Mythology

According to Ancient Greek mythology, the Father of Gods, Dias (“Zeus”>”Zas”), spent his childhood years in the cave of Za, after his departure from Crete and prior to his appearance before his father Cronos, with the known wily way staged by his mother Rea.

This relation of Naxos with Crete does not end in mythology (see also the abandoning of Ariadne by Theseus in Naxos), but continues even to modern times (see migration of 1669, Cretan refugees after the unsuccessful revolution of 1824, Kazantzakis’ family in early 1900 (Captain Michalis [Freedom or Death]), etc.).

At the top of the mountain, since ancient times, there is an inscription “ΟΡΟΣ ΔΙΟΣ ΜΗΛΩΣΙΟΥ» (“OROS DIOS MILOSSIOU” –Mountain of Zeus, Guardian of Sheep).

It is surmised that on the top of this mountain first set foot the goddess Artemis, when she arrived at Naxos persecuted by the Giant brothers “Aloades”, who trapped her in the opening left by the two hills converging at the point where today is the small church of the Holy Cross.

The twin Gigantes (Giants) Aloades (Aloadae or Aloidae) were children of the illegal love affair of Ifimedia with her father-in-law god Poseidon, named Otos and Efialtes.

The twins were growing up unnaturally, since, every year, they became one fathom (1.83 meters) taller, and one cubit (75 centimeters) fatter.

This rather vindicates those who believed that the Aloades were children of Gaia, and Ifimedia was just a surrogate mother.
According to the oracle, there was no way for them to die, but only by extinguishing each other.

When they were nine years old, they fell in love with two goddesses, Otos with Artemis and Efialtes with Hera, and, in order to be able to reach their loved ones at the top of mount Olympos (Olympus), they put Mount Pelio on top of Mount Ossa (Mount Kissavos).

The two goddesses were annoyed by the pressure that the children applied, and they were looking for a way to get rid of them.
Apollon advised his sister, and she, following his proposal, sent a message to Oto that the feelings were mutual, and she invited him to meet in Naxos.

Efialtes thought that the invitation came also from Hera, so he followed his brother. When they arrived at Naxos, he found out that it was not so. Efialtes, then, decided to claim Artemis from Oto.
A dispute between the two brothers followed, when Artemis, following the plan of her brother, transformed into a deer and stood between them. The brothers stretched their bows to hit it, the transformed into a deer goddess disappeared, and the two brothers killed each other.

It is surmised that the episode of the mutual extermination took place in the opening that is created between the two hills that lead to the point where the small church of The Holy Cross is, since it is logical that Artemis started descending from the peak of Za, and the two brothers followed to try to wedge her between the two hills.