The Trofonion Oracle (or "Oracle of Trofonios Zeus") the most "peculiar" ancient Greek Oracle, in Krya springs, Livadia town,
The Trofonion Oracle (or "Oracle of Trofonios Zeus") the most "peculiar" ancient Greek Oracle, in Krya springs, Livadia town. The oracle was given by the "spirit" of a "hero" (Trofonios). There were other Hero-oracles ("Ηρωομαντεία"= "Iroomantia") in ancient Greece, but here ends any similarity of this Oracle with any other. First of all, the main part of the Oracle, was inside a cave, it was underground. Underground oracles could be found in Ancient Greece, only before the religion of the 12 gods of Olympus, at an early era, when Gaia ("Γαία"="Γη"= Earth) was the main deity. The only underground Oracle during the Era of the Olympian Gods, was the Trofonion. The other main diference, is that in Trofonion Oracle, there was no need for "Mediums", such as Pythia or Sivylla, in the Delfoi Oracle, or any priest to interpret god's messages as in Dodoni Oracle. Here, the one that asked for the oracle, was hearing the "spirit" talking, or was seeing visions inside the cave, where he stayed alone in complete darkness for several hours, even days. Before entering the cave, he should preper (purify) himseld for many days, staying by the springs and river Erkyna, making sacrifices to the Gods. The last night before entering the cave, you took a bath in the Spring of Forgetfulness (to forget all the "burden" he carried with him) and another bath, in the spring of Rememberance (so he could remember what he would hear or see inside the cave). The oracle was highly "confidential" and the man when he came out of the cave, could only tell it to the priests waiting for him, and helping him "recover". It seems that staying in the cave was a rather traumatic experience, the man who had asked for the oracle, felt something like a heavy depresion, and was losing his ability to speak or laugh for a large period of time. There was an expression in Ancient Greek for someone who looked very melancholic, saying, that he probably had visited the Trofonion Oracle («εκ Τροφωνίου μεμάντευται»).
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Krya springs, Erkyna river, Livadia town, Viotia, Central Greece, Europe
Photo credit: © Hercules Milas / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ancient, antiquities, antiquity, archaeological, arched, archeology, bridge, bridges, cave, caves, central, erkyna, experience, forgetfulness, gaia, god, gods, greece, greek, hellada, hellas, hero, heroes, hidden, krya, leivadia, livadeia, livadia, melancholic, melancholy, mysterious, mystery, mythological, mythology, oracle, oracles, pantheon, remembrance, river, rivers, secret, secrets, site, sites, spring, springs, sterea, stone, trofonio, trofonion, trofonios, trofoniou, unique, unknown, viotia, voiotia, zeus
