The oracle of Delphi was the most famous oracle of ancient Greece. Its role in Greek politics was vital as Kings and politicians sent representatives to consult its human representative, the Pythia, about decisions of war and peace.

During the height of the oracle’s fame, between the eighth and fourth century BC, the Pythia was housed in the Temple of Apollo, now regarded as the god of the oracle. But the history of the oracle stretched to a time before the Olympians, when the oracle was sacred to the earth goddess, Gaia.

The Delphic Oracle of Mother Earth 

Greek mythology has several tales that link divination and Delphi. The hero, Delphos — after who some believed the sanctuary was named — was reputedly instructed in the art of predicting the future from entrails at the site. Another local hero who gave his name to the mountain of Delphi, Parnassus, was taught to read the future from the flight of birds.

Divination by drawing lots or pebbles was also linked to three local women called the Thriaia. Their name was preserved in the special divination stones used by the later oracles.

The exact origins of Delphi’s oracle are unknown but extremely ancient. What can be established is that in the eighth century BC, the oracle was sacred not to Apollo but the earth goddess Gaia. She and her son, the snake Python, were the original inspiration for the prophetess of the site.

Greek legend states that the site passed to Apollo Delphinious when he came from his original home in Crete and shot Pytho dead, taking over the shrine. The legend no doubt preserves the memory of the takeover of Delphi by one religion from another.

The Oracle of Greek Apollo and the Pythia

The mouthpiece of the oracle was a woman known as the Pythia, after the snake Python. Originally a young virgin, by the height of Delphi’s fame, she was a woman in middle age who dressed in a young girl’s garments and wore her hair loose. Old or young, the Pythia devoted her life to her role as oracle.

The location of the oracular shrine moved after the takeover by Apollo. In Gaia’s day, the shrine was a simple cave with an opening into the earth and the Pythia prophesied from a nearby rock. The Sibylline Rock, as it was known, and the shrine of Gaia survived at Delphi. But they were supplanted by the temple of Apollo, which was built literally over and above them, further up the terraced sides of the sanctuary.

The oracular room of the temple was just behind the cella of the temple. It was directly over the sacred cave of Gaia, its floor at a lower level than the rest of the temple and opening into the earth itself. Here the Pythia sat upon a tripod rather than a rock and answered the questions of those who came to question Apollo through her.

The Ceremony of Consulting the Oracle

Initially, the oracle only spoke on Apollo’s birthday in February. But the demand for Apollo’s wisdom led to prophecies being given once a month for nine months of the year — the supposed length of time the god was in residence at Delphi. Quick-fix predictions could be obtained in-between, with yes or no answers given to questions by drawing black or white beans.

For a full prophecy, inquirers drew lots to consult the Pythia first, although powerful states paid to jump the queue. Before the consultation, a cake was offered, followed by the sacrifice of a sheep or goat. The inquirer was then required to purify himself in water at the sacred Castalian Spring, which was also used by contestants in the Pythian Games.

The Pythia herself was also purified in the sacred Castilian spring and the smoke of laurel leaves and barley. A goat was sacrificed to insure the auspiciousness of the occasion and then the Pythia would enter the temple. To entering her trance, she would drink water and chew laurel leaves before sitting on her tripod to answer the question.

There is some debate as to how the Pythia gave her answers. Some sources say that her replies were unintelligible and had to be translated into comprehensible, elegant poetic verses by a priest. Others state she gave them directly.

Delphi’s Significance to Ancient Greek Politics

Every Greek state greatly respected the oracle at Delphi. Kings and rulers such as Oedipus, Agamemnon, Philip of Macedonia and Alexander the Great are said to have consulted the Pythia. However, while she would answer direct questions, the oracle did not predict the future. The Pythia’s replies were also tactfully phrased to retain the reputation and neutrality of Delphi. When asked by King Croesus if he should go to war against the Persians, the oracle replied if he did, he would destroy a mighty empire. Croesus went to war — and the empire destroyed was his own.

Sources

Gates, C, 2003 Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome. Routledge: London and New York.

Ingpen, R and Wilkinson, P, 1990 Encyclopaedia of Mysterious Places —The Life and Legends of Ancient Sites Around the World. Guild Publishing: London.