Mystical Beauty and Sacred Sites around the Oracle of Delphi

Nestled on Mount Parnassos – one of the tallest and most beautiful mountains of Greece – and hanging at the edge of a precipice that overlooks the ancient olive groves of Amfissa, there stands the village of Delphi. Despite its humble and mediocre appearance, especially when compared to the cosmopolitan Arachova a few kilometres away, it is one of the most well-known and heavily visited places in Greece, thanks to the remains of the ancient Greek Oracle – the Oracle of Delphi – where, for centuries, God Apollo offered, through his Priestess Pythia, advice to the pilgrims, influencing, more than once, the course of regional history.

The cascading mountain masses that, on one side, rise above reflecting a light so divine that no one dares question the ongoing presence of Apollo, and the stretches of ancient olive trees, that, on the other side, extend for several kilometres spilling into the sea, cultivate a mystical ambience that turns every visitor into a pilgrim. Amidst the broken columns, the ancient Treasuries, and the bay trees, one is tempted to bestow to the gods the questions that trouble the soul, hoping to be worthy enough of an answer that will liberate one’s existence from fear and stagnation.

Temple of Apollo in Delphi

Despite the Oracle’s dominating presence, there are additional sacred sites in the region that deserve one’s attention. Such is the Corycian Cave which lies hidden from the eyes of the many on the slopes of Parnassos, at an altitude of around 1300 m, ten kilometres walking distance from Delphi.

We headed to the Corycian Antron (as it is often called) on a warm, autumnal morning. Although nowadays there is a road that allows cars to reach the entrance of the cave easily, we chose to imitate our ancestors and hike our way to the top. We kicked off from the area called Livadi – a tableland dominated, once upon a time, by large herds of sheep and goats but invaded today by similarly numerous tourists. The initial part of the path was flat, broad, and comfortable, passing by a few remaining corrals, a shepherd here and there, sheep, goats, dogs, and a series of chalets that, during the winter, must enjoy a stunning view. Soon enough, a sign directed us to the right onto a steep pathway which zigzags for about 200 meters of altitude, reaching the top of the hill – and the entrance to the cave.

The beginning of the path

Turning towards the Corycian Cave

The path, albeit hilly and occasionally arduous, was dotted with bright crocuses that seemed to be on a celebratory mood, white lilies that shimmered like small pieces of glass mirroring the light, and bunches of cyclamens that, in their perpetual shyness, preferred to hide into niches and rocks. The chiming of the animals’ bells echoed on the surrounding slopes, and, amplified, dominated the plateau. An occasional barking or bleat was similarly intensified by the amphitheatric shape of the area, reinforcing the context of a pastoral scenery that is strange, rustic, and quaint to us, the urban dwellers.

Crocus-dotted slopes

Crocus flowers

The view on the valley from above

The entrance to the cave was so small and negligible that, in the beginning, we were not inclined to venture into its hollows. Once inside though and as soon as the eyes got adjusted to the obscurity of the place, we were taken aback by its grandeur, size, and meditative ambience. The ancient traveller, Pausanias, who visited the site in the 2nd c AD, identified it as maybe the most spectacular cave he had seen. And, indeed, he was not exaggerating.

The entrance

The main chamber of the cave

The name “Corycian” derives either from the nymph Corycia or from the word “korykos” which in Greek means “knapsack” and relates to the shape of the stalactites that hang from the ceiling. It is possible that before the Twelve Gods of the Greek Pantheon dominated the spiritual stage, the cave was used to worship the Earth: the eternal Mother, the centre and grounding force of all prehistoric religions. The womb-resemblance of the grotto and its humid silence that is interrupted only by the soft sound of water dripping from above on a perpetual process of creation makes it natural that female deities should be associated with its existence. As centuries passed by, the male God Pan – the protector of the wild, of shepherds, flocks, and rustic music, and companion of the nymphs – was added to the deities that were worshipped in the cave – which, ever since, is also known as the “Cave of Pan”.

With a length of 90 m, a width of 60 m, and height up to 50 m., the central chamber of the cavern is enormous. At its end, there is a smaller space, often referred to as “the sanctum,” and a long, dark path, all of which are rather inaccessible. Over the millennia, the stalactites and stalagmites have sculpted shapes which, as they glittered under the pale reflection of the sunlight pouring from the entrance, turned into the figures of the elusive nymphs that have been living there since time immemorial. A rotten rope was hanging from one of the rocks, left by some explorers in the recent past, but its decaying condition did not offer enough assurance for us to venture deeper into the cave. As such, we spent most of the time in the first chamber, groping our way around, physically, historically, and spiritually.

Looking towards the entrance from inside the cave

Mystical sculptures

The Corycian Antron had been used for religious rituals since the Neolithic times, and, in antiquity, it was considered to be the largest known cave. It is possible that it operated as an oracle many centuries before the Delphi Oracle was established. The arrival of the new god, Apollo, was possibly reflected in the myth, according to which, the blond god seduced in this cave the nymph Corycia who, later, also gave birth there to her son Lykoros (the prefix “Lyk” connecting to the light of the morning sun and, hence, to his alleged father as well). The recent excavations have revealed thousands of small objects, votives in their majority, among which 25,000 astragaloi (i.e. “knucklebones”) that were used either as toys for the kids or as magical tools for divination.

Legends aside, the size of the cave and its concealed location offered the perfect hideout for the locals throughout all the major invasions that took place in the annals of the region. As such, the peasants found refuge inside the cave against the Persians (in 480 BC), the Turks (during the War of Independence in the 19th century), and the Germans (during the Second World War).

A circle made of stones at the centre of the cave refers to the ancient rituals that were being performed, while a large stalagmite on the left, called “Trapeza” (i.e., “table”) was possibly used for the deposit of the offerings by the pilgrims that were flooding the cave during the ancient times. At the entrance, we can still detect today an inscription carved into the rock – “ΕΥΣΤΡΑΤΟΣ ΑΛΚΙΔΗΜΟΥ ΑΜΒΡΥΣΣΙΟΣ ΣΥΝΠΕΡΙΠΟΛΩ ΠΑΝΙ ΝΥΜΦΑΙΣ” – dating to the 4rth or 3rd c BC, while, further inside and just before the Sanctum, Pausanias left an inscription of his passage as well – “ΠΑΥΣΑΝΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΓΩ ΕΣ ΔΕΛΦΟΥΣ” – which, unfortunately, I did not see myself.

Inscription on the rock by the entrance

We lingered in the cave a little longer, balancing ourselves on the slippery ground, overwhelmed by the imposing ambience and the persisting presence of the divine spirits that inspired our ancestors and seem to be powerful enough to leave, up to this day, a mark on our lives as well. But, finally, we had to go.

On the way towards Delphi

Instead of retracing our steps back to our starting point, we chose to hike to Delphi, following the ancient pilgrimage path. Nowadays, the route is part of the European E4 trail and is reasonably well signposted – though attention should be paid at some critical turns, where local knowledge is required.

Fairy-tale fir forests

Unexpected findings in the midst of the trail

The path initially took us through a fir forest – dense and mystical as if coming out of a fairy tale – and, then, it turned into what is referred to as “kalderimi” (i.e., cobbled street). This road is still paved with the stones of the ancient times and snakes around the slopes of the mountains offering breathtaking views to the olive grove valley and the sea at the background.

The ancient “kalderimi” – the pilgrimage road to Delphi

On the pilgrimage path to Delphi

The view towards the sea, the pilgrimage path on the right

Photo credits: © Konstantina Sakellariou.

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