58
T
he Temple of Apollo at
Delphi, on the slopes of
Mount Parnassus, in
central Greece, was the site of
the most important oracle in the
ancient world. It was believed
that the god Apollo channeled
prophecies through the Pythia,
the high priestess of the temple.Raising a temple
Apollo’s association with Delphi
began when he was just four days
old. Taking the form of a dolphin,
he left his birthplace on the islandThe Pythia sits on a sacred tripod as
she receives a message from Apollo in
Camillo Miola’s The Oracle (1880).
The figures in the foreground shake
bay leaves as part of the ritual.IN BRIEF
THEME
Inspiration, poetry,
and wisdomSOURCES
Homeric Hymn, author
anonymous, ca. 600 bce;
Description of Greece,
Pausanias, ca. 150 ce.SETTING
Delphi, on the slopes of Mount
Parnassus, in central Greece.KEY FIGURES
Apollo God of the sun and the
arts, who was also associated
with wisdom.The Pythia Apol lo’s high
priestess at Delphi.Hera The wife of Zeus.Zeus King of the Olympian
gods; father of Apollo.Leto Mother of Apollo and
Artemis.Artemis Sister of Apollo.Asclepius Son of Apollo.I WILL GIVE
INFALLIBLE COUNSEL
TO ALL WHO SEEK IT
APOLLO AND THE ORACLE OF DELPHI
of Delos in the Cyclades, a group of
islands in the Aegean Sea, to seek
out and kill the feared Python, a
huge and ferocious dragon that
lived in the innards of the earth,
beneath what was regarded as its
omphalos, or “navel,” near the town
of Delphi. An enraged Hera, the
wife of Zeus, had sent the monsterUS_058-059_Delphi.indd 58 05/12/17 4:15 pm
ANCIENT GREECE 59
Delphi’s Temple of Apollo
dates from the 4th century bce.
According to Pausanias, previous
temples on the site were made
of laurel leaves, beeswax, or bronze.See also: The war of the gods and Titans 32–33 ■ Mount Olympus 34–35 ■ The many affairs of Zeus 42–47 ■
Apollo and Daphne 60–61 ■ The Sybil of Cumae 110–11to hunt down Apollo’s mother, the
goddess Leto, who had become
pregnant by Zeus.
Although Leto escaped and
gave birth to Apollo and his twin
sister, Artemis, on Delos, Apollo
wished to avenge the attempt to
destroy his mother. Apollo slayed
the Python with a bow and arrows
made for him by the blacksmith
god, Hephaestus. He buried the
creature beneath the omphalos
stone, which marked the
geographical center of the earth,
and established his temple to
symbolize the resounding triumph
of heaven over earth.Joy and wisdom
By the 5th century bce, Apollo had
supplanted Helios the Titan as the
sun god in the Greek pantheon.
The Homeric Hymn to Apollo
acclaims the “splendor of his
radiance.” It also says the god
was born to be “the joy of men” and
would “declare to men the unfailing
will of Zeus,” references to his role
as the god of poetry and music, andto his association with wisdom.
The invention of medicine was also
ascribed to Apollo—although he
devolved most of his medical role to
Asclepius, one of his sons. He was
also a protector of shepherds, who
were identified with the pastoral
idyll celebrated in Greek poetry.
Pan, a god of fertility and shepherds,
who played the pipes, challenged
Apollo to a musical duel. Apollo,
who played a golden lyre (one of the
god’s many attributes, with whichhe is often shown) captivated the
audience, and was unanimously
proclaimed the victor.
Apollo communicated his
wisdom through the Oracle at
Delphi. People flocked to Delphi
from every corner of Greece to gain
knowledge of future events and
discover the will of Zeus, especially
in times of national crisis, such as
war, when more than one Pythia
performed the role of Apollo’s
mouthpiece. The people offered
animal sacrifices to Apollo, then
waited patiently as the Pythia,
seated over a cauldron, with
volcanic vapor rising around
her, channeled his response. The
Pythia’s utterances were copious
but often incoherent. Shrine
officials interpreted and then
recorded Apollo’s precious words
of wisdom in verse hexameters. ■The child leapt forth
into the light, and all
the goddesses
raised up a cry.
Homeric Hymn to ApolloUS_058-059_Delphi.indd 59 06/12/17 3:01 pm