When Leto bore Zeus's children, the twin deities, Apollo and Artemis, in jealousy, the queen of Olympus, the wife and sister of Zeus, Hera sent the mythical serpent Python, to chase after Leto and stop her from giving birth. To avenge his mother’s plight, when Apollo grew up, he went to Mount Parnassus, where the Python resided. Apollo fought and killed the Python by piercing it with his arrows. Then he decreed that where his enemy once dwelled, a shrine in his honor shall be built. Thus came to be, the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, one of the most significant temples in Greek mythology, as this is where, the Oracle of Delphi came into existence.

The high-priestess (or, according to some accounts, a local woman from Delphi) of the temple, called “the Pythia” (derived from the verb púthein, which means “to rot”), kept herself locked in a hidden chamber inside the temple. In this chamber, were cracks and crevices, which spewed vapour and fragrances through a chasm in the ground. This vapour is thought to have been coming from the rotting body of the giant Python, slain by Apollo. She'd sit on a tripod stool and upon inhaling these fragrances, the Pythia would start speaking gibberish, which was thought to be the words of Apollo himself, the deity of Prophecy, being uttered through divine possession. The priests would then translate this into understandable language. These were prophecies, which were often indirect, enigmatic and very open to interpretation. Though some argue that the Pythia herself spoke these prophecies, intelligibly.

The Oracle of Delphi is thought to have been established around 8th Century BC, though some estimates date it back to as early as 14th century BC. In terms of devotion, the Oracle surpassed all others and saw its heights between the 6th century and the 4th century BC. All the Kings and Generals consulted the Oracle before any wars, conquests, alliances or expeditions were done. It became one of the most important religious centres for the ancient Greeks. The visitors had to go through a process of cleansing and had to offer a sacrifice to the gods, before they could ask the Oracle anything. Due to the very limited time in a year, when the Oracle would actually answer questions, the pilgrims would pay lavish amounts and gifts to Delphi, to access the services of the Oracle. This made Delphi a very prominent entity in ancient Greece.

Few of the famous prophecies include: In 560 BC, Croesus of Lydia, tested all the famous Oracles of the world by asking them what he was going to do on a particular day in the future, and declared the Oracle of Delphi the winner. He then asked it what’d happen if he went to war with the Persians. The Oracle prophesied that a mighty empire shall fall. Misinterpreting it, Croesus believed that he'd defeat the Persians, but the war actually led to the fall of his own empire. Thus making the prophecy true, but his interpretation wrong.

In 67 AD, the Roman emperor Nero, who had killed his own mother in 59 AD, visited the Oracle, which told him, “Your presence here outrages the g o d you seek. Go back, matricide! The number 73 marks the hour of your downfall!” Nero had the Oracle chambers shut, and the Pythia burned alive. Only 30 at the time, he thought that he’d reign long, till he was 73. But Galba, who was 73 at the time, revolted and brought Nero’s rule to an end, just the next year.

Post the rise of Christianity, the Oracle lost its popularity and prestige. In 362 AD, when Oribasius, visited the Oracle on behalf of his emperor, Julian the Apostate, the Oracle told, “Tell the emperor that my hall has fallen to the ground. Phoibos (Apollo) no longer has his house, nor his mantic bay, nor his prophetic spring; the water has dried up.” This was one of the last prophecies.

In 393 AD, emperor Theodosius, closed the temple forever, never to be opened again. The last recorded prophecy was, “all is ended”, and within the next few years, Theodosius was dead. Most of these accounts are apocryphal.

The ancient temple of Apollo, saw various catastrophic events, and wars. Some were even fought for it. These wars, eventually led to the destruction of the Oracle and the temple itself. The ruins of the temple remain till date, and later research found that the temple at Delphi, actually stands on a fault line in the earth’s surface. Maybe the chasm in the ground, which spewed the vapour? Among all the uncertainties of history and mythology, their intriguing nature, perhaps, remains the only certainty.