Know thyself: a rant.

The Oracle at Delphi was the most famous, and possibly the most infuriating, of all the oracles of Ancient Greece.

Still, I have to admit that the poor woman had a lot to put up with. She had to sit on a three-legged seat over a crack in the earth, from which the fumes of the decaying Python (he was killed by Apollo:


illustration by Virgil Solis) 

were said to come up and throw her into fits of inspiration. 

Mind you, the fumes might have originated from geothermal activity, which could quite easily have included enough ethylene and ethane to inspire anyone - or some people say she might have had some helpful herbs to chew. In any case, her inspired speech could only be understood by the priests of the oracle, who would come up with some neat verses which elegantly and carefully failed to answer any question asked of her.

Anyway, one of the oracle's most famous utterances was know thyself, and I thought of an experiment to see how well we do.

In a minute I want you to sit up straight and clasp your hands loosely on your lap. Keep your eyes on the screen. Try to feel calm and lovely.

Here's a photo to help:


photo by D Sharon Pruitt

Okay?

Now: how well do you actually know the back of your hand?

Thought not!

Word To Use Today: oracle. The Latin ōrāre means to request. The Greeks called the oracle at Delphi by the name of Pythia, and her utterances krēsmoi.