Travelling through Ancient Greece was never going to be dull. However, right now we're going to do as Gabrielle would suggest and take time to smell the roses. So put on your best pair of walking boots & take in the scenery as we stroll through the Natural World.

Why Study the Natural World?

That's no campfire in the distance in "Tsunami". Nature surrounds Xena and Gabrielle, and thereby governs their actions. In "Lost Mariner", stormy seas wrecked the merchant ship on which they were traveling. In "Tsunami", an erupting volcano caused the tidal wave that capsized the ship with Xena, Gabrielle, and Autolycus aboard.

Nature provides a focus for the story. In "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", fierce wolves chase Joxer, who is carrying the head of Orpheus, mortal enemy of the Bacchae. Later as Joxer slept, a wolf spider stalks him. According to Joxer, the wolves and the spider were Bacchae sent to kill him. In "The Quill Is Mightier...", Xena saves the day by flinging fish at the attacking army. She goes fishing again in "Fins, Femmes And Gems". When Xena finally catches the 'big one', she resolves an important issue in her relationship with her younger brother, Lyceus. One of the subplots of "In Sickness And In Hell" focuses on Xena's head lice and Gabrielle's fungus infection.

Nature sets a mood for the story. The snowy mountains, with their air of bleakness, mirrors Gabrielle's grief in "Destiny", and Xena's despair in "The Bitter Suite". The sunny beaches reflect Xena's joy when she reunites with Gabrielle in "Ten Little Warlords", "Lost Mariner", "The Bitter Suite", and "Tsunami". Although both parts of "Adventures In The Sin Trade" were set in Siberia, the mood of each dramatically differed. The overcast sky of Part I complemented the brooding Xena, while the bright sky of Part II reflected her joy. Nature anchors a story by giving it a sense of place. Xena's romance with Julius Caesar occurs aboard her ship. In "Destiny", Xena's small ship sailing in the vast sea gives a sense of immediacy to her infatuation, and subtly alludes to her zeal for total command. Small details can give depth to a story. For example, bottlenose dolphins follow Xena's ship, their sociability contrasting with Xena's aloneness.

As Alti and the `old' Xena stroll through the woods, spirits of darkness lurk among the pines and larches "Adventures In The Sin Trade". In contrast, the wide vistas of the steppes offer safety to the young Amazons and Xena. Open skies and dark pines heighten Xena and Alti's conflict.

The Devil is In the Details Flora and fauna can enhance a story. However, if any of these natural details are wrong, the story will suffer. If Xena catches rainbow trout or Gabrielle throws tomatoes at Julius Caesar, the story will be in jeopardy of being invalid, for tomatoes and trout are from North America. Likewise, a Nile crocodile menacing Gabrielle while she is bathing would distract from the story. Different animals evoke moods that enhance the story. Bison herds enkindle a romantic American Western past. Because an elephant symbolizes the Hindu God Ganesha, the Indian elephant evokes holiness. Meanwhile, wild elephants of Africa call forth feelings of freedom. If Xena and Gabrielle see elephants, they are either in South Asia or in Rome watching the elephant battles at the Colosseum. However, if they pass an American bison grazing on the Grecian lowlands, the incongruity of the bison would distract from the plot of the story.

Killer Bunnies and Flesh-eating Crabs

At least he didn't say 'I'm late!'. The 'sabertooth' bunny attack of "In Sickness And In Hell" reminds one of President Jimmy Carter fending off the killer rabbit on his ill-fated boating trip. People laughed when he reported his epic battle. The idea is still ludicrous in a story about retrieving a lost horse and defending a town. How does adding a killer rabbit add to the plot? The sequence with Gabrielle and the rabbit overwhelmed the storytelling.

A similar incident occurs in "The Black Wolf". Gabrielle throws tomatoes at the guards. Many viewers remember the tomatoes but may have forgotten her reasons for throwing them. What did throwing tomatoes add to the story that throwing eggs could not? The detail of the eggs would have blended into the story and little noted. Shore crabs do nip people when poked and prodded. Some do shred their food before eating. The velvet swimming crab, which is the only ferocious tidal crab that could do serious harm, will only attack if its territory is invaded. But the viewers are required to believe that crabs `killed' Thelassa in "Locked Up And Tied Down". Lobsters, which could possibly kill a person, live in deeper, colder waters.

Of Rats and Sharks

"Locked Up And Tied Down" relies on two common animal myths -- the scariness of sharks and the ferociousness of rats. The prison is on Shark Island, thereby making it difficult for anyone to escape. Images of great white sharks circling the island come to mind. Actually the shark responsible for most human deaths is the bull shark, which is not found in the Mediterranean Sea. Rats swarm around Xena, and climb on her hair. Terrified, she growls at them, and they scurry away. Like all rodents, rats must gnaw to keep their teeth from growing too long. The rats that plagued Xena are the more robust Norway rats which arrived in Europe in the 1700's. A better choice to menace Xena would have been the shrew. Ferocious and often hungry, a shrew is quick to attack other animals. One would not back off from a growling Xena, but would bite her on the nose.

The Land And The Sea

The Geography of Greece Greece has a diverse topography - rugged mountains in the north, a fertile plain that runs into the central mountains, and dry southern plains. The mountains extend fingers into the sea, isolating the narrow valleys. A multitude of islands surround the ragged mainland. The climate of Greece is Mediterranean Subtropical. Summers in the lowland plains are hot and dry, with clear and cloudless skies. The rains come in the wintertime. In contrast, summers in the mountains are rainy and cool, and the winters are snowy and cold. Xena: Warrior Princess (XWP) takes place in Pre-Mycenaean Greece. The ecology of that Greece is different from that of modern Greece. Before humans clear-cut the hillsides for wood, the mountains were heavily forested. Lions and pigmy elephants roamed the wet plains until people hunted them to extinction. The city of Troy was inundated with streams until the Trojans built canals to control floods and to supply drinking water.

The Mediterranean Sea "A lake when the gods are kind, and an ocean when they are spiteful." -- Ancient Greek adage. Running from Tunisia to Sicily, the highest sea ridge in the Mediterranean divides the sea into two halves - the Eastern and Western Basins. The deepest trench of the Mediterranean Sea lies near southwestern Greece. Tarses of Cyros probably hid the statue of Pax in this particular sea trench ("Vanishing Act"). Pinched off at the Straits of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean has tides less than three feet, and sea currents that run counter-clockwise. Charybdis, the whirlpool featured in "Lost Mariner", is believed to be the Strait of Messina. Twenty miles (32 km) long and five miles wide (8 km), the strait lies between Italy and Sicily. Three small tectonic plates converge in the Grecian islands. The Ionian plate, southeast of Greece, is subducting under the Aegean plate, which includes all of Greece. Meanwhile, the Aegean plate is grinding by the Turkish plate in the west. The activity of these plates causes earthquakes and volcanoes in the Grecian area. In "Tsunami", an erupting volcano starts earthquakes deep in the earth, which then created the tidal wave.

Flora Of Ancient Greece

Trees In "The Price", Gabrielle relates her ideas on evolution to Xena while they fish. She tells a skeptical Xena that humankind came from fish that walked out of the water and breathed the air. Suddenly their fishing line goes taut, and a dying man lunges out of the river. Frightened, Xena and Gabrielle flee. With a feeling of menace, the sunless forest closes in on Xena and Gabrielle who are furiously paddling down the river. Trees which they could encounter: Laurel: Used as an astringent, bay laurel grows in thickets and rocky places. According to Greek myth, Apollo, the god of music, relentlessly pursued Daphne, a daughter of the river god, Penus, through the woods. In desperation, Daphne called upon her father, who then changed her into a laurel tree. In his grief, Apollo made the laurel his sacred tree. Myrtle: The tree of the goddess of love, the myrtle has dark green leaves, white flowers, and purple-black berries. To honor Aphrodite, a bride would bedeck her bridal bed with myrtle leaves. Oak: The King of the gods, Zeus reveals his will by the rustling of leaves on oak trees. Native Grecian varieties of the oak include the Algerian oak, with its short rounded leaves and dark hairy acorns, and the Turkish oak, with its long rounded leaves and long slender acorns. The holly oak of the scrublands has black rough bark and holly-like leaves. Strawberry Tree: An evergreen shrub, the Greek strawberry tree prefers rocky slopes and lime soils. Noted for its beautiful peeling bark, this tree bears small red berries and creamy white flowers. The fruit of the strawberry tree ripens in a year. Other Trees Of Note: To be safe from lightning, Greeks planted beach trees around their houses. To keep the bed bugs away, they stuffed the leaves into their mattresses. A shade tree, the elm provided bark for a burn ointment. For kidney problems, the ancient Greeks used the fruits and flowers of the hawthorn.

Flowers In "Blind Faith", the oil of poison sumac blinds Xena; however, Egyptian senna restores her eyesight. A Persian shoots Gabrielle with an arrow dipped in poison in "One Against An Army". Later, Xena kills another Persian for the antidote. Gabrielle desperately seeks a cure for her fungus infection ["In Sickness And In Hell"). Flowers which they could encounter: Anemones: Named for the Greek wind god, Anemos, the anemone heralded spring. These purple-bluebell flowers were used to cure gout, leprosy, and colds. Bee Orchid: The Mediterranean is host to a very specialized group of orchids. These orchids resemble female insects (i.e. wasps, bees, flies) to attract the male which tries to mate with the flower. Getting that flower's pollen on its head, the male insect unwittingly spreads the pollen to another flower. Betony: One Greek legend relates how Chiron the Centaur discovered betony, the magical herb. Since the Greeks believed that this herb cured all ills, they sowed betony around their houses. Wild betony is found in the hilly regions of the eastern Mediterranean. Iris: The Greeks regarded the iris to be the sacred plant of the goddess of the rainbow. Wild iris grows in the eastern Mediterranean. For coughs, cold, and stomach upsets, the Greeks drank the root with honey, vinegar, and wine. Yarrow: The Greek Hero, Achilles treated battlefield wounds with yarrow. The juice was for healing sores and rashes. Taken internally, yarrow was to combat fever and respiratory infections. Other Plants Of Note: A hair dye, Egyptian henna is also used in plasters to cure skin diseases such as acne, boils, and fungal infections. Unfortunately for Gabrielle, Egyptian henna was not available. However, she could have used common mugwort as a cure. Mugwort was the popular choice of Roman centurions on long marches. For sprains and bruises, the Greeks used the juice from the foxglove. For the disorders of the heart - physical and emotional, Greek doctors treated their patients with lemon balm. Garlands of roses were worn to cure headaches.

Arthropoda (Jointed Legged Animals) of Greece Insects While paying for their lodging, Xena and Gabrielle never noticed that their dinars had ants on them. The ancient Greeks embossed insects on their coins: beetles, bees, scorpions, butterflies, cicadas, ants, grasshoppers, and preying mantises. The stag beetle on coins represented Zeus. The honeybee, the sacred symbol of Artemis, was on coins minted in Ephesus, the center of worship for the goddess of the hunt. Grasshoppers refer to Hercules freeing Mt. Oeta of locusts. Two insects important to the ecosystem of Greece were also featured: the dung beetle and the swallowtail butterfly. Spiders

Xena rescues Joxer from the scary spider in "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". Xena stabs the ground next to Joxer, shouting, "Spider. SAND SPIDER!" Joxer starts awake when he sees a large hairy spider crawling towards him. This spider is actually a wolf spider. ("Girls Just Wanna Have Fun") Spiders which they could encounter: Wolf Spider: With its eight eyes, this spider spies a far off victim, and slowly creeps toward it. Then in a burst of speed, the wolf spider leaps on its prey, and pierces the victim with its fangs. However, if the prey is inert, such as a sleeping Joxer, the wolf spider simply ignores it. True Tarantula: A relative of the wolf spider, true tarantulas have a poisonous bite, but are not dangerous. Shy and retiring, the true tarantula prefers to live in its earthen burrow. To capture prey, this spider leaps from behind the trap door of its burrow. Jumping Spider: People find these small spiders, with their large front eyes in the center of their faces, endearing. Because these spiders hunt by leaping, they are named `jumping spiders'. Gabrielle could persuade this fearless spider to jump on to her outstretched finger, where the spider will eye her with interest.

Argo Xena's loyal and trusty steed, Argo who is referred to as "he" in one episode! She responds to Xena's whistles and appears to understand every word spoken to her. Her greatest moment of sacrifice comes when she refuses to help tear Xena's body to pieces (see "The Greater Good") even though she is being mercilessly whipped. Argo is played by Aztec, Honey, Tilly and Mac. Tilly is used for riding and standing sequences, Aztec for rearing, Honey for running and kicking and Mac is the stand-in. Whilst Xena and Gabrielle were encased in ice for 25 years, Joxer took care of Argo until she died of old age (see "Livia"). Argo II After breaking the sad news of Argo's death to Xena, Joxer tells her that Argo has had a baby foal whom he has named Argo II. She is briefly seen in "Livia".

Solaris The huge salmon that Xena and her brother Lyceus tried but failed to catch when they were children. In "Fins, Femmes and Gems", Xena gets a second chance. Although she manages to snag him, he is thrown into the heavens and becomes a constellation. Fishing Xena fishes a lot. Sometimes she's obsessed with fishing (see "Fins, Femmes and Gems") and seems to be able to catch anything, using the most unusual of methods (see "A Day In The Life"). She also seems to be quite handy at using her hard-earned bounty as weapons of war (see "The Quill Is Mightier").

Demon In "The Way", Xena captures a demon who was following her and Gabrielle. The demon holds black insects in its palm and blows them onto the ground where they all turn into demons. After the fight, Xena still has the demon pinned to the ground. He tells her that he and the other demons have been sent to stop her from reaching the Avatar. After further interrogation, the demon reveals that it was Indrajit, the King of Demons who sent them. The demon then burrows itself into the sand, turning into an insect. Xena steps on it before walking away.

Centaurs Centaurs are mythological beasts. They were said to be half man and half horse and to have dwelt in ancient Thessaly. Centaurs appear for the first time in the episode "Hooves And Harlots", as the sworn enemies of the Amazons. We later discover that Xena left her son, Solan with the Centaurs in order for him to be raised in a stable (no pun intended) environment. Centaurs also appear in the episodes "Orphan Of War", "Maternal Instincts" and "Past Imperfect". Notable Centaurs are Tyldus, his son Phantes (who later married Ephiny) and Kaleipus. Xena's centaur enemy to whom Xena offered her child, Solan, son of Borias in order to prevent him from becoming a target of her enemies. Kaleipus raises Solan as his own child and is unwilling to let Xena take him away when she comes to claim her son in "Orphan of War". However, Xena has a change of heart and decides not to tell Solan she is his mother. Later, in 'Maternal Instincts' Xena returns to Kaleipus' village and reassures him that she does not intend to take Solan away from him. However, during Xena's visit, Callisto is released from the lava flow she had been trapped in and she and Hope wreak havoc on the village. Kaleipus is mortally wounded by Hope and when Xena and Gabrielle find him barely alive in the woods, he tries to tell them that it was Hope who attacked him. Xena, however, cannot make out what he is saying and Kaleipus dies soon afterwards.

Dryads According to Greek legend, dryads were tree nymphs. However, in "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", we are informed that their bones are the only things capable of killing the Bacchae. Interestingly, Classical Greek myth tells us that Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus, was actually a dryad.

Titans In Greek mythology they were the children of Ouranos and Gaia and possessed great height and strength. These older gods ruled before the Olympians but were overthrown by Zeus. In Xena, three of the Titans (Crias, Hyperion and Theia) were released from stone by Gabrielle (see "The Titans"). Crias was slain by Hyperion, who, along with Theia, was eventually turned back into stone. Prometheus was also a Titan and was responsible for giving the gifts of fire and healing to humankind. Other notable Titans were Atlas, Cronos, Gaia and Mnemosyne.

The Horde The Horde are a vicious tribe who managed to defeat Xena's army in the past. Her men had been tortured as they were skinned; all that was left of them was bones stripped of flesh. They appear to be ruthless and inhuman, and, in response, Xena takes a no-nonsense approach, vowing to 'kill them all' (see "The Price"). However, in "Daughter Of Pomira", we see a different side to this group of people and learn more of their ways. In particular, the focus is on Cirvik and his reaction to the loss of Pilee, his adopted daughter. Xena also discovers that the Horde's name for themselves is Pomira which means 'the People'. She begins to question her beliefs and prejudices about these people and finally allows Pilee to make her own decision about whether to return to the tribe or stay with her real family. This has the effect of bringing a tentative peace between the villagers and the Pomira.

Giants Very tall and immensely strong, giants have one weak spot: the point on their forehead between the eyes. Xena says of giants that they "leave their dead above ground - it's a sign of honour." A giants' graveyard is featured in "Giant Killer". The giant of this episode is Goliath. He is a friend of Xena and once saved Xena's life but his family were killed whilst he was rescuing her. In "Giant Killer", he is fighting for the Philistines against the Israelites, intending to use his pay to track down his family's killer. He is then slain by David, after Xena gets Goliath to remove his helmet, thus revealing his weak spot. A second giant appears in the episode "A Day In The Life". This is Gareth, who killed Goliath's family ten years ago. Xena says he's "only the biggest and meanest giant who ever walked the earth." She gets to avenge Goliath's family when she kills Gareth to prevent him from flattening the village of Laurel. She uses her 'Flying Parchment' to attract a lightning bolt and turn Gareth into toast.