Thule, << THOO lee, >> was a name given to a remote northern land by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Greek explorer Pytheas visited Thule before 300 B.C. He described it as north of Britain and near the frozen sea. In Thule, according to Pytheas, the sun did not set in midsummer and did not rise in midwinter. Some scholars believe he was speaking of Norway or Iceland. Others think Thule was one of the Shetland Islands. Some Roman writers called the land Ultima Thule, meaning most distant Thule. Today, the term Ultima Thule is used to mean any distant place or goal.
