Apollo Oracle

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When the Gods TalkedThe ancient Greeks considered the Oracle at Delphi infaUible,

and Apollo's temple still inspires a sense of wonder.

Bv ALEXANDER ELIOT

ristotle said that "even the lover ormyths, in a sense, is a philosopher.

For myth is a tissue of wonders." Withthat and no more for an introduction, letus mount the shoulder of Parnassus toDelphi. Here myth first merged intophilosophy. Here man found his feet.Here wonder rests and grows, and the airitself is singing slili.

There used to be a dragoncss at Delphi,in a measureless cavern underneath thennountain: a slime-scaled monster, steam-ing yet cold of breath. Whoever tnet herwould be swept away doomed. Until atlasL the sun-god Apollo came and shot astrong arrow into her. Then she writhedshrieking through the forest, gasping outher life. The monster, Typhaon, gave hername to "typhus." She was a pollution.Yet where she died sprang forth the coldCastalian spring, clearest and lightest ofwaters, lovely lo drink.

By the side of this spring Apollo built atemple and a shrine for the whole Greekworld. High up on the mountain the pureCastalian spring still bubbles from itsgorge. There on the left begins a flowerycrescent slope, terraced with the floors ofmany vanished temples. Even the greattemple of Apollo himself is only a broadmarble shelf these days, awash with sun-light, sprouting a few tremendous col-umns. Above the ruins soar two mightycliffs, hollowed like your hands when youdrink from them. In the violet abyss atyour fingertips great eagles swing liketoys. You feel lightheaded and yet in con-trol, like a diver on his way down. Thealmond blossoms shake like tambourines;songbirds converge from below,

"Midway between the Atlas and theCaucasus peaks." Delphi was long con-sidered the center of the universe, lt be-came the first great European place ofpilgrimage. Men journeyed here chieflyto consult Apollo's Oracle, which "couldnot lie." This went on for a whole mil-lennium. Every syllable uttered withinthe inmost shrine siood charged with sig-nificance. History, of individuals and ofnations too, was created and revealedhere constantly,

VVnsliing. T h e n WaJLing

In ancient times those who wished toconsult lhe Oracle began by washingthemselves in the Castalian spring. Nosuperstition, wishful or otherwise, cloudedthis simple rite. Where the spring foun-tained forth, a welcome and a warningstood carved upon the rock. The inscrip-tion was completely free from cant, yet

resonant: nothing wishy-washy. Thus itset the tone for what would follow. Freelytranslated (by A. J. Butler) it ran:

COME PURE IN HEART BEFORE THISHALLOWED FANE,

YOUR HANDS FRESH spRtNKLED WITHTHE FOUNTAIN SPRAY:

FEW DROPS THE GOOD NEED; BUT A FOULSOUL'S STAIN

ALL OCEAN'S WATER SHALL NOT WASHAWAY.

After purification there might be somedays' wait. Even weeks' on occasion. Thequestioner could grow acquainted withlhe place and revel in its loveliness. Theterraced slope held more—and morebeautiful—Greek art and architecturethan the whole world keeps today. Yetnature also met the pilgrim at each por-tico: sky, mountain, stream, and thevalley of silvery olives gleaming far be-low. In this atmosphere, at once exaltedand relaxed, there was casual conversa-lion 10 be had with priests and fellowpilgrims. Important bits of talk doubtlessreached and infiuenced the Oracle. Every-thing contributed, this being Delphi. Thewhole place was felt to move and breatheas one being.

PricsUvss in a Trnnt-c

At last the day came when you wereinvited down into the sanctuary. A smallroom it was, with a priestess sitting therecross-legged on a high three-legged stool.She appeared to be in some sort oftrance. (Authorities differ on how deep atrance this was and nobody can sayexactly how it was induced.) Suddenly shelifted up her voice. It was Apollo's voice[hat spoke, answering your question. Theattendant priests would write her answerdown if you desired it. And that was all.

The very simplicity of the thing is baf-fling, because Delphi's recorded historycould not be more glorious. Hundreds ofinscriptions support, century by century,the legend that she was infallible. Somescholars simply throw up their hands anddismiss the greal mass of her spectacularsuccesses as ex-post-facto forgeries—fake 1-told-you-so's. This is convenientbut unlikely: "You cannot fool all of thepeople all the lime." Other historianshave .suggested that the Oracle's secrellay in telepathy or even clairvoyance. Butthat sort of "extrasensory perception" issporadic and uncontrollable at best, soDelphi's reputation for consistency ex-clude.s it.

The real secret lies in the riddling na-ture of the Oracle's responses. They left awide margin for error, biut that is not lhemain point. They opened up the samemargin for the sense of wonder lo fill.The Oracle of Apollo always spoke in"certainties," but at the same time herwords always pointed to the underlyingmysteries of existence. So the eternalparadox of faith—certainty resting onmystery—seemed resolved al Delphi insome very direct way. Men left Apollo'spresence with their confidence and won-der renewed.

Mountain-Moving Visions

Besides this, the pilgrim often wentaway with some strange prophecy ring-ing in his ears, something ihat he him-self was supposed to bring about. Themore he turned the riddle over in hismind, the more it would become in-volved with his own deepest instinctsand desires. Until at the decisive momentthe riddle re-emerged as a life-changingvision. By acting on it then, he couldmove mountains.

We all go net-fishing, let's say, on thehigh seas of experience. Our nets arewoven niainly of common sense. We castthem and haul them, learning much. Ourmain catch will be facts, of course. Butthen sometimes out of the darkest seacomes surging up a strange and radiantfish unlike any seen before. Such are thesudden clarities that change our lives.In ancient limes they surfaced very oftenaround Delphi. The very name stands for"dolphin," significantly enough.

Here is a typical, if slightly obvious,case of how the prophecies came true. InDelphi's earliest days there lived a youngprince named Battus, who stammeredterribly. Upon reaching manhood hejourneyed to Delphi and begged theOracle for a cure. Psychologists believethat stammering is caused by the uncon-scious fear of disappointing people. Par-ents who keep pressing their children toperform like adults often give stammer-ing a start. One modern treatment ispsychotherapy aimed at reconciling thestammerer to his parents or lo his mem-ories of them. But Delphi took a moredirect route. Hardly had lhe unhappyprince stepped down into her sanctuarythan the Oracle cried: "Battus. you havecome for a voice. But ApoUo sends youto found a colony in Libya, rich inflocks."

Battus choked and babbled with pro-test. He felt absolutely incapable of lead-

ing an expedition against hostile Africa,and he entreated the Oracle for someother word. But she would say no rtiore.She had planted a Seed; slowly the urgefor high deeds grew strong in Battus.Tongue-tied though he still was, his silentheart swore to obey the god. At last herecruited a band of reckless warriors,stammered a fond farewell to his parentsand sailed away southward. It was inbattle wilh lhe savage Libyan shepherdsthat Baltus found his voice. Victorious,he then built the long-renowned Greekcolony of Cyrene.

A scholar once came lo Delphi with astrange request. In lhe course of long andcareful studies he had lost the power tolaugh, and he wanted it back. The Oracleconsoled him with these words: "'Yotiask for soothing laughter, oh unsooth-able one. Mother at home will give it toyou: pay her special honor." So thescholar went ligjitiy home to his motherat Metapontum, but he found nothing tolaugh at there. Eventually he came to theconclusion that Apollo had been playingwith him. Taking up his travels onceagain, he knocked glumly on about theworld until he reached the island of Delos,Apollo's birthplace. There he visited theshrine of Leio, the god's mother, expect-ing to find an edifying statue or two asusual. Instead the temple held only alumpish and primitive old female idolcarved in silvery wood. The scholarlaughed when he saw it.

Ciir^'iiigs o n t h e CalcH

I n a moment he reealled Apollo'sOracle, and thanked the funny motherfor her gift. Even the god was more down-to-earlh than he himself had been. Allbrilliance, all distinction arise from dsirkand obscure feelings. Knowing that, oneneed not trust one's own thoughts less,but enjoy Ihem more. Tho useless, par-alyzing awe that intellectual mattcre mayinspire evaporales. Two inscriptions werecarved upon the sanctuary gates at Delphi:KNOW THYSELF and NOTHING IN EXCESS,The pair constituted as liberal a moralcode as ever there was. Whoever obeyedthem would sin some, surely, but not for-get how to laugh.

While the scholarchueklcd, a A-hoIe cityiriedanoppositefate.Adelegatid^ofetders,from Tiryns had turned up aLl le iphr to-inquire how their town could be madeserious. It appeared the folks at homelaughed all the time. Hence Tiryns hadforfeited its neighbors' respect; businesswas way off. The Oracle, presumably

\: ''-A

Ravaged by earthquakes and erosion, these remnants of pillars ji^uard ihc entrance lo Apollo's shrine.

681

Tlie A\ord8 ofthe gods AAere

cryptic, but the}pointed to thedeep mystery

of existence.

Photographs by Erich Leasing

Gifts brought by hopeful pilgrimswere collected in this treasury.

1~^l^1 J i l l m concealing her owny^ smiles, prescribed a

community sacrifice as the only possiblecure. The whole town was to dediaiteanox to Poseidon, and throw the beastinlo lhe bay for the Earth Shaker's pri-vate use. Slyly the Oracle added that ifany man, woman or child were to laughduring Ihis service, its whole effect wouldbe nullified. It was.

Delphi's liberal outlook in all direc-tions is just what makes her so especiallyfascinating. Her Asian and African prede-cessors—Uruk., Babylon, Abydos—hadspecialized in power, pomp, secrets,chasiiseinents and priestly prerogatives.Delphi stayed cool. She used her ownenormous magnetic attraction to combatWfW faith at every lurn. Firm prejudiceand frowning solemnity were apt to bedestroyed at Delphi as often as not. Infact Apollo here began a new game thathas been going on ever since, lt is a kindof leapfrog in which wonder and intel-ligence play alternate roles.

G l im Meet ing o n fItc R o a d

Delphi was difficult to reach. Butpagan pilgrims must have found delightin swinging along alone through the coolof the early summer mornings over Par-nassus, bearing witness to the changinglights and sights and sounds of the newday, drawing ever closer to the unknown.Meanwhile the sun would be climbing,climbing, drawing back the string of ilssilver bow. By high noon the heat couldburden one like an actual weight.

And at ihat point a stranger would bewell met indeed: a perfect excuse forturning aside together under the coolblack shadow of a sycamore tree. Thiswas lhe moment for breaking out thewineskin, the cheese and olives; the timefor warnings of robbers or lions on theroad ahead. Also for talk of tolls, tem-ples and the village girls. There might....Yet what if the man coming toward youhad no idea of pausing even to say hello?What if he came on fast, by chariot, rais-ing a yellow thunderhead of chokefuldust about your eyes and ears, shouting,"Get off the road I" Wbat if he brandishedhis whip and cut you wilh it across theface? That is how King Laius came at ayouth named Oedipus.

Tlie young man grabbed the whip, top-pled the rude charioteer onto the high-way, and killed him without a word.

Clearly no "Oedipus complex" isneeded to account for this iragcdy. Yet ithad been prepared in a very strangefashion. Oedipus was on his way fromDelphi, where Apollo's Oracle hadwarned that he would kill his own father.King Laius, for his part, was hastening tothe shrine in order to ask how he mightavoid death at the hand of his son. TheOracle of Apollo might be dark or light,but never misty gray. The god alwaysprophesied acUon—and glorious or grimsurprise. Oedipus and Laius never hadmet before; never would they meet againon earth. But these angry, frightenedstrangers were in fact father and son.

Six hundred years before the birth ofChrist, part of Asia Minor was calledLydia and ruled by King Croesus, lhewealthiest of men. Croesus was morethan a half-legendary Rockefeller or J. P.Morgan in a purple toga. He personallyheld the balance of power between Europeand Asia. Moreover, as a Greek-speak-ing and yet Oriental-style ruler, Croesusconsidered both continents fair game.

Yet some Greeks highly approved of himas a civilizing force. Their artists and phi-losophers flocked to his hospitable court.

Among Croesus's visitors was Solon,the Benjamin Franklin of ancient Greece.The king treated Solon to an e.\tendedtour of the royal treasures and then com-fortably demanded. "Who is the happiestman you've ever met?" He assumed thatSolon would say "Croesus." That wouldhave been the polite and indeed expectedreply for a guest at court. But Solon wasopposed to monarchy and addicted totruth. He gave his own harsh, solemn, for-ever re-echoing response: "Count no manhappy, Croesus, until he is dead. Look tothe end, no matter what it is you are con-sidering. Often enough God gives a mana glimpse of happiness and then caslshim to the depths."

This warning only aggravated Croesusand strengthened his resolve to keep onexpanding his possessions. He was plot-ting to attack Persia. However, being acareful man, he thought best to consultthe Oracle of Delphi on his chances ofsuccess. To smooth the way and makesure of getting a straight answer atDelphi, Croesus presented lhe shrine withmasses of treasure. His gifts includedgolden statues of a lion and of his favor-ite wife, and a quarter-ton mixing bowlof purest gold. Put on permanent exhibi-tion at the temple, they made "rich asCroesus" a household phrase in Greece.

Through the mouth of the Oracle,Apollo graciously assured Croesus's em-issaries that if the king marched againstPersia he would cause "the downfall of amighty empire." Victory beckoned open-armed from the East. So Croesus marchedand got smashed.

The Persian king, whoso name wasCyrus, had Croesus chained alop a hugepyre in his own courtyard, to be burnedas a public spectacle. The pilchy faggotswere lit; the fire crackled thirstily. Then,as the smoke began lo lick about hisankles, Croesus was heard to cry outthree times, in anguish of spirit; "Solon!Solon! Solon!"

Request by a Beaten King

By rights the story should have endedthere. But Croesus's thrice-uttered crypiqued the Persian's curiosity. Cyrus sentheralds near the fire to demand who orwhat had been invoked. After some hes-itation the doomed and writhing kingtold of Solon's warning, which he him-self had so conspicuously failed to heed."1 would give all my gold," he added in-genuously, "that other rulers might re-ceive the benefit of Solon's advice." Justat that moment a violent thunderstormbroke overhead, quenching the murder-ous fianies. Whether Cyrus was the moreimpressed by this seeming sign fromheaven or by Croesus's new-found wis-dom is uncertain. In any ease he hadCroesus released and brought to sit be-side the throne.

Absolute despots can afford dramaticgestures that a minute can reverse. "Askwhat you will of me," Cyrus suggestedmagnanimously, gesturing in the direc-tion of what had been Croesus's treasury.But the beaten king's one request wasbillerly modest. He begged [jermission tosend his own burning-chains as an ironicoffering to Delphi with one last questionfor the Oracle; "Is it Apollo's custom toeheat his benefactors?"

Gods are not so easily embarrassed.Apollo this time granted a two-fold reply:

First, no man escapes his destiny. Second,Croesus should have asked which empirehe was destined to destroy—the Persianor his own.

Once a stranger sailed alongside anisland fishing boat and offered the men ahigh price for whatever might be in theirnet. Delighted, they sealed the bargain.The net proved to contain a poor catch offish—and a great golden tripod beauti-fully made. The stranger, who was fromIonia, held the islanders to their pact, butthey resented it. War ensued. Both sideshad a case in this conflict, yet neithercould win so they asked Delphi to ar-bitrate. The Oracle responded: "Who-ever is firsl of all in wisdom, to him thetripod belongs."

At Ihat time the wisest man alive ap-peared to be Thales. the Ionian scientist.Peace was declared and the tripod pre-sented to him. But Thales immediatelypassed the tribute on to a second sage asbeing much wiser than himself. The otherpassed it on in his tum.

And so the prize made the rounds ofseven great sages, returning at last toThales. Thereupon he dedicated it toApollo at Delphi. All seven sages foutidthis appropriate, since wisdom appearsfrom the deep—as had the golden tripod—or from above like sunshine and returnswhence it came.

".'Vny Wiser Than SoeratesJ'"

The story of the golden tripod mayhave legendary overtones. There is noth-ing legendary aboul Delphi's making ofanother sage about a century later. Im-pressive though he seemed to his com-panions, Socrates in middle life had notyet consulted his own secret heart or thehearts of his fellows either. Then one daya disciple of his who happened to bepassing through Delphi impulsivelystopped there and inquired of the Oracle:"Is any man wiser than Socrates?" Heranswer was brief and to the point: "Noman." The reply appalled Socrates. Itso happened that the jury which later con-demned him to death (for "teaching im-piety") heard the rest of this tale fromSocrates' own lips:

"[To find somebody wiser] I went toone man after anoiher, being not uncon-scious of the enmity which 1 provoked.And 1 lamented and feared this, but ne-cessity was laid upon me. The word efGod, I thought, should be consideredfirst. And 1 said to myself. Go 1 must,to all who appear to know. . . . I willtell you the tale of my wanderings . . .which I endured only to find at lastthe oracle irrefutable. [What it meantwas]: 'The man is wisest who, like Socrates,knows that his wisdom is in truth worthnothing!'"

The islanders of Delos once sent a del-egation of suppliants to Delphi. Theirisland was having a long run of inexplica-ble bad luck and they begged ApoUo fora remedy. Easily found, said the Oracle.They need only double the size of theirchief temple at home! So the islanders setto work with a will. Soon they had exactlydoubled their temple's length, breadthand height.

Meanwhile their troubles also mul-tiplied. Confusion reigned and with Usome regret. Delphi's full glory was al-ready on lhe wane at that time. Theisland's bright young men eventuallyformed a second delegation to a differentsort of shrine: Plato's brand-new Acad-emy at Athens. The philosopher elected

to receive them in his garden; he lis-tened with eare; he agreed ihat timeshad changed. Intelleclual adventure wasin the nir now. One really should try tokeep up with things. The Oracle hadlold them speeifieally to double theirlemple, but they had made it eight limesas large!

Plato then led his inquirers to ihc gardengate by which they had entered, and saidgood-bye. CirclinglheAeademy, they mayhave noticed the inscription over the frontdaor: You CANNOT ENTER HERE UNLESSYou KNOW GEOMETRY.

About the last great individual lo learnhis lifework at Delphi was Diogenes,"the Cynie." Young Diogenes had cometo ask what he should attempt in Ihe wayof a career. The Oracle cried out, "De-Taee the currency!" That was a poser.Baek home in Sinope, Diogenes's fatherhad been Master of (he Mini. Father andson together had made a praetice of con-fiseating false eoins and defacing themwith a cold chisel. But as so often hap-pens, their strict performanee of dutywent unappreciated. In fact, it broughtdisgraee. ruin and exile. Yet Apollo nowdemanded Ihat Diogenes persist in ihesame course! Or was that really theidea? Diogenes though! and thoughtabout it. Then suddenly he knew whatwas meant: not "currency" so muchas "current ways." The god had calledupon Diogenes to strike through thesilver plating of society and expose thealloy underneath!

So Diogenes became a tanglc-beardcdhermit in Ihe midst of men. Dramaticallyswinging a lighled lantern, he would slaikthe daytime crowds "looking for some-body honest." His castle was an upendedwine vat by Ihe gates of Corinih. Alex-ander the Great ealled on him Ihere- Allradiant, the conqueror leaned downaeross the neck of his white charger,doffed his golden helmet and inquiredwhat he might do for Diogenes. "Moveon," Apollo's man suggested. "You'rein my light."

Oracle ' s Final Message

Delphi's final riddle was rantasticallyappropriate. Scholars therefore suspectit. This last aeeount may actually havebeen forged—or not. There is no way oftelling any more. In any ease the storygoes that Augustus Caesar wenl toDelphi and asked who should succeedhim as emperor. To everyone's astonish-ment an uneanny silenec pervaded theshrine. The Oracle said nothing at all.Finally the trembling pilgrim in purplebegged that she explain her silence. Withthai she raised her fitfully gleaming eyesand spoke for the last time: "A Hebrewboy bids me leave this house and go lo theUnderworld."

Augustus thoughtfully withdrew. Herelumed to Rome. And Ihere, certainly,he did raise an altar dedicated to a name-less god.

Augustus's successors tried hard loresuseitale Delphi, but lo little avail.Julian the Aposuile—the last pagan em-peror—made the final attempt. His an-swer eame not from the Oracle bul fromher remaining priest: "Tell Ihe king theTair hall is fallen to Ihc ground. Nolonger has Apollo a hut. nor a propheticlaurel, nor a spring Ihat speaks. Even Ihcwater of speech is quenehed." The centerof inspiration having shifted to Palestine,Apollo's work was done—and well donetoo. But wonder is forever. THE END Although no one knows rlie exucl purpos'c oj ihis tn'arhy tenipli:, tlic Thotos, it wiis /•ruhahly ,i mcfling place

for priests. From their teachings, says ihc author, came neitlier prejudice nor hliml faiiti—hut wisdom.