Cave of the Oracle
- "The Oracle of Trophonios. I wonder if the Cult's working here, too?"
- ―Kassandra upon visiting the cave, 420s BCE[src]
The Cave of the Oracle was a cave located in Boeotia, Greece wherein the Oracle of Trophonios was said to prophecise.
It was a natural cave with human-built additions like stairs and an altar. The pilgrims visited the main hall, beyond which laid a tunnel system. Another entrance into the cave system was located near the Training Camp.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
By the time of the Peloponnesian War Deianeira, one of the Champions of Boeotia and a member of the Heroes of the Cult branch of the Cult of Kosmos settled within the depths of the cave, setting her camp by a tree growing underground. Even before that, she had gotten into the habit of praying and seeking guidance there.[2]
When King Archidamos of Sparta sent the misthios Kassandra to help the Spartan war effort in Boeotia, she was tasked by the polemarch and her step-brother Stentor to hunt down the Champions of Boeotia.[3] In order to learn about Deianeira, Kassandra helped Timon outside of the City of Orchomenos to get revenge on her by killing Deianeira's cousin Astra.[2]
Kassandra met an archeologist named Eppie, agreeing to help him locate and decipher a Mycenaean tomb called the Cave of the Oracle.
Following Astra's death, Deianeira recovered her body and brought it to her dwelling in the Cave of the Oracle, where she proceeded to grieve over it.[4]
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- There is a tradition in which whoever wished to consult the oracle would, after several rituals, descend into the cave. There they would be frightened, and upon exit, priests would record the consultee's words and fashion an oracle out of them.
- "To descend into the cave of Trophonios" became a proverbial way of saying "to suffer a great fright". This saying is alluded to in Aristophanes' play Clouds.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
The stairs into the depths -
Interior of the main hall of the Cave -
Deianeira's dwelling within the depths of the cave -
Deianeira mourning over Astra
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Sibling Revenge
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Conqueror
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Fall of Deianeira