Syvota Bay

I'm not afraid to admit it's been quite the puzzle to discover the true nature of 'the olive tree' Homer mentions, but in May 2018 we tried a different tactic. If something like an olive tree is to be seen in this area, which was supposedly part of Odysseus' kingdom, perhaps it was more easily visible from the other side of the bay. Once we'd found it, we could check whether it could also be seen from the pass later on.

So, a friend and I walked along a path on top of the mountain west of the harbour of Syvota. This was probably the view with which Odysseus was most familiar. Still, there was nothing on the peninsula that could be considered an 'olive tree'.

Rouda bay

Syvota harbor

Cave of the Naïads

Of course! The 'olive tree' isn't a waypoint, the olive tree is the harbour itself! At last, we've found the fabled 'olive tree'!
What a relief, it took a few years finding this feature, but in hindsight, Homer once again described it perfectly.

Cape Lougi

Here is the long-leaved olive at the head of the harbour.

Odyssey Book 13 line 322 Barry B Powell

Then, while we were looking at the entrance to the harbour, 'Athena' came to us: it's so full of bends and twists, doesn't the bay itself resemble a bit the trunk of an olive tree? And doesn't the pointy cape at the entrance have the shape of an olive leaf?

The leaf

The trunk

The root