Why Delphian?

According to mythology, shortly after his birth, the Greek god Apollo set out to slay the great beast Python. This monster had tormented his mother during labor, chasing her across Greece to the shores of the Mediterranean. Apollo, determined to avenge his mother, tracked the serpent to its lair. After a titanic struggle between the forces of light and darkness, the dread serpent Python lay dead at Apollo’s feet. This earned him the name Pytheus, meaning “The Slayer.” Apollo then claimed the area where Python had laired, for it was a place of great power, a place where prophecy could be heard. This place is known as Delphi. 

For centuries, the citizens of Delphi held a festival every four years to celebrate Apollo’s heroic feat, the Pythian Games. Brave young men from all across Greece competed in the hopes of fame and glory. However, these games drew fewer spectators compared to the number of pilgrims who made the arduous journey to hear a prophecy from the Oracle of Delphi. If the oracle was the mouthpiece of prophecy, then the language of Delphi itself was the very voice of prophecy. This language (or dialect, to be precise) is known as Delphian.