Delphic Oracle Sparknotes
Most of the information about the history and the origins of the Delphic Oracle comes from the work of Parke and Wormell, which is considered to be the most representative on this field; this does not mean that work of other scholars is not being presented.
To begin with, according to an ancient myth, one day Zeus wanted to determine the exact centre of the earth. So, he released two eagles from opposite ends of the world. The place where the two eagles would meet would be the centre of the earth, the omphalos or the navel of Gaia. And this place was Delphi, on the south – western spur of mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis, in Greece.
Ancient Greek literature gives us information about the foundation of the Oracle. In particular, the …show more content…
Homeric Hymn to Apollo describes how Apollo went through the earth looking for a central Oracle for humans. First he arranges the accurate place of his temple and then, at a fair – flowing spring beside it he kills a female serpent. The name of this place – Pytho - was believed to come from the rotting corpse of the serpent. In this hymn, there is no information about the way that the god gave prophesies, but if one considers the settlement of Cretan travellers there who acted like priests, it is possibly implied that Apollo gave prophesies from his laurel tree in the sanctuary and that his utterances were pronounced by his servants. This way of divining reminds us of the way the Oracle at Dodona worked, through a sacred oak tree.
Apart from this hymn, Aeschylus also presents his own version of the foundation of the Delphic Oracle.
His work Eumenides begins with the Priestess of Apollo praying before entering the sanctuary. After that, she narrates how Apollo came from Delos to occupy his temple, in peaceful mood. Here there is no mention of previous owners of the place, not of monstrous serpent that the god had to slay in order to be the ultimate ruler. As Parke observes, «this account is chosen by Aeschylus because it exactly suits the tone of his play.» The main theme of the play is the triumph of law over violence and therefore, Apollo’s slaying of the serpent and the forcible occupation of the shrine by him would seem inappropriate for the prologue.
On the other hand, the violent and forcible occupation of the shrine by Apollo is presented in Euripides’ Iphigenia in Tauris, where the author wishes to glorify Apollo, without exalting his dignity. The Chorus describes how Apollo, still a baby, slaughtered the monstrous serpent, entered the holy shrine and sat on the golden tripod, distributing prophesies from gods to mortals. But when Apollo had driven Themis, the daughter of Earth, from the sacred place, Earth decided to take revenge by sending in the night prophetic dreams to humans. Then Apollo asked Zeus for help and he stopped Earth’s dream oracles by restoring Apollo’s domination in the place.
At in all, the myth of Apollo slaying the monstrous serpent underwent various changes and there
was debate in antiquity concerning the place where Apollo came from.
• Archaeology
Archaeology helps us to solve the problem of the origins of the Oracle. Excavations have shown that the place was previously occupied in Late Helladic times. As Parke and Wormell mention, «evidently this mountain shelf, a place not suited by nature for extensive settlement, was already inhabited as early as 1500 BC by a considerable population.» A Minoan object - a limestone vessel in the shape of a lioness’s head - and a few other fragments were found there, but this evidence is not sufficient in order to indicate that there was some kind of ancient worship or cult on the classical site. On the contrary, it seems that the worship was centralized in the cleft of Castalia fountain and close to it there was the shrine of Athena Pronaia, where excavations attest to a continuity of worship from prehellenic times. Thence, all investigations show that the chief deity of the Minoans was a goddess, guardian of the earth and its fruits, who was worshiped especially by women with orgiastic features. This was probably the first and original worship at this place, though most of the literature insists on presenting Apollo as a settler coming from elsewhere and on making Earth his predecessor.
To begin with, according to an ancient myth, one day Zeus wanted to determine the exact centre of the earth. So, he released two eagles from opposite ends of the world. The place where the two eagles would meet would be the centre of the earth, the omphalos or the navel of Gaia. And this place was Delphi, on the south – western spur of mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis, in Greece.
Ancient Greek literature gives us information about the foundation of the Oracle. In particular, the …show more content…
Homeric Hymn to Apollo describes how Apollo went through the earth looking for a central Oracle for humans. First he arranges the accurate place of his temple and then, at a fair – flowing spring beside it he kills a female serpent. The name of this place – Pytho - was believed to come from the rotting corpse of the serpent. In this hymn, there is no information about the way that the god gave prophesies, but if one considers the settlement of Cretan travellers there who acted like priests, it is possibly implied that Apollo gave prophesies from his laurel tree in the sanctuary and that his utterances were pronounced by his servants. This way of divining reminds us of the way the Oracle at Dodona worked, through a sacred oak tree.
Apart from this hymn, Aeschylus also presents his own version of the foundation of the Delphic Oracle.
His work Eumenides begins with the Priestess of Apollo praying before entering the sanctuary. After that, she narrates how Apollo came from Delos to occupy his temple, in peaceful mood. Here there is no mention of previous owners of the place, not of monstrous serpent that the god had to slay in order to be the ultimate ruler. As Parke observes, «this account is chosen by Aeschylus because it exactly suits the tone of his play.» The main theme of the play is the triumph of law over violence and therefore, Apollo’s slaying of the serpent and the forcible occupation of the shrine by him would seem inappropriate for the prologue.
On the other hand, the violent and forcible occupation of the shrine by Apollo is presented in Euripides’ Iphigenia in Tauris, where the author wishes to glorify Apollo, without exalting his dignity. The Chorus describes how Apollo, still a baby, slaughtered the monstrous serpent, entered the holy shrine and sat on the golden tripod, distributing prophesies from gods to mortals. But when Apollo had driven Themis, the daughter of Earth, from the sacred place, Earth decided to take revenge by sending in the night prophetic dreams to humans. Then Apollo asked Zeus for help and he stopped Earth’s dream oracles by restoring Apollo’s domination in the place.
At in all, the myth of Apollo slaying the monstrous serpent underwent various changes and there
was debate in antiquity concerning the place where Apollo came from.
• Archaeology
Archaeology helps us to solve the problem of the origins of the Oracle. Excavations have shown that the place was previously occupied in Late Helladic times. As Parke and Wormell mention, «evidently this mountain shelf, a place not suited by nature for extensive settlement, was already inhabited as early as 1500 BC by a considerable population.» A Minoan object - a limestone vessel in the shape of a lioness’s head - and a few other fragments were found there, but this evidence is not sufficient in order to indicate that there was some kind of ancient worship or cult on the classical site. On the contrary, it seems that the worship was centralized in the cleft of Castalia fountain and close to it there was the shrine of Athena Pronaia, where excavations attest to a continuity of worship from prehellenic times. Thence, all investigations show that the chief deity of the Minoans was a goddess, guardian of the earth and its fruits, who was worshiped especially by women with orgiastic features. This was probably the first and original worship at this place, though most of the literature insists on presenting Apollo as a settler coming from elsewhere and on making Earth his predecessor.