Delphian Adventures and an Unhappy Bus

The last two days were spent in the mountainous region of Delphi. The views were magnificent and I felt right at home cradled by Mt. Parnassos. This site had special meaning for me because, here, at this site, is where I was to give my report on the Delphic Oracle—I gave it this morning at approximately 10 AM. I was a bit nervous, but hours of preparation left me with more than enough to say for the fifteen minute duration it needed to last. I just ran through a brief history of what times the oracle was in use, as well as, the personnel and consulters that came into contact with it. I spoke about the purification rituals, the sanctuary, the choosing of the Pythia (the oracles) and the actual consultations themselves. A few times, I had to stop myself and remember to slow down, breathe, and speak like a normal human being—I just get so excited to share what I have been able to learn through my research.  As I continue my research and begin to write my paper upon the topic I selected, I will focus on the glut of controversy that surrounds the Delphic Oracle. The topic is simply drenched in it. Historians disagree on everything from the use of the Castilian Spring in the purification rituals to the way the oracle spoke to source of the oracles divinations (my favorite theory is the one in which a chasm in the floor with escaping gases like ethylene is proposed)—there is no shortage of material to use. Another side I am very interested in exploring just for my own personal understanding is a comparison between the oracles and Biblical prophets. The prophets of the Bible (this power granted by the Lord) have never once been wrong, and according to Grecian history and legend neither were the Pythia. The Pythia were claimed to be incorruptible; however, on a least two accounts they laid down their fidelity to the charms of bribery. The prophets of the Lord were undeniably sinners (recall the story of Balaam), but the Lord used them for His purpose even in the midst of this. I would also like to explore the ways in which divinity can manifest itself: the Lord used prophets, and on the other hand, the New Testament references a case in which an evil spirit possesses a girl, granting her powers of divination. Everything about the Pythia is shrouded in mystery, yet most of the Lord’s involvement with divination is done plainly for all to see. I think that a comparison of these two would render some interesting finds.

Right now I am currently on the bus on our way back to good ol’ Athens so we can finally relax and also study for our final. However. We have run in to a problem: our bus just broke down about five minutes outside of Delphi.  Every time the bus’ engine gets over a certain rev, a strange high-pitched sound like someone slowly letting the air out of a balloon while pinching the opening emanates from the bus. We are currently sitting on the shoulder of the road and waiting for our driver to evaluate the problem.

Continued . . . we have since moved on and are making slow but steady progress towards Athens. The noise still occurs at regular intervals.

A temple to Athena at Delphi.

Another view of the Athena temple.

There was a tribe of tabby cats in Delphi! Of course I had to pet them!

The omphalos ("naval") stone because Delphi was allegedly the center of the world (to the Greeks, there only was Greece). Legend has it that Zeus let two eagles fly from each end of the world to meet in the middle which happened to be Delphi.

The Athenian Treasury. On it are inscriptions with musical notes. People have actually recreated the ancient music and you can buy CDs of it.

A view of the temple of Apollo.

The temple of Apollo again.

A sunset view of Delphi.

The Delphic stadium where part of the Pythian Games were held (they were only second to the Olympics).

A big group of us had slushies before entering the museum. They literally had about 20 different slushy machines going at the same time.

Part of a frieze. I love the detail!

A silver bull--an offering to Apollo.

Some lovely golden flowers.

Appliques that show one of the deeds of Hercules and also, Odysseus hiding under a ram to escape from Polyphemus.

The Delphian charioteer--another dedication to Apollo.