Stories of Ibiza
As Cyre was taking form, we often talked of Ibiza. The island's combination of ancient knowledge and the 21st-century luxuries of experience and joy were a creative inspiration for all of us. As we sifted through the fragments of mythology we know about the place, we realised that its power to ignite narratives, urban legends, rumours and unconfirmed sightings was another reason for our love for Ibiza travels. Light an Eros candle to dissolve the demands of the day, and let us spin you some tales of one of the world's most storied places.
Five mystical histories of the 'White Island'...
The Sunken City of Atlantis
An uninhabited island off the southwestern coast of Ibiza, much of the island's mythology converges around Es Vedra. Most of the stories reported are sadly urban legends: Es Vedra has in fact no magnetic properties despite its reputation as the third most magnetic place on earth, and the reports of unidentified flying (and swimming) objects and well as gigantic lights and shadows beneath the surface of the water have never been verified. 19th-century priest Don Francisco Palau saw visions of the Virgin Mary there, but only after a sustained period of meditation, surviving only on rainwater. Even Atlantis–a civilisation doomed to sink underwater after losing a battle with the ancient Athenians–is a fiction invented by Plato. But whether because of its appearance of a partially submerged cathedral, or its proximity to a part of Ibiza colonised by hippies and named 'Atlantis' in the sixties, the myths persist, seeming more real than reality as stories often do when passed by word of mouth. Chillingly, this area is avoided by fishermen, who are discouraged by the supernatural tales of this 'triangle of silence'.
Sirens
Es Vedra is also really and truly mentioned in The Odyssey, making an appearance as the home to the sirens that lured ships onto the rocks. Forewarned by Circe, a witch who befriended the crew of the mythical Adrestia, the ship's captain Odysseus had his men row past Es Vedra, ears plugged up with beeswax so as not to hear the sirens calling. Curious to hear the sound himself, he opted to forgo the wax, but take the journey tied to the ship's mast. He begged and pleaded to go to the sirens until the song was out of earshot.
Mesozoic Limestone
One last Es Vedra myth. The small, monolithic island is made of limestone, which is rumoured to have been used to build the Egyptian pyramids. Perhaps another urban legend, but regardless, the metaphysical properties of limestone are vast, as it's a porous rock that takes on the powers of the many crystals that grow from it; among them agate, calcite, dolomite and lapis. Alone, limestone is used in work with the root chakra, for grounding and healing.
Red Soil
Ibiza's richly pigmented, red soil has long been worn in pendants and amulets and continues to be available to this day in small bags worn around the neck. Considered sacred because of its strange ability to forbid the survival of poisonous plants and animals, it can be used in protection rituals to ensure safety from harm. The earth's pigment was also used to paint motifs and symbols around the island's wells, such as the famous 'tree of life' design inside the Font d’en Miquelet.
A Scorpio Island
Astrologists claim that Ibiza is ruled over by Scorpio, the astrological sign most concerned with the esoteric, sex, transformation and death. These last might explain why French seer Nostradamus allegedly predicted that Ibiza would be the only place to survive whatever disaster eventually wipes out the Earth. Ibiza's Scorpio energy could also hint at why visitors to the island come in search of intoxication, extremes and life-changing experiences.
