HUMA 1100 Chapter Notes - Chapter Eumenides: Athens, Oresteia, Thyestes
8 Dec 2015
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We are just outside the sanctuary of pythian apollo, in delphi. The pythia, apollo"s priestess, sings a prayer that honors the gods who have prophesied from this shrine. The first was earth, then themis, then phoebe, and then fourth was. Apollo is the fourth in this tradition of divine seers; he is the spokesman of his father, zeus, king of the gods. The position of prophet has always been passed from god to god peacefully, rather than through force. The pythia prepares to begin her day as the spokeswoman of apollo. She enters the temple and almost immediately comes out again, terrified because of what she has seen. A man is seated in the suppliant"s seat, his hands dripping with blood, carrying a bloodied sword in one hand and an olive branch wrapped with wool in the other hand. Surrounding him are gorgon-like creatures, dark and revolting, eyes oozing foul liquids. The pythia trusts in apollo to clear things up.
