

Thessaloniki in Modern Greek:

ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ

I also don’t know if the Ancient Macedonian above realises that Thessaloniki or Thessalonice means “Victory over the Thessalians”… in Greek.

I love how he accepts the injustice in the end though… like the proper realist that he is.

Long live Macedonia and the history of my people

I agree to that but you know… for the real Macedonia and the real history of any people

We shall never lay claim that we are Greeks

Thank God