[Themis as the Oracle answers Aegeus. Attic red-figure kylix, 440–430 BC. From Vulci.]
[Source: Wikimedia Commons]
[Source: Wikimedia Commons]
The Oracle at Delphi, known as the Pythia, is probably the most famous and respected oracle in the Ancient Greek world.* People came from all over Greece, the surrounding lands, and later from Rome, Egypt, and even farther away to ask the advice of the Oracle on the seventh day of each of the nine warm months of the year. Apollo was said to abandon Delphi in the cold months.**
The people who came to the Pythia were not asking for nebulous predictions of the future. They generally had specific questions about what they should or should not do. Should we set up a settlement in a particular place? Should I make war on this or that group of people? These were some of the most common sorts of questions.
The people who came to the Pythia were not asking for nebulous predictions of the future. They generally had specific questions about what they should or should not do. Should we set up a settlement in a particular place? Should I make war on this or that group of people? These were some of the most common sorts of questions.
[Pythia, 1870, Marcello (actually Adèle d'Affry, Duchess of Castiglione-Colonna]
[Source: Wikimedia Commons]
[Source: Wikimedia Commons]
Two things about the Pythia remain unclear: who could be the Oracle and whether hallucinogenic fumes rising from a crack in the floor were the cause of her trances. Some scholars claim that the Pythia was originally always a virgin priestess but that later the decision was made to only have older, married women. Others argue that a priestess of any age and marital status could become the Pythia. What we do know for sure is that social rank did not play much if any role in selecting the new Oracle and when a woman took on the position, she left behind all familial ties.
The other debate is more hotly contested. The original excavations led to the widely accepted idea that the prophecies could have no connection to hallucinogenic gasses because there was no source for them. This was proven wrong when geologists discovered two different faults that intersect under the ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. These could easily have released ethylene, which has been known to cause trance states, up into the Temple. Ethylene, however, does not cause one to speak in gibberish, nor do the ancient sources give any support for this theory. The Pythia spoke in her own voice.
*It wasn’t, however, the only one. Other important Greek oracles include the shrine to Dione (who is also identified with Rhea and Gaia) and Zeus at Dodona, the shrine to Trophonius at Lebadaea in Boeotia, and several others at various shrines to Apollo.
**It makes one wonder how many people drew a connection or parallel with Demeter here.
The other debate is more hotly contested. The original excavations led to the widely accepted idea that the prophecies could have no connection to hallucinogenic gasses because there was no source for them. This was proven wrong when geologists discovered two different faults that intersect under the ruins of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. These could easily have released ethylene, which has been known to cause trance states, up into the Temple. Ethylene, however, does not cause one to speak in gibberish, nor do the ancient sources give any support for this theory. The Pythia spoke in her own voice.
*It wasn’t, however, the only one. Other important Greek oracles include the shrine to Dione (who is also identified with Rhea and Gaia) and Zeus at Dodona, the shrine to Trophonius at Lebadaea in Boeotia, and several others at various shrines to Apollo.
**It makes one wonder how many people drew a connection or parallel with Demeter here.
Sources/Further Reading:
The Pythia - Priestess of Ancient Delphi - Ancient History Encyclopedia
Pythia - Wikipedia
List of oracular statements from Delphi - Wikipedia
The Oracle of Delphi--Was She Really Stoned? - Biblical Archaeology Society
Delphic Oracle's Lips May Have Been Loosened by Gas Vapors - National Geographic
The Pythia - Priestess of Ancient Delphi - Ancient History Encyclopedia
Pythia - Wikipedia
List of oracular statements from Delphi - Wikipedia
The Oracle of Delphi--Was She Really Stoned? - Biblical Archaeology Society
Delphic Oracle's Lips May Have Been Loosened by Gas Vapors - National Geographic
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