The beach “Tis Grias to Pidima” in Andros is one of the most famous beaches of the island and the whole of Greece and is located on the southeast coast of the island near Korthi. The beautiful crystal clear waters reflect the golden sunlight like a mirror. The colors on the waves “dance” in perfect harmony, inviting visitors to dive into the water to cool off.

The beach “Tis Grias to Pidima” in Andros, however, is not only known for its wonderful waters. The 15-meter-high rock that is submerged in the sand gave the beach its name and popularity. The way the sea and the strong wind carved this rock, gave it an amazing appearance that makes it unique in all of Greece. From distance, this huge rock looks like a hunched old woman, which was the inspiration for the creation of three very interesting myths behind its name.

The beach “Tis Grias to pidima” in Andros – The three myths

There are many stories behind this special name and three of them seem to stand out. Of course, all three stories have to do with this iconic rock that resembles an old woman.

The first story is about a woman who lost her husband for the third time in her life. When she lost her third husband, she could not bear it and because of her grief, she decided to commit suicide. So she climbed a high rock and jumped. The moment the woman touched the ground, the ground was petrified and thus this huge rock was created.

In the second version of the myth, the point at which the woman commits suicide by jumping off the high cliff has not changed. The difference, however, is that she jumps off the cliff in an attempt to escape from the Turks. When she realizes that she cannot escape from them, she prefers to commit suicide.

The third and most popular version of the myth is essentially a combination of the previous two in terms of Greece’s revolutionary period and the woman’s intense grief. The Turks were therefore looking for a way to invade the castle of Faneromeni. So they sent the old woman with her pregnant daughter to deceive the inhabitants. The old woman managed to enter the castle, and the inhabitants took pity on her. At night she opened the gates of the city and let the Turks in. After the nightmarish bloodshed that followed, the old woman could not stand it and full of remorse she jumped off the steep cliff.