The Oracle of Delphi and Apollo

As a visitor to Apollo's oracle discovers, the problem with oracles is that their visions are often fairly ambiguous.

Apollo made the decision one day that he required an oracle - a wise lady who could speak for him. An oracle was a person who could foretell and interpret the future in ancient Greece. He could then retain the presents without worrying about questions.

Apollo erected his oracle in a temple at Delphi using part of his special magic.

In ancient Greece, there were a lot of oracles and fortune tellers. Apollo aimed for perfection with his. He aimed to make his oracle the most well-known.

Apollo was aware that other oracles' prophecies tended to be quite hazy. Yes, the frost will be gone, and spring will arrive if the gods command it", an ordinary Oracle might respond if you asked, "Shall I plant my garden tomorrow?". Such a response was not very helpful.

Apollo made sure that none of his Oracle's replies would be ambiguous and that they would all be accurate. It was a great strategy. If people hadn't occasionally misread what she was saying, it might have also been successful. And that led to a lot of problems.

A weary king, for instance, travelled past numerous oracles before arriving at Apollo's oracle in Delphi. She could only be truthful, he knew. Who will win the fight tomorrow? he inquired of Apollo's oracle when he at last arrived. She said kindly, "A great king," while grinning at him.

Hearing this made the king very delighted. He was quite happy to have visited, and after leaving several gifts, he swiftly left to get his men ready for combat.

In his haste, he had forgotten that other kings would lead their armies into combat early in the day. The smile of an oracle was meaningless. Even the most accurate oracles have this problem.