The Cephissus ( grc, Κήφισσος), called the Boeotian Cephissus to distinguish it from other rivers of the same name, or Kifisos ( el, Βοιωτικός Κηφισός) is a river in central Greece. Its drainage basin is . In Greek mythology, the river god Cephissus was associated with this river. The river rises at

Lilaia In Greek mythology, Lilaea or Lilaia (Ancient Greek: Λίλαια) may refer to two different women: * Lilaea, a Naiad of a spring of the same name. She was the daughter of the river god Cephissus. The ancient ''polis'' of Lilaea, and the modern ...

in Phocis, on the northwestern slope of Mount Parnassus. It flows east through the Boeotian plain, passing the towns Amfikleia,

Kato Tithorea Kato Tithorea ( el, Κάτω Τιθορέα, ) is a town in Phthiotis, in central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Amfikleia-Elateia, of which it is the seat. It has a population 1,841 according to the 2 ...

and Orchomenos. It drained into Lake Copais, which was therefore also called the Cephisian Lake, until 1887, when the lake was drained. An artificial outflow has been created to Lake Yliki (ancient Hylice), further east. Pausanias records a Theban tradition that the river Cephissus formerly flowed under a mountain and entered the sea until Heracles blocked the passage and diverted the water into the Orchomenian plain. Pausanias also says that the Lilaeans on certain days threw cakes and other customary items into the spring of the Cephissus and that they would reappear in the

Castalian Spring The Castalian Spring, in the ravine between the Phaedriades at Delphi, is where all visitors to Delphi — the contestants in the Pythian Games, and especially pilgrims who came to consult the Delphic Oracle — stopped to wash themselv ...

. Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' 10.8.1 The Cephissus valley is of strategic importance, connecting northern Greece via the passes of Mount Oeta and Mount Kallidromo (including Thermopylae) to southern Greece and the

Gulf of Corinth The Gulf of Corinth or the Corinthian Gulf ( el, Κορινθιακός Kόλπος, ''Korinthiakόs Kόlpos'', ) is a deep inlet of the Ionian Sea, separating the Peloponnese from western mainland Greece. It is bounded in the east by the Isth ...

. As a result, in the Frankish period a chain of forts and watchtowers was established along its course by the rulers of the Duchy of Athens.

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Landforms of Boeotia Rivers of Central Greece Rivers of Greece {{Greece-river-stub