DELPHI: Know Thyself

Legend claims that Zeus declared Delphi to be the "Navel of the Earth" after two eagles he had sent out crossed paths right over the spot that would become the city. It was purported that he established it as a sanctuary to his son Apollo. It became home to the Oracle, and people traveled from far away to seek spiritual guidance and comfort. It was also where the Athenian Treasury--the first bank of Greece--was located and where offerings of silver and gold were received for the Oracle. The Temple of Apollo at Delphi was the most sacred place and it is where the Delphic maxims are inscribed in various places on the structure. The

Delphic maxims are said to have been offered by the Oracle as guidance for how to live a proper life. Inscribed prominently above the entrance was the maxim, "Know Thyself."

The actual role of the Oracle of Delphi was carried out by a Pythia or the Priestess of Delphi. There were several requirements to be a Pythia; the position was only given to a woman, she had to be greater than fifty years old, she had to live separately from her husband and she had to dress in maiden's clothing. The Pythia would enter a room in the interior of the temple and sit on a chair. She would inhale the vapors that were rising from the floor until she became overtaken by a prophetic state and then begin prophesying. It was later determined that the temple was situated in an area where ethylene, carbon dioxide and/or methane was most likely seeping from the ground below the temple. All of these have the potential to cause a mental state that could have been interpreted as some sort of mystical trance and it is believed that they would have gathered in strong concentrations in this room. Additionally, it has been noted that the Pythia did not deliver their messages directly to the person seeking spiritual guidance nor were the messages coherent. They had to be interpreted for dissemination by the attending priests. During times when the prophesying demands became particularly heavy, there might be multiple Pythia carrying out the role simultaneously.

This strikes me as following the general pattern of religion--in both form and function--that has transcended time and civilizations. There is an origin story, a spiritual broker, and a promise of truth. And weaved between those points, there is a lot of fuzziness that is open to interpretation. This is perhaps designed to focus the common masses on a particular point or maybe to distract them from a particular point, either way, it's a vehicle for control.