Pythia: The Illustrious Priestess — #PartOne

As humans, we always have the desire to know what the future holds in advance, so that prevention could be made if anything bad occurs. Since the Ancient Greece, divination had already been an important part of everyday life. Various forms of oracles were used to ask for advice on either public or private affairs, but the most prominent one was probably the Oracle of Delphi.

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During the antiquity, the Oracle of Delphi was regarded as the most prestigious and authoritative oracle among the Greeks. Not only from Greece, people from other countries around Europe would also make the journey to Temple of Apollo in order to ask their questions to Pythia, the high priestess who served as the oracle at Delphi.

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Little is known of how the Pythia was chosen, but the priestess was most likely selected at the death of her predecessor, from amongst a guild of priestesses of the temple. These women were required to have had a sober life and be of good character. Upon assuming their role as the Pythia, the priestesses had to cease all family responsibilities, marital relations, and individual identity.

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The job of a priestess, especially the Pythia, was a respectable career for Greek women. Priestesses enjoyed many liberties and rewards for their social position, such as freedom from taxation, the right to own property and attend public events, a salary and housing provided by the state, and often gold crowns.

#ThePythia #PartOne