Delphic Sibyl
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Delphic Sibyl was a legendary figure who made prophecies in the sacred precinct of Apollo at Delphi, on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. According to a late source, her mother was Lamia, daughter of Poseidon. The Delphic Sibyl was not involved in the operation of the Delphic Oracle and should be considered distinct from the Pythia, the priestess of Apollo.
There were several prophetic figures called Sibyls in the Graeco-Roman world. The most famous Sibyl was located at Cumae. There are a number of legends about the Delphic Sibyl, though they are not necessarily all consistent. One claims is that her last prophecy was said to be the birth of Jesus Christ. Pausanias claimed that the Sibyl was "born between man and goddess, daughter of sea monsters and an immortal nymph". Others said she was the sister or daughter of Apollo.
The Sibyl came from the Troad to Delphi before the Trojan War, "in wrath with her brother Apollo", lingered for a time at Samos, visited Claros and Delos, and died in the Troad, after surviving nine generations of men. After her death, it was said that she became a wandering voice that still brought to the ears of men tidings of the future wrapped in dark riddles.
