#the delphic sibyl

[things-you-may-need-to-hear]

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[galleryofart]

Sistine Chapel Ceiling: The Delphic Sibyl

Artist: Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Genre: Religious Painting

Series: Sistine Chapel Paintings

Date: 1509

Medium: Fresco

Location: SIstine Chapel, Vatican

In one glorious motion Delphica turns toward us, her eyes looking in the direction of the Judith scene, her mouth open in a cry of wonder, her hair and cloak blown by what has been described as the wind of the Spirit. As she listens to the words read into her ear by one beautiful attendant putto from a book upheld by the other, she rolls up almost unconsciously the scroll of her prophecies as if it were no longer of any meaning. In a series of magnificent curves, now to left, now to right, the masses of her body, drapery, and the attendant figures well upward and outward. Splendid as the nearby painting of the Deluge is in detail, Michelangelo has reached in The Delphic Sibyl a higher stage of formal control and rhythmic breadth. Her grand left arm and the richly muscled back of her attendant rank among the most beautiful passages of figure drawing in the entire Ceiling.

The excitement of the form is immeasurably increased by the high key of the color, set first of all by the splendid orange of the sibyl's cloak, varied by golden-yellow lights and deep, red-orange shadows. The soft blue lining has contrived to get itself so twisted that the orange side runs behind Delphica's back and over her knees, while a sky-blue stretch goes over her shoulders. Her sea-green tunic is lighted with pale yellow, and in the scarf over her head delicate variants of silver shimmer through lavender-gray middle tones, white lights, and greenish-gray shadows. Her hair is a soft, brownish blonde; her flesh shows a wholly new understanding of the use of color. Terra verde shadows become rosy in the lights; elbows, wrists, and hands are quite pink.

The Libyan Sibyl is one of the more graceful female forms painted by Michelangelo. From the detailed studies, we can see the care that has been taken to get the balance and posture of this figure exactly right. Look at the work that has been done on the left foot; the separation of the big toe is a testament to the skill of an artist who has focused on anatomical accuracy down to the smallest detail.

The complex twisting motion of the torso animates the Libyan Sibyl as she opens her manuscript of prophecies and glances downwards at the chapel floor, sixty feet below.

[promptuarium]

The Delphic SIBYL, born at Delphi, known by her proper name Themis, is said to have lived before the destruction of Troy. They say that Homer included many of her verses in his work.

There are those, whoever, who sometimes believe that Sibyl was her proper name, which spread to the others, as I touched on above, on the Libyan Sibyl. See above on the Persian and Libyan Sibyls.

This prophecy is attributed to her:

Know him as your Lord, who is truly the son of God. Chrysippus also says that she prophesied this: A Prophet is born of a virgin, without his mother’s [matris] (or “her husband’s” [maris]) coitus.

[clairity-org]

Sandro Botticelli, Five Sibyls in Niches: The Persian, Libyan, Delphic, Cimmerian and Erythraean, ca. 1465-1470, Oil on poplar panel, 11/21/23 #legionofhonor by Sharon Mollerus

[iliyad]

As a Hellenist, I've recently noticed a trend among various PJO fanfictions which in the big scheme of things isn't a huge deal but something I wanted to set right. And it's to do with Poseidon.

(EDIT: By Hellenist, I am referring to my degree in Classical Studies and Ancient History. I am not referring to Hellenic Polytheism.)

@percabeth4life - ATLOP: Trial By Fire, c. May 2020

@izzymrdb - And I Will Swallow My Pride (In the hopes of a final goodbye), c. August 2020

visiblyuncomfortabl - My Soul Opposes Fate, c. December 2021

@mrthology - Long Ago, That Current Caught Us, c. April 2022

@ditesfavorite - Child Surprise, c. 2022

I couldn’t find any earlier examples, but starting with IzzyMRDB’s fic, several fics make reference to Poseidon possessing a gift of prophecy or, in the case of percabeth4life’s fic, suggest that there was some sort of abundant connection between oracles and the sea. And it’s simply not true.

Poseidon has variously been associated with or considered a god of: the sea (Hom. Il. xv. 184), earthquakes (Hom. Il. xv. 190), and horses (Hom. Il. xxiii. 307), along with being referred to by various epithets connecting him to springs (Κρηνούχος), seaweed (Φύκιος) and bulls (Tαύρειος). He has never, in any primary text, been referred to as having any connection to prophecy himself.

He has, however, been attributed as the father of beings with various connections to prophecy. In some traditions the Greek sea-god Proteus, described as tending Poseidon’s seal flock by Homer (Od. iv. 365), is instead described as a son of Poseidon and king of Egypt (Apollod. ii. 5). Further, the Delphic Sybil Herophile (a prophetess) ordinarily considered the daughter of Zeus and Lamia (Pausanias 10.12.2; which also describes Lamia as a daughter of Poseidon) has been conflated with a sea-nymph daughter of Poseidon and Aphrodite bearing the same name by Scholiast (on Pindar’s Pythian Ode 8.24) which was carried over by Riordan who subsequently conflated Herophile with the Erythraean Sibyl in the Trials of Apollo series.

So, yeah. Obviously, fanfic writers don’t have to stick to historical/mythological accuracy in their works, but something I found equally strange and hilarious while reading these fics was how this particular connection between Poseidon and prophecy kept popping up. I have no idea how it’s happened, but if any of the authors (or others in the fandom) do have an interest in accuracy, keep in mind in the future that there is no direct evidence of Poseidon himself having any connection to prophecy. Even taking Proteus (and arguably Herophile) into account, that’s only one or two children of well over 30 attributed offspring who have been described with any connection to prophecy at all, which statistically doesn’t point to their existence being evidence of their prophetic gift having anything to do with their father.

[mask131]

The myth of Apollo (3)

A continuation of these posts.

III/ Towards the perfection of the divine

With Plato, the perception of the god changes completely. The philosopher doesn’t see in Apollo just one Olympian among others: he makes him THE god by excellence. The evolution that Pindar started now reaches its peak. Closely associated with Helios (so closely in fact that we can almost talk of an assimilation), Plato’s Apollo becomes the supreme god, the unique god, the “divine essence” of which the other deities are mere aspects of. Through the character of Apollo it is the Platonic doctrine that is expressed, in a symbolical ay. It is why, despite their ludic function, the various etymologies of the “Cratylus” must be considered very carefully (see the article “Apollo, the mythical sun”). As Apolouon, the god who washes, he represents purification of both the body and the mind, and reminds us of “Phaedo”. As Aploun, he highlights the link between unity and truth, and reminds us of “Parmenides” and “Philebus”. As Aei ballôn, he who always hits/reaches, he is infallibility and perfection. As Homopolôn, the simultaneous movement, he is harmony – as musical as celestial, the harmony of the spheres and the celestial bodies ; and we think of the “Timaeus”, or of the myth of Er at the end of the “Republic”. The respect carried here for the religion of Delphi is not a passive submission to the tradition: piety becomes the foundation of metaphysics. In this context, we can understand why Plato violently rejects the image of a lying, grudge-bearing, bloodthirsty Apollo as he appears within Thetis’ speech in the fragment of Aeschylus’ “Judgement of the Weapons” (quoted before) – a fragment which was preserved only because Plato denounced it within his “Republic”.

Prepared by Pindar, ensured by Plato, the greatness of the god, now the incarnation of the divine unity, will now definitively impose itself. The killer of Achilles, Koronis or Cassandra is now far away: with might now comes moral perfection, and unity replaced multiplicity. It is what Plutarch means when, during his list and comment about the various explanation of the mysterious “E” inscribed in the temple of Delphi, he finally concludes that it means: “You are”.

IV/ The Roman Apollo: politics and religion

We know the famous sentence of Horace: “The conquered Greece conquered its fierce vanquisher” (Epistles). The history of the Greek Apollo within Rome illustrates this line. It is true that we have to account for other influences that nuanced and “filtered” the Delphic presence and adapted it to the mentality of the Roman people: the Falisci beliefs and rites, the Etruscan legends and cults, the fact that the Cumae Sibyl originally belonged to an ancient chthonian goddess… But we can still easily follow a clear progression of the god. Beginning of the 5th century BCE: Tarquin the Superb (Tarquinius) sends two of his sons to the Pythian oracle. 433: a temple is dedicated to Apollo on the Field of Mars. 212: The first “ludi Apollinares” are celebrated. The 2nd of September of 31 BCE: Octave crushes in the waters of Actium the ships of Antony and Cleopatra under the sight of Apollo, who is honored on the promontory that dominates the entrance of the Ambracian gulf.

From this moment on truly begins the entrance of Apollo within Latin literature. (Ennius, Naevius and Lucilius all evoked him, but in a shy and discreet way). Octavius, who will soon be called Augst, cleverly organizes the propaganda. He has a rumor spread according to which Atia, the mother of the new sovereign, conceived him with Apollo. The victory of Actium becomes the “miracle of Actium”. In the year 28, a temple is dedicated to Actian Apollo on the Palatine Hill, right next to the palace the prince had built for himself. On the cuirass of August’s statue (the one found at Prima Porta), Apollo is depicted riding a griffin with a lyre in his hand, while facing his sister Diana, riding a stag and holding a quiver. Apollo, after being the one who caused the victory, becomes associated with the work of peace, the “Pax Augusta” – for he is the god of harmony.

The authors participate to the Augustinian work. Already, well before Actium, in the year 40, in his fourth “Bucolic”, Virgil was announcing the rule of Apollo. Within the “Aeneid”, Apollo plays a major role: it is him that gives to Aeneas and his companions the order to regain the land of their ancestors. He is also Aeneas’ protector, and just as beautiful as the Greek poets painted him: “ the god walks on the yokes of Cynthia, his flowing hair softly pressed with foliage and crowned with a gold diadem ; ad his arrows rustle on his shoulder”. He finds back all of his old functions: he is a prophet, a musician, an archer and a healer. He is “the greatest among the gods”. As for Horace, he opens his “Carmen Saeculare” by an invocation to the two children of Leto – the “Carmen Saeculare” being sung on the 3rd of July of the year 17 BCE for the celebration of the secular games organized by Augustus: “Phebus, and you, Diana, queen of the forests, luminous jewel of the sun, you, always adorable and always adored”.

During the episode of Daphne, in the first book of his “Metamorphoses”, Ovid does treat the god with some disrespect. Apollo is vanquished by the child-Cupid that he disdained. Overtaken with desire for Daphne, he hopes to be able to unite himself with her, “fooled by his own oracles”. He gives her a very eloquent speech, that the nymph refuses to listen to as she flees away from him. And right as Apollo is about to reach for her, Daphne, turned into a laurel tree, escapes him forever. However, if we look at the way Ovid treats the gods in the entirety of his “Metamorphoses”, we do note that Phoibos-Apollo has a more important role than the others. The others gods are not presented with any kind of dignity and do not seem to fit their ranks: they are only seen embroiled in romances or taking part in petty quarrels. On the contrary, Ovid’s Apollo, just like the one of Virgil, has all of his Antique functions – he is an oracle, he is a medicine spirit, he is a musician, and to all of this is added the art of the metamorphoses, an art pushed to a level of science. He is the god of harmony and of light. His identification with the sun which, throughout the previous century was sometimes clear sometimes underlying, is here expressed with no hesitation in the speech Ovid gives to Pythagoras. With the Augustan Apollinism, the depiction of the god shifts to a solar theology, that the successors of Augustus will all make use of. The god of Lycia, the god of the wolves, is forgotten. Apollo is now the figure of light, the harmonious and perfect spirit, and it is as such that he is now forever imprinted in our cultural subconscious.

[visual-sandwich]

Ludger tom Rimg The Elder (1496-1547)

The Delphic Sibyl

[torgawl]

i think i found a connection between sibylla and enkanomiya because of the strangest book in genshin “vera's melancholy”.

the book is very futuristic and it’s hard to relate to anything in the game but there’s a few references to greek mythology and the mention of the name delphi (vera’s hometown), which we know are things connected to enkanomiya.

volume 3 of “the byakuyakoku collection” talks about the three corners that mark the borders of enkanomiya. a tower was constructed in each of those three realms and they’re used to harmonize the three realms, stabilizing the tendencies of enkanomiya and controlling its winds and water (despite those locations not being aligned with those elements). one of those corners is known as “the serpent’s heart” which in the past was called delphi or the land of the snakes.

the snakes in this case being ouroboros and orobashi. ouroboros, as everyone knows, it’s an ancient symbol depicting a serpent/dragon eating its own tail, which depicts a never-ending cycle, and this image fits two things that aberaku (sunchild) says in “the byakuyakoku collection”:

interestingly enough, delphi is said to experience a weird phenomenon where space overlaps itself. despite the themes in “vera’s melancholy” being nothing alike anything we’re aware of in genshin, there’s an interesting depiction of a portal in vera’s hometown, which in a way matches this description of overlaped space.

vera also says this interesting thing about a planet beyond the starry sea. the starry sea is a choice of words that can easily reference the sky/universe or the abyss and it reminded me of this description of events in "before sun and moon":

going back to sibylla, if you aren’t aware who she is (she was apparently introduced to us during the archon quests through wriothesley but i don’t recall it so i can’t pinpoint when it happened, although the new artifact set will talk about it), she was a prophet who remus met “below the abyssal depths” - where the source of all waters lies (primordial water) - who took the form of a golden bee and told god-king remus of the prophecy that the sea would swallow remuria.

the name sibylla means "prophetess" or "oracle" in greek and is associated with the ability to communicate with the gods or a divine being to be their messenger. the people who prophesied at holy sites in ancient greece were called sibyls and the first sibyl recorded was actually from delphi. delphi was a famous town of the oracle in ancient greece and was believed to be the center of the world. the town took its name from the delphyne, the she-serpent who lived there and was killed by the god apollo. apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the sun and light, poetry, and more. as the patron deity of delphi, he is an oracular god—the prophetic deity of the delphic oracle and also the deity of ritual purification. i think we can agree that there’s a lot of overlap between the things associated with sibylla and enkanomiya. i can't say anything for sure but i think there's a possibility that she's from there or tied there somehow.

the place where remus met sibylla wasn’t an empty place, there were was an unchronicled city there who had a silver-white cedar, which by the way it’s the exact colour the irminsul is said to be. cedars represent purification and protection as well as incorruptibility and eternal life. this is interesting from an irminsul and time perspective, of course, but also because remus’ goal that led to the downfall of remuria was to place the baton of humanity’s fate in their own hands, in a way that resembles immortality. for this, he created the golden ichor which was made of primordial water and was supposed to dissolve people’s original bodies while containing their souls and minds. he would then transfer this to undying golems, making this the cornerstone of his “grand symphony”. by the way, ichor is the fluid that flows like blood in the veins of the gods, so in a way it’s like he wanted to break free from the power imbalance between humans and gods by ascending humanity into godhood. and, again, remuria seems to always have ways to connect with khaenri'ah. these golem creatures are very akin to ruin machines, khaenri'ahn technology. so, maybe remus' invention was actually the basis behind khaenri'ahn machines.

something that also feels interesting to mention is that in mythology, egeria was a nymph and the consort of the second king of rome. in parallel to this, sybilla guided remus up until the creation of the golden ichor. i don’t recall exactly the last part of the lore in the flower of this artifact set (harmonious symphony prelude) but i’m pretty sure she was said to have transformed into a ship, more specifically fortuna (remus’ ship), once again reinforcing the idea of them working together and trying to cheat fate. the name egeria is also used as an eponym for a female advisor or counselor, which is very much what sibylla was to remus. the artifact set doesn't allude to sibylla and egeria being the same entity but they share quite a few similarities and a lot of their elements clash. the concept of prophecy in ancient greece seems to have been associated with bees, explaining why sibylla took the form of one. and if you remember me mentioning apollo in the part about delphi, there’s something that ties with this whole bee theme. the homeric hymn to hermes acknowledges that apollo's gift of prophecy first came to him from three bee-maidens, usually but doubtfully identified with the thriae, a trinity of pre-hellenic aegean bee goddesses. these three bee maidens had the power of divination and were romantically linked to apollo, one of them even said to have given him delphos, another of the supposed beings behind the origin of the town delphi’s name. there’s a bit of conflicting ideas regarding this part specifically but it's still curious that there's, once again, a big association between delphi and sibylla through apollo and also with the connection with the concept of trinity. this isn’t a strange concept in fontaine at all, as we can easily associate it with the ruling in this nation after remus (e.g. egeria-furina/focalors-neuvillette; furina-focalors-oratrice as the holy trinity; and, the three thrones near opera epiclese).

unrelated thoughts:

i think the flower in this set might be an anemone or adonis flower. i'm very uncertain to be honest, but both associate to the same things and they fit the lore very much. in greek mythology, the anemone symbolized the bloody death of the greek god adonis, the mortal lover of the goddesses aphrodite and persephone, who was famous for having achieved immortality. again, very remus-core!!!

there's also this. they're not the same whatsoever, but i thought it was interesting that their (remus and dainsleif) colour palettes are the same.the blue accent in their masks are also in the same location; remus' is like a tear while dainsleif's extends from the side and doesn't touch the eye. even though they're different, it still had me scratching my chin like a detective.

[stoicbreviary]

Sayings of Heraclitus 75 

And the Sibyl, with raving lips uttering things mirthless, unbedizened, and unperfumed, reaches over a thousand years with her voice, thanks to the god in her. 

IMAGE: Michelangelo, The Delphic Sibyl (c. 1509) 

[semtituloh]

Sistine Chapel Ceiling: The Delphic Sibyl

Miguel Ángel

Fecha: 1509

Estilo: Alto Renacimiento

Serie: Sistine Chapel Paintings

Género: pintura religiosa

Media: fresco

Localización: Capilla Sixtina

Dimensiónes: 350 x 380 cm

[eventide-reverie]

Trying to draw the delphic sibyl from the sistine chapel rn as a bday gift and i am suffering

[dashodist]

⊹ ⠀࣪⠀୨୧ܢ ̼̻ 아가씨▫️᭮ ⪩ 𔘓 ⪨ in this haunting nocturne of a scene, she stands as the embodiment of delphic wile. beam in gleam o’ unspoken narrative, revealing secrets only the night can whisper. she.. is a novel sibyl; ancient magic lingering in each moment she graces.

꒰͜͡ ྀ ͜͡𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ ּ 𓏲࣪ 마담. 𖤐 .⬮she reigns with an air of inscrutable majesty, her attire of deep midnight blending effortlessly into the room’s dusky corners. as shadows glide by, her serene poise establishes her as the undeniable focal point, utterly captivating.

★ ₊˚ 비밀 탐구자⠀✦✧⠀𝀬poised on the metallic embrace of the stairs, she stands guard as a sentinel of the opaque. melds with the urban labyrinth, a stark contrast to the spectral light that filters through the scene, accentuate her as the sole keeper of nocturnal secrets.

᭬ ֵ𝗂𝗇ֵ֗ 𝗍ֵ𝗁࣪ᧉ꯭ 𑜎꯭ּ֗𝗈𝗋ׅ𝗅𝖽ֵ ⬚͒ ̼ ᱙ dominating the cascade of steps, her figure cuts a commanding silhouette against the monochrome backdrop. chains glint as she maneuvers with an air of regal defiance, her piercing eyes reflecting the icy blue of a winter night.

𐔌ㅤ⠀ 𓈒 ⠀𐤀 ⠀ 별 별자리⠀ ⁦#⃞ ⁩✿ ۪۪۫۫ᤢ ⁦against the speckled splintered like cold ocean ice, cloaked in the dark hues of midnight. each adornment sparkles like a constellation, casts her as a mysterious prophetess in this surreal, blue-drenched sanctum.

[promptuarium]

The Libyan SIBYL was said to be the second by Marcus Varro in his books of divine things. He says that the Sibylline Books did not come from one Sibyl only, but were called Sibylline because all female prophets were named Sibyl by the ancients - either because they revealed the advice of the Gods, according to the etymology, at least by the Aeolian way of speaking, for the Aeolians call God σιός [siós] and advice βυλήν [bylḗn]; or after the name of the one who was a Delphic priestess. See [the same sources] as above. 

This prophecy is attributed to this Sibyl:

Behold, a day will come, and the lord will illuminate the thick darkness, and the bonds with the synagogue will be dissolved, and the lips of men will cease when they see the king of the living, and the virgin will hold him in her bosom, the lady of the nations, and he will reign in mercy, and the womb of his mother will be the balance of everything. Then he will come into the hands of the unjust, and they will strike God with unclean hands; he will be miserable and disgraced, and he will offer hope to the miserable.

[earnestereo]

Close up of Delphic Sibyl © Michael Earnest

[visualpoett]

Delphic Sibyl (detail), painting by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel ~ ca.1508

[mysterious-secret-garden]

Crispin de Passe I - The Delphic sibyl.