The History and Myths of Delphi and the Oracle

by Rebecca Stone


Many people know of the myths and legends of the ancient city of Delphi. That the Oracle of Apollo used divine power to answer the question of the person willing to travel to the mountainside sanctuary on Mount Parnassus. Questions from the prediction of the outcome of a certain war, to whether their child would reach old age were asked. The Oracle gave vague, riddled and cryptic answers which were often misinterpreted.

Delphi was a religious sanctuary, sacred to the God Apollo. Originally, the sanctuary was named Pytho, after a snake which Apollo was believed to have killed there. Delphi was also considered the centre of the world, for in Greek mythology, Zeus released two eagles, one to the east and another to the west. Delphi was the point at which they met after encircling the world. This is represented by the omphalos which stands outside of Apollo’s temple and marks the spot where Apollo killed the python.

The process of asking a question and receiving an answer was a lengthy one. The Oracle herself (usually called the Pythia or priestess) would first have to perform acts of purification, such as washing the nearby Castalian Spring or burning laurel leaves. Next an animal was sacrificed. This was usually a goat. Finally, whoever wanted to ask the question would present the Pythia with a pelanos (a sort of pie) and would then be allowed to enter the inner temple to receive the long-awaited answer to their question. Above all this, predictions only occurred on certain days per year. The Oracle usually presented her answers in a drug or natural-gas induced state of ecstasy. 

  

Probably one of the most famous stories of Delphi was that of the King Croesus. Croesus was the king of Lydia. Faced with war by the Persians, Croesus travelled to Delphi to consult the Oracle on his course of action in this battle. The Oracle, told Croesus that if he went to war with the Persians, a great empire would fall. Reassured by the Oracle’s prediction, Croesus went to war against the mighty Cyrus, king of the Persians. However, the Lydians were routed at Sardis and it was the Lydian empire that fell (also a great empire). This showed that the oracle could easily be misinterpreted by the unwise or over-confident.

Historical research of Delphi has shown that the city did actually suspend a few wars. Although the Oracle herself may be a woman who has inhaled a few too many natural fumes, Delphi itself was a safe-haven and a no-mans-land. No fights between different country men could occur there. Because of this, while waiting to present their pelanos to the Pythia, friendships were made between the different people, even some who were at war. These men went back to their countries and petitioned to resolve the issues between them, because of the friendship they shared while in Delphi.

As well as the Oracle and her predictions, Delphi was also famous for the Panhellenic games, which was a collective term, as the name suggests, for four major sports festivals in ancient Greece. These games were the Olympic and Pythian Games (held every four years), and the Nemean and Isthmian Games (held every two years). Each game honoured a particular god. The Olympic honoured Zeus, as well as the Nemean which also honoured Heracles. The Pythian Games honoured Apollo, and the Isthmian Games honoured Poseidon. Delphi was most famous for hosting the Pythian games. Participants could come from all over the Greek world, including the various Greek colonies from Asia Minor to Spain. However, participants probably had to be fairly wealthy in order to pay for training, transportation, lodging, and other expenses. Neither women nor non-Greeks were allowed to participate, except for very occasional later exceptions, such as the Roman emperor Nero.

Today, you can go and see the historical site of the sanctuary on the side of Mount Parnassus, near the Gulf of Corinth. You can walk where Croesus walked and follow the trail along the sacred way, past the Sikyonion, Siphnian, Theban, Athenian and Knidian treasuries, carrying on up to the Sibylline rock and then to the Temple of Apollo, opposite the serpent column of Plataeae. After the Temple of Apollo, the trail carries on up the mountain, past the Sanctuary of Dionysus and the theatre. Outside the southwestern wall stands the gymnasium. This was used by the youths of Delphi for their education and athletic practice. It is constructed on two levels, with a free open space used for running practice on the upper and on the lower the palaestra (exercise yard), the pool and the thermae (baths).

The sanctuary was home to the priestesses predominantly from the end of 7th century BC and they continued to be consulted until the 4th century AD. After this, however, references to the oracle become more sparse, so the specific end date of the sanctuary is unknown.