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Sphakia – The Vampires
Les habitants de Spachia . . . surpassent tous les autres en courage et en adresse a
manier les armes. Car ils sont des hommes rudes, mal polis et presque savvages, qui
sont accoûtumez a vivre de pirateries et de brigandages.
Dapper
When travellers and historians speak with awe of the Sphakians -
Sfacchioti popoli bellicosi - they are referring not only to the inhabitants
of the town, but also of the mountain villages, Anopolis, Imbros,
Askyphou and the rest. This awe has called forth tributes from all who
have come in contact with them – to the purity of their blood, the
nobility of their bearing, their bravery, beauty, and skill at shooting
the bow. Sphakia was the centre of the blood feud, of marriage by
abduction, of sheep stealing and lawlessness.
When God made the earth, they say, he distributed to each place its
own product – olives to Selino, vines to Kissamos, wheat to the Messara,
oranges to Canea, and so forth, until all his good gifts were gone, and
nothing remained for Sphakia but the dry stones. The Sphakians
therefore paraded before the Creator and asked him angrily how they
were expected to live off these rocks. He answered, you’ve got brains,
haven’t you ? Can’t you see that all these people down in the plains
are working to grow all these splendid products for your benefit? The
Sphakians accepted this. As a result they have been disliked by their
own countrymen as well as by the foreigners.
The Sphakians were different because in their easily guarded
mountains they were less liable to Roman, Arab, Venetian and Turkish
contamination than others. But even they did not avoid it entirely. Of
recent years, with the increase of movement from place to place, they
have become less and less distinct from other Cretans. Nowadays, for
instance, one rarely hears the prevalent r sound (instead of l) which
used to be a feature of the dialect. But even now there is something
tough about Sphakia. As recently as 1948 two whole villages, Lakki
and Samaria in the gorge, were involved in a vendetta with each other.
The Sphakians are a credulous, godfearing people. Their shepherds
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