Pytheas and his Tales on Thule - Big Fire

Pytheas was a famous Greek explorer and navigator who lived in the 4th century BC. He is best known for his journey in the northern Atlantic Ocean, which took him as far as the British Isles, the coasts of Scandinavia, and according to some sources, even Greenland and Iceland.

Furthermore, Pytheas told of a legendary place called Thule, which he discovered during one of his voyages. According to Pytheas' account, Thule was situated beyond the Pillars of Hercules, which is the Strait of Gibraltar that marked the limit of the known world for the ancient Greeks, and was inhabited by a happy and peaceful population. Pytheas also recounted that in Thule, the day and night lasted for six months each. It is possible that Pytheas was referring to the polar region, where during the summer the sun never sets and during the winter it never rises.

Pytheas mentions a sea known as the "congealed sea" or "sea of solid ice" (in Latin "mare concretum"), which is one day's journey from Thule. Pytheas seems to have been the first to describe this strange and eerie natural feature, which he encountered during his journey in the northern Atlantic Ocean. According to Pytheas, this sea of solid ice was so dense and thick that navigators could walk and even drive their horses and carts on it. Pytheas also observed that the surface of the sea of solid ice extended for more than five days' journey by boat.

In his account, Pytheas claims that the land of Thule was located six days' journey to the north of Great Britain.

The exact identification of the location of Thule described by Pytheas is still a subject of debate among scholars, as Pytheas' account does not provide precise geographic details and may have been influenced by legends and myths. Some scholars have suggested that Thule may have been Iceland, the Shetland Islands, or even Norway, while others have criticized the credibility of Pytheas' account based on these vague and imprecise pieces of information.

Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer and naturalist of the 1st century AD, mentions Pytheas' account of the land of Tule in his work "Naturalis Historia." However, Pliny seems to be skeptical of Pytheas' claims and emphasizes that many of the information he provided about the land of Tule seemed unbelievable.

In particular, Pliny criticizes Pytheas' description of days and nights lasting for six months, suggesting that such a duration of day and night would have been impossible in most regions of the world. Pliny also highlights that Pytheas does not provide much detailed information about the geography, culture, or population of the land of Tule, suggesting that the account may have been influenced by legends or fantasies.

The question that arises is how Pytheas knew that the day and night lasted for six months in this place. If the place he visited was actually Iceland, Norway, or any other location, how was this characteristic of six months of darkness and light possible? This characteristic is found in the polar regions. Was Pytheas really in one of the poles, or did he only hear about Thule from the people he encountered in the north?