Zeus, the story goes, released two eagles from different compass
points. Their paths crossed over
the center of the world, Delphi.
Apollo soon took up residence there and Greeks (and later Romans, too)
would journey to Delphi to receive advice. They would pay a fee, sacrifice an animal and ask a question
to the Oracle of Delphi and a priest would relay the crone’s reply. This went on until the oracle was
discontinued for being pagan after Christianity became the official religion of
the Holy Roman Empire. We no
longer need an oracle; today we have Opra and Dr. Phil and Suze to advise us.
We drove from Galaxidi to Delphi to see the Temple of Apollo, the first
oracle. Whatever tourists are
still in Greece all seemed to descend on Delphi today as well. Animal sacrifices are no longer
required but there is still a hefty admission charge, which also includes the
museum where the really good stuff is displayed. Our favorite, which Jennifer Tobin raved about in “The Glory
That Was Greece” lectures, is the bronze “Charioteer.” Bronze sculptures were common in
antiquity but few remain today since bronze was easy to recycle. The Charioteer was buried in the
earthquake that destroyed the first Delphi and wasn’t uncovered for another
2000 years. His horses and chariot
didn’t survive but he still holds the reins in his remaining hand.
At times every room in the museum contained a noisy tour group,
then suddenly we would have a room entirely to ourselves. Even at the site I was able to frame
photos without a soul in them, although it took some silent cursing to move
some of them out of the picture.
