Legend of the Oracle of Delphi-
Good evening my dearest friends & followers and welcome to my humble blog again today. I am going to bring you all back about 2000 BC with the the very famous story and legend of the Greek Oracle of Delphi. The other night after supper time, when I spend my time knitting and time watching T.V. with my family I happen to be watching on the history-2 channel after my son had gone to bed about the legend/myths of the Oracle of Delphi of Greece. So with that said, on with the story my dears... So where do we start? Some have said that the Oracle itself has many legends of being centered around the world! However, I am going to start this tale where most folks including myself remembers that tale to start & that would be the Sacred city of Apollo. It may have started in Apollo's sacred city but how the chain of the Oracles power started became around 1400 BC .
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Oracle of Delphi
and her Scrolls
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And this is when the Oracle of Delphi received her godly powers. By who? Well read on and I hope I will be able to answer that question for you all and for myself. As there are many different myths to how the Oracle of Delphi became and I will go through as many as I can find~ However I also believe it is important to talk about the beginnings of how his all came about so that you all will have a better understanding of the Greek Gods if you haven't studied them or read about them. I have always been fascinated with the Greeks and their Gods... I hope to do more on the Greeks and their Gods. I have done a few but I know there is so much more that I can write about them for you all! So as the legend goes when Rhea the Titian Goddess gave birth to her six children ~ the Olympian Gods [Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia]. Kronos their father the Titian God took each one as they were born and swallowed them whole because he heard a prophecy that his Youngest son would overthrow him and his thrown. Of course the Titian God Kronos wasn't going to let that happen. However, his with and the Titian Goddess Rhea was disgusted by this, so when she gave birth to Zeus, her youngest, and six child she fed the God Kronos a rock wrapped in blankets and then hid the baby Zeus away until he was full grown. Being that they were all immortal Gods, Zeus's siblings Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter and Hestia were growing up in Kronos's stomach. So when Zeus was fully grown he tricked his father Kronos into drinking a mixture of mustard and wine. After drinking the special drink, that Zeus prepared for his father Krono's he regurgitated all 5 sisters & brother that he had ate when they were born. Even the rock that Rhea had fed him as a disguise in order to save Zeus was regurgitated too. It is said that the very rock was and still remains in the temple of Apollo at Delphi. I would to honor the fact that Zeus was able to save his brothers and sisters and see the prophecy through that was foretold.
As I get now into the legends of the Oracle & how there is said to be some strange myths about the Oracle of Delphi, I will try to tell as many as the legends that have been foretold about this amazing Greek Goddess. To this day some locals still believe the tales to the Oracle Delphi and that she was reincarnated from life to life.
An Ancient painting of the Oracle of Delphi of what if might have looked
liked with the god of Olympians and Apollo
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The mysterious Acheron River, next on the journey, is symbolized in Greek mythology as the River Styx or the river of the underworld where Charon rowed the dead across to Hades. Visit the Oracle of the Dead, the mystical sanctuary of Hades and Persephone where guidance for the future was given from souls that had passed over.
The Necromanteion was the most famous sanctuary of its kind in antiquity and was visited by many pilgrims including Odysseus who wished to connect with Achilles spirit
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This is what the River Styx of the
Underworld might have looked like
done by a wonderful Artist.
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The Oracle of Delphi
At the end of the caverns
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And there was a special place for the Gods to meet and for the common folks to Greece too. I have done an post on the God Apollo if you are interested in reading it someday and I will put the link in this post so that you can check it out.wendyjargonncom.blogspot.com/search/label/Apollo%20Sun%20God Apollo was a very Good and popular God with the Olympias. There were always people bringing him gifts and praying to him.
The God was just about as exhausted by all the affection that he was getting by the humans and the honor that he was receiving. Apollo simply could not keep up with all the prophecies and giving the prays and hopes to the people of Greece. It was taking too much out of him, even for a immortal god! So Apollo decided he needed someone to speak the prophecies for him, to be his voice to the people of Greece, to share his power of the future... someone like an
Oracle!... The Greeks had many Oracles, but never one that Apollo himself gave power too! So it was given in those ancient times over 2,000 year before Christ that Apollo was one of the first Greek Gods to give and share his power with a maiden that would begin the line of the Oracles of Delphi.
Of course it came with a price; this was that though woman could basically live in the temple and give the offerings of prophecies, however she could never answer yes or no to any of her prophecies. It was probably do to the fact that she was a woman in the day of very ancient times and this was very knew is my guess. Lets go on with the tale So with that her prophecies were often very vague or hard to understand what they meant. [Basically the people had a hard time understanding what there Pythia meant or future]. Of course there are many other myths/legends to the Apollo and Delphi Oracle story. This one states that Apollo had just killed a python when the oracle future of the oracle just began. He had rid the world of the horrible monster causing chaos on earth. After Apollo slew the Demon, he cast the body into a Styx River. He then brought his high priestess Delphi to breath in the fumes coming from a chasm, Apollo said 'it was the center of the universe'.
Delphi went into a frenzied state, but she could then see the future. After this Apollo called Delphi Priestess and the Oracles came to the Python in honor of the python he had slain. In the day it was said that the fumes coming from the chasm were the python's remains.
There was another legend about Apollo's Temple with Delphi that was said to be along with the Oracle Delphi. In the temple, was one of the most important items 'a stone'. This stone! was supposedly was the rock that Kronos, Lord & God of the Titans had swallowed whole thinking it was his last born child by Rhea. Instead he was tricked and indeed swallowed the stoned covered with baby blankets. So that the prophecy did in fact came true, that his Son Zeus took over his father Kronos position as Lord and God of the Olympians.
In the times of the Ancient Greeks & Romans when they had to make major decisions they would aways consulted the Gods of Olympian by drawing lots, casting dice, or interpreting their dreams. Also by analyzing such signs as sneezes, thunderbolts & flying birds. However for matters of the utmost
importance, the people of Greece and Roman they would always sought to hear the words of the Gods in the mouths of Oracles. This could have been the Oracle of Delphi, however there were many Oracles of Pythias. They were all virgins who dedicated their lives to prophesying on behalf of the God Apollo.
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The First Pythia Oracle
The Goddess Themis 5th century
B.C.
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The First Oracle was said to have been the goddess Themis who is depicted in the fifth-century B.C . In this image I was able to find she is shown sitting on a tripod holding a bowl & a spring of a laurel tree, which is from Apollo sacred tree.
It is said that the Pythia Oracles had dealt with more visions of the right choices than visions of the future; for example~ where to find a new home, when to attack an enemy or go to war, how to lift a curse, whom to choose a leader, what kinda offering should they give to which Gods. In those ancient times there was no Kingdom, city or even a private citizen that could afford to make any critical decisions without the consult of the Oracle. Its seems that the Oracle of Delphi became the richest and most famous of all the Oracles. The Greeks of even today call her the Omphalos or Navel of the World'.
You all may wonder ~ How could a mere mortal command such respect? Well the answer lies all in the God Apollo ~ the God of revelation and inspiration who used the Oracle as his mouthpiece for taking possession of her during oracular sessions. This is basically how the oracle Delphi became so famous. She would fall into a trance and the words she spoke were supposedly those of the God Apollo, and were delivered in a voice very unlike her normal tones and only the God Apollo could understand what she was saying.
Basically this also can date back to the Oracle of Zeus to an intensely sacred site and the energy center that dates back 5,000 years or more. Many rituals were performed here and were similar to those of the Druid priests in Britain and Gaul.
So I know there is so much more to tell about this legend but I thing I have covered it the best I could. I hope
That you all enjoyed the Legend of the
Oracle of Delphi and the God Apollo.
I love you all very much my dearest Friends & Follower
I wish you all a wonderful Sunday afternoon
And thank you so much for visiting my
humble blog for without you all
I wouldn't have this blog
