The Oracle at Delphi

I feel so blessed to have friends studying abroad who I can visit. I met Trysha when she came to California to visit her best friend from high school in Colorado, Jenna, at APU during Spring Break of our freshman year. Jenna is also my best friend from college and is the friend who visited me in Oxford last week. Trysha and I are very similar in many ways, and she is one of the most encouraging, uplifting people I have ever met. Trysha is studying in Athens, and I was so excited to get to see her and spend time exploring the country that has been her home for the past three months.

This morning we woke up early and traveled by bus from Athens to Delphi. I had never realized that Greece is a very mountainous country. I loved watching out the window and seeing the mountains rising up on both sides. The town of Delphi is breathtaking. It is built into the side of Mount Parnassus and overlooks the valley of Phocis with a river below that flows into an inlet from the sea. We could see the water below and large boats that had come into port. Words don’t begin to do justice to the sight.

We walked through Delphi and down the road to the ancient ruins. Our first stop was at the café at the archaeological museum. I was shocked to see cats everywhere! There were about twenty just in the outdoor table area of the café! Some were sitting on the tables and in the chairs, and I even held one of the adorable kittens who sat at my feet (don’t worry; I washed my hands). I hadn’t realized how many stray cats and dogs there are in Greece! Trysha told me that they are rarely put down by pest control and that many people are willing to feed the strays, so they thrive.

The ruins at Delphi were absolutely spectacular. Delphi is most well known as the location of the ancient oracle. From the 8th century BC until 393 BC, the Delphic Oracle was the most prestigious and authoritative oracle in the Greek world. According to mythology, the Greek god, Apollo, killed the Python who possessed Delphi and threw its body into a fissure. The Pythia, or priestess of the oracle of Apollo, sat on a tripod over a crack from which rose vapors from the body of the decomposing Python. The vapors sent the Pythia into a trance, allowing Apollo to possess her spirit. In this state, she prophesied in riddles. People came from across Greece to ask questions of the Pythia and the Oracle at Delphi. The oracle plays a prominent role in many Greek tales, including the Oedipus stories by Sophocles. The Oracle at Delphi is the source of the prophecy that the son of King Lauis and Queen Jocasta of Thebes, Oedipus, would murder his father and marry his mother. It is through later visits to the oracle that Oedipus discovers his true identity and realizes that the original prophecy did in fact come true. I had read Oedipus in high school and for my Honors Introduction to Literature course at APU last year, so it was amazing to visit the sight of the oracle.

The ruins at Delphi also include the Temple of Apollo, many treasuries, and an outdoor theater with 33 tiers of stone seats, capable of seating 5,000 people. Further up on the mountain is a stadium with seating for 7,000. The stadium was used for the Pythian Games, similar to the Olympic Games in Olympia, which were held at Delphi every four years. Unlike other ancient games, the Pythian Games also included competitions in music and theatre. I was completely in awe of the architecture and engineering of the buildings. It is hard to fathom that these structures were built without the use of modern machinery. The Greeks were amazingly advanced for such an ancient civilization.

Our day in Delphi ended with a walk through the town. There were so many sloping streets, quaint alleyways, and descending stone steps leading to beautiful houses, and we enjoyed leaving the main road to wander amongst the homes with brightly painted shutters, flower boxes on balconies, laundry hanging to dry in the wind, and goats and turkeys in the yards. I would love to return to stay in Delphi, as the town was completely charming.

We wandered back to the shops where I bought an eye charm. Trysha told me that the Evil Eye curse is one of the oldest and most widely believed Greek superstitions. Supposedly the glance of the Evil Eye is believed to cause illness, injury, or death for those upon whom it falls. Thoughts towards an individual may cause the eye to be turned towards them, but wearing an eye pendent is said to turn the Evil Eye away. The blue in the Evil Eye is believed to mirror back thoughts that can bring envy or harm. Receiving compliments is said to turn the eye upon an individual, so Greeks often spit upon a person after complimenting them to protect them from the Eye. It was so interesting to hear about Greek superstition!

We finished out day in Delphi with hot chocolate in a café as we watched the sun set over the mountains and the sea. On our bus ride back, we met two guys from Argentina who are studying in Germany. Their English was limited, but Trysha and I know a bit of Spanish, so between the two languages we were able to converse during the three hour bus ride back to Athens. I love meeting people from other countries, and it was wonderful to get to use some of the Spanish I learned in high school to learn about their country, culture, and time in Europe.


In front of the Amphitheater at Delphi


The ruins at Delphi


Trysha holding a kitten at the cafe in Delphi