Lake Stymphalos, Arcadia - Illustration from Views of Greece by Edward Dodwell

Lake Stymphalos, Arcadia is an illustration from the collection Views in Greece from Drawings published by Edward Dodwell in 1821.

Surrounded by mountains and forests, Lake Stymphalos in Arcadia is a place of legend and natural beauty. Its calm, reflective waters are home to a diverse array of flora and fauna, providing a peaceful and enchanting setting ideal for contemplation and escape.

The literal transcription of the notice accompanying this plate is reproduced below:

The city of Stymphalos was said to have been founded by a son of Elatos, who was himself the son of Areas. Homer mentions it in the Iliad, when he lists the great cities that supplied troops for the Trojan War. It was one of the greatest cities of Arcadia, and some vestiges of its former strength can still be seen on the northeast shore of Lake Stymphalus.

This lake is not of great extent, and it is even less so now, although it never entirely dries up, contrary to what Pausanias implies, where it seems that this sometimes happened. Its waters are supplied by two streams which flow all the year round; the most important is the fountain of Stymphalus, whose source is near the lake at the foot of Mount Cyllene. After crossing the lake, this stream falls into a katavothron, a chasm, from which it forces its way into an underground channel, and emerges from the earth near Argos, where it forms the source of the river Erasinus, which opens into the Argolic Gulf, near the promontory of Lerna. This physical curiosity is mentioned by various ancient authors, notably by Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, and Pausanias; the underground course of the Stymphalus measures about two hundred stades.

Iphicrates, the Athenian, tried to close the opening through which the lake discharged its excess water, in order to flood the Stymphalian territory; but it is said that divine intervention caused his attempts to fail.

It was at this lake that Heracles performed one of his most difficult labors. It seems that the extirpation of the Stymphalians was complete; the lake now abounds only in wild ducks and other ordinary aquatic game.