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An Echo of Delphi: the Pythian Games Ancient and Modern Steven Armstrong, F.R.C., M.A

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An Echo of Delphi: the Pythian Games Ancient and Modern Steven Armstrong, F.R.C., M.A An Echo of Delphi: The Pythian Games Ancient and Modern Steven Armstrong, F.R.C., M.A. erhaps less well known than today’s to Northern India, and from Rus’ to Egypt, Olympics, the Pythian Games at was that of kaloi k’agathoi, the Beautiful and PDelphi, named after the slain Python the Good, certainly part of the tradition of Delphi and the Prophetesses, were a mani­ of Apollo. festation of the “the beautiful and the good,” a Essentially, since the Gods loved that hallmark of the Hellenistic spirituality which which was Good—and for the Athenians comes from the Mystery Schools. in particular, what was good was beautiful The Olympic Games, now held every —this maxim summed up Hellenic piety. It two years in alternating summer and winter was no great leap then to wish to present to versions, were the first and the best known the Gods every four years the best of what of the ancient Greek religious and cultural human beings could offer—in the arts, festivals known as the Pan-Hellenic Games. and in athletics. When these were coupled In all, there were four major celebrations, together with their religious rites, the three which followed one another in succession. lifted up the human body, soul, and spirit, That is the reason for the four year cycle of and through the microcosm of humanity, the Olympics, observed since the restoration the whole cosmos, to be Divinized. The of the Olympics in 1859. teachings of the Mystery Schools were played out on the fields and in the theaters of the games. The Pan-Hellenic Games Collectively, these Pan-Hellenic Games began with the Olympic Games, whose historical beginning can be traced to 776 BCE, and whose legendary continuation involves Delphi. One story has it that King Iphitos of Elis consulted the Oracle at Delphi for help in restoring order to Greece after the Dorian Invasions or Migrations sometime Silver tetradrachm issued by the city of Myrina, ca. 160-150 BCE. Apollo wearing a diadem and in the legendary eighth century BCE. He a laurel wreath. Photo ©Marie-Lan Nguyen/ was told to restart the Olympic Games, and Wikimedia Commons, used with permission. this proved so successful that they continued until either Roman Emperor Theodosius I The Beautiful and the Good in 394 CE or his grandson Theodosius II in The concept of athletic and cultural 435 CE suppressed them. competitions in connection with a religious observance is not exclusive to the Greek Following the Olympic Games, held world, however, the Hellenic spirit raised at Olympia near Elis and Pisa in honor of Rosicrucian Zeus, in importance were: Digest this conjunction to a fine art. This is not No. 2 surprising, since one of the Hellenistic • The Pythian Games, held every four 2008 ideals which eventually spread from Spain years near Delphi in honor of Apollo Page 52 • The Nemean Games, held bi-annually near Nemea, in honor of Zeus • The Isthmian Games, held bi-annually near Corinth, in honor of Poseidon Collectively, although there were many smaller competitions elsewhere, these four were the Pan-Hellenic Games. During each Virgil Solis, Apollo Slays Python, 1563. four-year Olympiad, the Olympic Games Illustration for Ovid’s Metamorphoses, from Ovid Illustrated. would be conducted in year one, while the Nemean and Isthmian Games would be conducted at different times during year four years, two years after each Olympics, two. In year three, the Pythian Games and between the years for the Nemean and would be held, and then in year four, the Isthmian Games. Nemean and Isthmean Games would once The Arts First at Delphi again be held. This was very much like In the beginning, the first competitions modern international athletic and cultural were for music, and then later singing with competitions, scheduled so that leading the Kithara. This instrument—similar to a athletes and stars could attend all of them. Lyre and a favorite of Apollo—is the ancestor The Pythian Games at Delphi of the modern guitar. It was also regularly associated with the Greek poet Sappho. The Pythian Games distinguished Even as late as the Italian Renaissance, themselves from the others, not only in woodcuts by Boccaccio show her playing that they were second in importance only the instrument.2 to the Olympic Games, but also because they included the full artistic and cultural Singing accompanied by the flute, and components, which actually preceded the then solo flute performances, joined the athletic competitions there. roster of Pythian competitions. As Roger Lipsey mentions, “. eventually theatrical According to legend, the God Apollo troupes, painters, and perhaps artists in proclaimed the beginning of the Games at other media had their competitions.”3 One Delphi after having slain the old guardian of the ways in which Rosicrucians manifest of the sanctuary of Gaia, Python, the this Delphic arts tradition today is the great serpent. continuation of the late nineteenth century Since the serpent itself often represents Salons de la Rose+Croix,4 which are now the basic energy of creation, and Apollo is held in the Rosicrucian Espace Saint-Martin the god of the arts, particularly poetry and in Paris,5 as well as the series of Salons which music, it is no surprise that the first two have been held at Rosicrucian Park in San competitions were for these disciplines, Jose, California.6 and later, the field was expanded to include Finally, athletic games were added, athletic competitions as in the other Pan- including the same contests as in the 1 Hellenic Games. Olympics, such as chariot racing, wrestling, In historic times, the Pythian Games boxing, pankration, stadion, other foot races, at Delphi can be traced to 582 BCE. At and the pentathlon. that time, the running of the games was Lipsey also points out that the Greek entrusted to a twelve-person Delphic name for these types of Games was Agones, Council, known as the Amphiktyonia, which struggles, whence our word agony. Although represented the Greek tribes or peoples. not meant in its tragic sense, agon is also a The games’ celebrations were fixed at every key term in spirituality as the spirit within Page 53 struggles for perfection and reintegration Delphi attests. Winners were also crowned with its source. He recalls that Antiphon with a laurel wreath created especially from (fifth century BCE) remarked, “Olympic leaves brought from the Vale of Tempe in and Pythian victories and all pleasures are Thessaly in Northern Greece, bordering on apt to be won by great pains.”7 the Aegean Sea. In Homeric times, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and the Vale of The Holy Peace of Delphi Tempe was a favorite haunt of Apollo and Significantly, this struggle of compe- the Muses. It was here that Apollo came tition at the games was accompanied by to purify himself after slaying Python.10 a truce, and a cessation of conflict during This river gorge was formed by the Pineios this sacred occasion. “During the Delphic River, where Aristaeus pursued Eurydice, Games, which lasted three months, the Holy the wife of Orpheus, to her death. In the Delphic Peace was announced. The ceasefire thirtheenth century, a church built in this guaranteed the people—participants and area was dedicated to St. Paraskevi, a holy spectators—to travel without risk to the woman whom Greeks and other Orthodox 8 games and back to their homeland.” Sadly, still venerate as a miraculous healer. neither in ancient nor modern times, has According to an ancient Greek myth, as humanity yet learned the Divine lesson retold by Ovid in his Metamorphoses, when that the energy put into warfare could be Apollo was purifying himself in the Vale of permanently transmuted into higher and Tempe, he spied Daphne, the daughter of more productive pursuits. the River God Pineios. She was instantly his Aristotle describes some of the activities first love, and he pursued her, despite her of the games, combining the arts and athletic refusals. Finally, as the God was on the verge aspects of the competitions. The entire of catching her, she cried out to her father, period of the Delphic Games lasted about and he transformed her into the laurel tree. three months, as competitors and spectators Apollo then honored her by making her safely journeyed to and from the games. The leaves the token of victory in all contests, core of this celebration was approximately even to our own day:11 eight days. It started with a ritual drama, It is no wonder, then, that the laurel a “Holy Game,” reenacting the slaying of from this vale, sacred to Apollo, Orpheus, Python by Apollo, which culminated in a and later Christians, would have been highly festive procession to the Temple of Apollo, appropriate for the Delphic victors’ crowns, where a sacrifice was offered. Then four days as it is the origin of the laurel itself ! of feasting followed. A modern Delphic arts connection to After the fourth day, the musical, the Vale of Tempe may be found in theatrical, dance, and other artistic compe- the world famous concert hall, Grady titions took place in the Delphic Theater, while the athletics were held in the Stadium. Due to the mountainous topography of Delphi, the chariot races took place nearby on the plain of Krisa.19 All for Honor Unlike at the other Games, the winners of the competitions at Delphi received honor Rosicrucian only. A statue was erected in their honor, Daphne becomes the Laurel, from Micyllus’s Digest as the well known Bronze Charioteer of edition of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, 1582. No. 2 Leipzig. 2008 Page 54 Gammage Auditorium.
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