Re: CHAT: The Pythia (was: hi brethren)

Raymond Brown wrote:

> Like Thomas Weir, I thought the Pythia was suppposed to have entered her
> trance by consuming or chewing laurel leaves (tho I've always been a bit
> suspicious of the truth of that theory).
>
> I thought the vapor theory applied to the Sibyl at Cumae.
Oops, yes, I mixed the two up.

> Clearly both ladies did go into trance-like states where it was assumed
> that the god Apollo had taken over their bodies; but I guess we'll never
> really know how the trance was induced in either case.  There are, as I
> understand it, people who can more or less self-induce such a state; I'd
> guess the women chosen as Pythia & Sibyl would be just such people tho I've
> no doubt there were other external aids, so to speak, to induce the trance.
Now such people are called channelers, and they make $$$$$$ writing books
and giving advice, just as in classical times.


--

Schlingt dreifach einen Kreis um dies! || John Cowan <jcowan@...>
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Denn er genoss vom Honig-Tau,           || http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
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