Saturday, July 26th, 2008
The Delphic Oracle
The Delphic Oracle
The Delphic Oracle is one of the earliest stories in classical antiquity of spiritual readings
abilities. The Pythia, the priestess presiding over the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi,
was believed to be able to deliver prophecies inspired by Apollo during rituals
beginning in the 8th century BC. It is often said that the Pythia delivered Oracles
in a frenzied state induced by vapors rising from the ground, and that she spoke
gibberish, believed to be the voice of Apollo, which priests reshaped into the
enigmatic prophecies preserved in Greek literature.
Other scholars believe records from the time indicate that the Pythia spoke intelligibly, and gave prophecies in
her own voice. The Pythia was a position served by a succession of women probably
selected from amongst a guild of priestesses of the temple. The last recorded
response was given in 393 AD, when the emperor - Theodosius I - ordered pagan temples to
cease operation. Recent geological investigations raise the possibility that
ethylene gas caused the Pythia’s state of inspiration.
Popularity: 42% [?]
Please leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.