Visiting the Oracle

Monday, June 21st, 2010

We left the hotel this morning around 9 o’clock to make our way to the ruins of Delphi. Delphi was in my opinion was one of the most spectacular archeological sites we have seen thus far. I’d say Pergamum is the only other sight that compared when it came to the number and quality of the ruins and location. Ancient Delphi is located high up in the mountain side between what was referred to in ancient times as the shining rocks. In more recent legends, Greeks say that the divide in the rocks at Delphi is where Noah’s ark struck. Delphi was home to the sanctuary of Apollo, where in ancient times people would travel great distances to come make offerings to Apollo and receive advice from the oracle of Delphi, perhaps one of the most famous oracles of ancient times. People would approach the city and walk by the Temple of Athena, and then they would cleanse themselves in the Kastalia spring, and paid a set tribute (tax or fee) before making their way into the upper terraces of the city. Along the route there were hundreds of statues and treasure houses from all the great civilizations (i.e. the Athenians, Kings of Argos, the Sicyonians, etc.) and wealthy prominent individuals from the time. Once individuals reached the Temple, they would wait for the Priest to bring the 12 goats. The Priest would then wash the goats in the Sacred Well to prepare them for sacrifice, and if the goats shivered it was taken as a sign that the God was present, but if the goats made no motion, it was taken to mean that the God was elsewhere. Then if the God was present the individual posed their question to the Priest who went into the Temple and down to the level where the Pythia, the priestess of the shrine, dwelled, who had been inhaling various gasses and was in a high state of elation. The Priest then posed the individuals question to the Pythia who mumbled words which the Priests interpreted and returned to the individual waiting outside to deliver them the oracle. The advice of the oracle was always cryptic. For example, one recorded oracle to a Spartan warrior was “you will go you will come back not in the war you will die”. The oracles were almost always continuous speech without pauses or punctuation. So this could be interpreted two ways, “You will go, you will come back, not in the war you will die” or it could also be interpreted as “You will go, you will come back not, in the war you will die”, two very different interpretations.

After touring Delphi we headed into the town to have lunch around mid-day before heading on to Kalambaka, where we stay tonight before seeing the monasteries of Meteora tomorrow. On our way to Kalambaka we stopped briefly at Thermopyles, site of the Battle of Thermopyles between the Greeks and the Persians. We arrived at our hotel in Kalambaka around 6:00pm and had a quick swim in the pool before dinner, and then off to bed. Tomorrow will be our last day in Greece.