Boebeis Lake (Βοιβηΐς λίμνη, Βοιβία λίμνη, and Βοιβιάς λίμνη) was a lake of Magnesia in

ancient Thessaly Thessaly or Thessalia (Attic Greek: , ''Thessalía'' or , ''Thettalía'') was one of the traditional regions of Ancient Greece. During the Mycenaean period, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, a name that continued to be used for one of the major tribes ...

, mentioned by

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

, and named for the town ( Boebe) on its southeastern shore. The lake is frequently mentioned by the ancient writers. It received the rivers

Onchestus Onchestos or Onchestus ( el, Ογχηστός) was a Greek town in ancient Boeotia northwest of Thebes. In ancient times it was famous for its sanctuary of Poseidon. The site has been excavated intermittently since the 1960s. It was in the terri ...

, Amyrus, and several smaller streams, but had no outlet for its waters. From its proximity to Mount Ossa, it is called "Ossaea Boebeis" by

Lucan Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November 39 AD – 30 April 65 AD), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba (modern-day Córdoba), in Hispania Baetica. He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imperial ...

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

is said to have bathed her feet in its waters, which is perhaps the reason why

Propertius Sextus Propertius was a Latin elegiac poet of the Augustan age. He was born around 50–45 BC in Assisium and died shortly after 15 BC. Propertius' surviving work comprises four books of ''Elegies'' ('). He was a friend of the poets Gallus a ...

speaks of "sanctae Boebeidos undae."

, 2.2.11. The lake was a long narrow piece of water, and is now called

Lake Karla Lake Karla ( el, Λίμνη Κάρλα) is a lake that sits at above sea level making it the only one in the plain of Thessaly. The lake is located at the northern end of the Magnesia regional unit in the Pineios basin, adjacent to Pelion and t ...

from a village which has disappeared.

References

Lakes of Greece Geography of ancient Thessaly Locations in the Iliad Ancient Magnesia {{Greece-lake-stub