Oracle at Delphi: Prophecies from Apollo to Socrates 🏛️

The Oracle at Delphi, or Pythia, was the prophetess of Apollo who was believed to speak the words of the Ancient Greek god to those who came to her. Through this look at the Oracle in mythology, history, and philosophy, we can uncover ancient wisdom. To do so, we will approach the Oracle through the three Delphic Maxims, the words which greeted pilgrims at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi: "Know thyself. Nothing too much. Make a pledge and trouble is at hand."

Mythos & Logos are two ancient words that can be roughly translated as “Story & Meaning.”

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This channel is a collection of thoughts of one person on the important stories that we humans have shared with each other. I believe that, in respectfully approaching storytelling traditions, we can find timeless wisdom and beauty that apply to modern life. I do my best to find and share that wisdom. I encourage you to share your thoughts and stories as well.

The stories presented here have all been freely shared by their original tellers. I encourage you to study each story directly and consult traditional sources whenever possible.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:33 The Oracle by Biacca
01:07 The Temple of Apollo
01:11 Apollo Kills the Python by Felice Giani
01:27 Apollo and Python by Artus Quellinus the Elder
01:40 World Map According to the Ideas of Posidonius by Petrus Bertius
01:52 Apollo Pursuing Daphne by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
02:48 The Oracle at Delphi Entranced by Heinrich Leutemann
03:00 Cadmus Consults the Oracle at Delphi by Hendrik Goltzius
03:34 The Oracle’s Prophesies
03:38 Priestess of Delphi by John Collier
04:05 Lycurgus Consulting the Pythia by Eugène Delacroix
04:14 Herodotus, Histories, Book I, Chapter 65, translated by A. D. Godley
05:29 The Pythia by Jacek Malczewski
05:43 Croesus Before Cyrus by Gaspar van den Hoecke
06:10 Pythagoreans Celebrate Sunrise by Fyodor Bronnikov
06:35 The Pythia by Jacek Malczewski
06:44 Levée Ceremony of Xerxes I in the Imperial Treasury House photographed by A. R. Rostamzade, licensed under Creative Commons
06:53 Priestess Pythia in the Temple at Delphi by Romeyn de Hooghe
07:00 The Capture of the Acropolis by the Persians by Jacob Abbott
07:08 Herodotus, Histories, Book VII, Chapter 140-141, translated by A. D. Godley
07:54 Themistocles by Johannes Petrus Albertus Antonietti
08:22 Leonidas at Thermopylae by Jacque-Louis David
08:29 Herodotus, Histories, Book VII, Chapter 223, translated by A. D. Godley
08:58 Leonidas and his Companions Devoting Themselves to Death from The Illustrated History of the World for the English People
09:09 Battle of Thermopylae from The Story of the Greatest Nations from the Dawn of History to the Twentieth Century
09:18 Battle of Thermopylae from The Great Battles of All Nations from Marathon to Santiago
09:33 Battle of Salamis from A General History of Greece from the Earliest Period to the Death of Alexander the Great
10:11 The Wisest Man
10:15 Orestes at Delphi by Python
10:30 Wall Painting from a First-Fifth Century House Depicting Socrates from the Museum of Ephesus, Efes, Turkey
10:41 The Pythia by Jacek Malczewski
10:49 The Apology of Socrates in Front of the Judges by Antonio Canova
10:58 Plato, Socrates’ Defense (Apology), translated by Hugh Tredennick
11:18 Socrates’ Address by Louis Joseph Lebrun
11:36 Alcibiades Being Taught by Socrates by François-André Vincent
12:27 Socrates Chiding Alcibiades in Home of a Courtesan by Germán Hernández Amores
12:33 Socrates Seeking Alcibiades in the House of Aspasia by Jean-Léon Gérôme
12:40 Socrates and Alcibiades by Kristian Zahrtmann
12:59 Bust of Socrates from the Selçuk Museum, photographed by Dick Osseman, licensed under Creative Commons
13:33 Philosopher With a Mirror (Possibly Socrates) by Jusepe de Ribera
14:49 Busts of Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates photographed by mararie, licensed under Creative Commons
15:00 Dante by Luca Signorelli
15:05 Saint Thomas Aquinas by Carlo Crivelli
15:12 Aristotle Teaching Alexander by Charles Laplante
15:16 The Oracle at Delphi from the Sistene Chapel by Michelangelo
15:28 Conclusion
16:19 The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David
16:28 Know Thyself Stylized Marble Eye from Buonconsiglio Castle, Trento, Italy photographed by Ramhspinat

All works of art are in the public domain unless stated otherwise.
Stock video clips licensed through Storyblocks.
Ambiment - The Ambient by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.