Prophecies from the Pythia
The soul purpose of the Oracle of Delphi was to share a glimpse of the future. In her time, the Pythia offered several prophecies- all of them vague, misleading, and in some cases: true. It is said she predicted the Trojan war. Even Socrates, (who the Oracle called the 'wisest of men'- at first he didn't understand and challenged the thought) a very practical and realistic person, believed in her power.
There was a process that an Oracle would go through before she would give prophecies to the people seeking them. First, when a Pythia was chosen, there was a ritual to follow. At first, the Oracle would be an attractive young virgin who seemed to be in touch with the gods. After one of the Oracles was abducted, the rest of the Pythias would be middle aged women. After the last Oracle died a new one would be selected. Usually, the Pythia was epileptic because the Greeks believed that the seizures just meant the person was more in touch with the gods. To prepare for prophesying, the Oracle of Delphi would bathe in a spring of Castalia for cleansing. Then, she would drink from another stream. After that, to see if the Pythia was ready to foresee the future and accept Apollo's powers, a priest would poor ice water over a goat. If the goat was to shake from being cold, then Apollo was present and had invested powers in her. If the water didn't phase the goat at all, that meant the Oracle was not ready. Lastly, the Oracle of Delphi would inhale the gas emitting from the chasm near the temple, and after a frenzy, she was ready to give seekers their prophecies. A lot of these prophecies were extremely important in history.
Supposedly, the last prophecy the Oracle gave predicted it would be her final one. A Roman emperor wanted to revive classic Greek culture. He went to the Pythia and she said:
"Tell to the king that the cavern wall is fallen in decay;
Apollo has no chapel left, no prophesying bay,
No talking stream. The stream is dry that had so much to say."
That prophecy could be interpreted as a sign that Apollo has died and the time for reviving Greek culture is over.
Another prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi was given in 594 BC, to an Athenian lawgiver; Solon. Solon wanted to capture the island of Salamis and so he asked the Pythia for her advice. She said:
"First sacrifice to the warriors who once had their home in this island,
Whom now the rolling plain of fair Asopia covers,
Laid in the tombs of heroes with their faces turned to the sunset"
Following the advice of the Oracle, Solon was able to claim the island of Salamis, and gave much credit to the Oracle for her ever-important advice.
One more instance where the Oracle of Delphi's prophecy proved to be authentic was in 480 BC, before the battle of Thermopylae, when king Xerxes and his Persian army were plotting against Greece. The Athenians went to the Pythia, and, indicating they would not win the battle, she said to them:
"Now your statues are standing and pouring sweat.
They shiver with dread.
The black blood drips from the highest rooftops.
They have seen the necessity of evil.
Get out, get out of my sanctum and drown your spirits in woe."
The Athenians, unwilling to believe they could be defeated, went to the Oracle a second time, where she again told them to leave:
"Await not in quiet the coming of the horses, the marching feet, the armed host upon the land.
Slip away. Turn your back. You will meet in battle anyway.
O holy Salamis, you will be the death of many a woman's son between the seed time and the harvest of the grain."
The Oracle also told the Athenians that a wall of wood could protect them. They did what she said and flew the city, and created their wall of wood on the water with their boats, winning that battle, but it was hopeless for the Spartans. The Pythia told the Spartans before the battle of Thermopylae (in the words of Herodotus):
"Hear your fate, O dwellers in Sparta of the wide spaces;
Either your famed, great town must be sacked by Perseus' sons,
Or, if that be not, the whole land of Lacedaemon
Shall mourn the death of a king of the house of Heracles,
For not the strength of lions or of bulls shall hold him,
Strength against strength; for he has the power of Zeus,
And will not be checked until one of these two he has consumed."
Every last Spartan who fought in the battle that the Oracle foresaw as doomed died, making even the most stubborn of people become believers of the Pythia's powers.
The Oracle of Delphi's prophecies were no small matter to the Greeks. The accuracy of her prophecies was enough to insure that the ancient Greeks would never make an important decision without consulting the Oracle.
There was a process that an Oracle would go through before she would give prophecies to the people seeking them. First, when a Pythia was chosen, there was a ritual to follow. At first, the Oracle would be an attractive young virgin who seemed to be in touch with the gods. After one of the Oracles was abducted, the rest of the Pythias would be middle aged women. After the last Oracle died a new one would be selected. Usually, the Pythia was epileptic because the Greeks believed that the seizures just meant the person was more in touch with the gods. To prepare for prophesying, the Oracle of Delphi would bathe in a spring of Castalia for cleansing. Then, she would drink from another stream. After that, to see if the Pythia was ready to foresee the future and accept Apollo's powers, a priest would poor ice water over a goat. If the goat was to shake from being cold, then Apollo was present and had invested powers in her. If the water didn't phase the goat at all, that meant the Oracle was not ready. Lastly, the Oracle of Delphi would inhale the gas emitting from the chasm near the temple, and after a frenzy, she was ready to give seekers their prophecies. A lot of these prophecies were extremely important in history.
Supposedly, the last prophecy the Oracle gave predicted it would be her final one. A Roman emperor wanted to revive classic Greek culture. He went to the Pythia and she said:
"Tell to the king that the cavern wall is fallen in decay;
Apollo has no chapel left, no prophesying bay,
No talking stream. The stream is dry that had so much to say."
That prophecy could be interpreted as a sign that Apollo has died and the time for reviving Greek culture is over.
Another prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi was given in 594 BC, to an Athenian lawgiver; Solon. Solon wanted to capture the island of Salamis and so he asked the Pythia for her advice. She said:
"First sacrifice to the warriors who once had their home in this island,
Whom now the rolling plain of fair Asopia covers,
Laid in the tombs of heroes with their faces turned to the sunset"
Following the advice of the Oracle, Solon was able to claim the island of Salamis, and gave much credit to the Oracle for her ever-important advice.
One more instance where the Oracle of Delphi's prophecy proved to be authentic was in 480 BC, before the battle of Thermopylae, when king Xerxes and his Persian army were plotting against Greece. The Athenians went to the Pythia, and, indicating they would not win the battle, she said to them:
"Now your statues are standing and pouring sweat.
They shiver with dread.
The black blood drips from the highest rooftops.
They have seen the necessity of evil.
Get out, get out of my sanctum and drown your spirits in woe."
The Athenians, unwilling to believe they could be defeated, went to the Oracle a second time, where she again told them to leave:
"Await not in quiet the coming of the horses, the marching feet, the armed host upon the land.
Slip away. Turn your back. You will meet in battle anyway.
O holy Salamis, you will be the death of many a woman's son between the seed time and the harvest of the grain."
The Oracle also told the Athenians that a wall of wood could protect them. They did what she said and flew the city, and created their wall of wood on the water with their boats, winning that battle, but it was hopeless for the Spartans. The Pythia told the Spartans before the battle of Thermopylae (in the words of Herodotus):
"Hear your fate, O dwellers in Sparta of the wide spaces;
Either your famed, great town must be sacked by Perseus' sons,
Or, if that be not, the whole land of Lacedaemon
Shall mourn the death of a king of the house of Heracles,
For not the strength of lions or of bulls shall hold him,
Strength against strength; for he has the power of Zeus,
And will not be checked until one of these two he has consumed."
Every last Spartan who fought in the battle that the Oracle foresaw as doomed died, making even the most stubborn of people become believers of the Pythia's powers.
The Oracle of Delphi's prophecies were no small matter to the Greeks. The accuracy of her prophecies was enough to insure that the ancient Greeks would never make an important decision without consulting the Oracle.