Prophecy is the ability to see divinely inspired visions of future events. It was widely believed that prophets in the ancient world could foretell the outcomes of important events, such as wars and impending disasters. Many religions had temples dedicated to the Gods where prophets called oracles could be consulted; these oracles would go into ecstatic trances and the deities' voice would speak through them. The ecstatic state could be induced by drinking the blood of a sacrificial animal, ingesting herbs, inhaling the smoke of a scared wood, or one of many other ways, depending upon the particular religion.

The Greek god Apollo, as well as being the god of the sun, was also the god of prophecy and divination. He had many shrines where people came to consult him via his prophets - the Sibyls.

The Sibyls were priestesses, usually middle-aged women, who resided in caves, which were said to be the seat or throne of Apollo. The tradition of the Sibyls is believed to have arisen in western Asia, where verses by prophets known as Sibyllai wer well known. The original name "Sibyl" may hav referred to a oracle who lived near Troy and gave prophecies in the form of riddles, but eventually it was used as a general term and given to a number of different women.

There were at least ten of these divine Sibyls spread throughout the Mediterranean, in locations such as Egypt, Libya, Persia and Tibur (Tivoli, Italy).

The prophecies of the Sibyls were treated with great importance and they were consulted on many matters by heads of state. Their exploits appear as historical circumstance and also as mythology.

The Song of Cumae

One of the most famous Sibyls was the Sibyl of Cumae, who lived in a cave underneath the Temple of Apollo at Cumae near Naples, Greece. The Sibyl's cave (or dromos) was essentially a long gallery which ended in a small room. Beyond that lay a chamber where the Sibyl would sit on her throne and proclaim her oracles. The gallery contained numerous shafts to let beams of light in; these shafts also caused numerous echoes in the cave. The Sibyl would chew on laurel leaves (sacred to Apollo) and be fumigated by the smoke of the burning leaves to reach her ecstatic state.

There is a story of a particular Sibyl who was loved by Apollo. The god offered her anything, and she asked him to let her live as long as there were grains in a handful of sand. He obliged but she forgot to also ask for eternal youth. She grew progressively older and more withered until she had hardly any form at all. Finally she was shut in a bottle which was hung at the shrine and would only answer "I want to die" to any question put to her.

Another version of the legend states that she was granted eternal life on the condition that she never see her native soil again. She moved to Cumae to become the Sibyl, but was sent a letter from her homeland sealed with clay. The sight of the clay violated the terms of the agreement and she died.

A Sibyl was also said to have lead the Trojan hero Aeneas to the entrance of the Underworld so he could seek the advice of his father's ghost. She told him to take the Golden Bough, a name for mistletoe, to ensure his safe passage through the underworld.

The Delphic Pythia

A particularly famous Sibyl resided at the Temple of Apollo, built in the 6th century BC beneath the cliffs of Mount Parnassus at the holy site of Delphi. Legend had it that Apollo had slain the huge Python of Mount Parnassus and the Temple was built over the serpent's lair in honor of the god. Snakes were symbols of wisdom, and it may be for this reason that Apollo bestowed the gift of prophecy on a priestess, the Pythia (Pythoness), who took up residence at Delphi as the oracle. This area may have originally been sacred to a female deity, and was taken over by the followers of Apollo.

The temple at Delphi was originally a hole in the ground through which volcanic vapors passed, vapors which presumably had some sort of intoxicating effect. In the grip of delirium people were said to speak prophecies. But sometimes the mania overtook them, and they leapt into the volcanic hole - lost forever.

Eventually, the priests (who could see the benefits of having a permanent prophet installed there) instigated a more civilized procedure. A Pythia was chosen who had to be pure and had to agree to inhale the "sacred breath" (or pneuma) willingly.

The priestess, seated alone in a forbidden area of the temple, would breathe in the vapors. She would fall into a trance, and utter phrases and moans in a prophetic delirium. People who came to visit her never saw her face and only heard her disembodied voice echoing through the cavern. The words she uttered were often cryptic and obscure, so the priests would copy down everything she said and interpret her utterances by turning them into verses.

The Pythia was apparently quite popular, and visitors had to draw lots to consult her. A fee was also charged to anyone who wished to speak with her. Petitioners often made prior offerings to Apollo to ensure they would receive a favorable response from the oracle.

The Sibylline Books

Many of the Sibylline prophecies were written by priests onto palm leaves (although some Sibyls were said to only give their predictions orally). The transcriptions of these sacred words eventually became books of prophecy or Sibylline books. Most of the Sibyls in the Mediterranean area produced such books at one time or another. The books were considered very valuable because they could be taken away and consulted when there was no way of seeing the Sibyl directly. A certain set of these books also became important during the introduction of Greek religion to the Romans.

In Rome, only priests and magistrates could interpret the sacred laws and disclose the will of the gods. Consulting the Sibylline books which had been brought to Rome and became important in the state's polftical and religious functions - were a method of doing this.

The story goes that Amalthaea, the Sibyl of Cumae, offered a collection of prophetic books to Tarquinius (the last king of Rome) for the exorbitant price of 300 gold pieces. He refused, and she burnt three of the nine books. Twelve months later, she offered him the remaining six books without changing the price. Once again he refused, and she burnt another three. This panicked him into buying the last three at the original asking price.

These Sibylline books were kept at Rome in the temple of the Capitol, and were looked after by fifteen special priests. The books described how the Romans could gain the favors of foreign gods (Greeks and Orientals) through special sacrifices and rituals.

The Roman senate instructed people to consult the books in times of crisis such as war and invasion. In addition, temples to gods were erected and new holy days were proclaimed on the books' advice. The temples to the Greek gods Demeter, Dionysus and Kore were constructed in an attempt to gain divine aid to alleviate a famine in 496 BC. The Sibylline Books were destroyed by fire in 83 BC.

The Sibyl as a NPC

These examples should give GMs enough background ideas to create a similar sort of prophet for their own campaign settings. They could stick with the original setting of ancient Rome or Greece, but with a bit of adjustment to local gods and customs, the Sibyl could be transported to a fantasy setting. GMs should consider the influence that the Sibyl's religion has in their campaign setting, which could lead to several strong story ideas.

For example, if the Sibyl's religion is only one of the many established forms of worship, the introduction of a divine prophet may be a means of gaining more converts, offerings and power. However, if the Sibyl's religion is already the dominant religion, her prophecies could be very influential. If it is a only a newly introduced religion, it could meet resistance and even persecution from already established religions.

A Sibyl could very easily be labeled a witch.... A mystic religion that bases its actions around the utterances of a Sibyllike figure could also exist in a present-day setting (where they would most likely be viewed with suspicion as a "crank cult"), or in futuristic settings, where they may the be the basis of a religion on another planet or even a religious dictatorship.

Another factor the GM could consider is whether the priests interpreting the Sibyl's words are acting in good faith. The Sibyl was a source of influence and power for the church over the State and it would be easy for the priests to manipulate the Oracle to suit their own purposes.

The Sibyl would request valuable offerings, temples and more tests for the church. The word of the Sibyl interpreted through the wrong priest - could influence leaders' decisions to declare war, or condemn certain groups of people as "enemies of the state." If the priestess is sincere and not a fake, she may realize her words are being twisted and may seek aid to rectify the corruption that is occurring: enter the PCs.

The Sibyl could be encountered by chance in a mysterious cave, during a deliberate consultation, even as an attempt to procure a book of sybylline prophecies. The Sibyl need not necessarily have an entourage of priests with her, and would act as an lone individual if need be. In whatever situation the characters meet her, the encounter should be eerie, with the Sibyl's unnatatural voice echoing through a dark cavern, speaking of the future in cryptic verses.

Story Ideas

Family Feud

A new Oracle has been chosen from the ranks of the priestesses and she must travel to the temple where she will take up residence. Church guards are to escort her on the long journey to the temple, but halfway there they are attacked and killed by bandits. The priestess is not found and since no ransom demands have been made, she is assumed dead. The party has been asked to investigate on behalf of the Temple or the priestess' family.

The priestess was actually attacked by the soldiers of a prestigious family, who made it look like a bandit attack. Their daughter was also among those in line to take up the position of Oracle and by dispatching her rival, they hoped she would be elevated to the prestigious rank of Oracle (which has many accompanying social and financial benefits).

When their soldiers attacked the church guards, the priestess went into a into a trance and started speaking in tongues. This scared the men and they refused to kill her, believing they may suffer retribution from her God. They have hidden her and the party must discover the plot and rescue her.

Cassandra

The Gods may give the gift of prophecy but they were also quick to curse those who offended them. For example, Cassandra was a prophet who was blessed with the power of true prophecy, but because she spurned Apollo, he cursed her. Her predictions, though accurate, would never be believed by those who heard them.

The party could meet a Cassandra-like figure who is being laughed out of town for being a crank (or worse, chased out of town for being a witch). She has been trying to warn the townsfolk that the neighboring country is going to launch an invasion force, but no one will believe her.

One of the party seems immune to the curse and believes her - can they convince someone in a position of power to take the prophecy seriously and stop the invasion?

Another version of this type of prophet could be a young girl who is accused of witchcraft. She tried to tell a local merchant not to take a sea voyage because she saw his death in a dream. He ignored her and was lost at sea. This is not the first time she has foreseen a local's death and she also has the uncanny ability to predict storms.

The villagers think she must be to blame for the merchant's death by witchcraft, otherwise how could she have known? If the party comes to her aid, they will discover she has a gift for prophecy and they could help her find another seer to help her develop her Sibyl-like talents.

The Lost Books

The Sibylline books could be considered a valuable commodity in any age, either as a rare antiquity or as a magical manuscript. The original books might not have been destroyed by the Sibyl (who instead burnt fake copies to trick the king into paying the high price). The six "lost books" were kept by a special cult of priests who have preserved them with special techniques of science or magic. This cult could have survived many hundreds of years and are thoroughly dedicated to ensuring the survival of the books.

Perhaps someone has heard of rumors of the books' existence or a fragment of writing at an archaeological site may suggest that they still exist. A museum or collector may hire the party to find the books for their historical value, or a magician or occult aficionado could want them for the prophecies and rituals they contain. Conversely, a head of state may be mentioned detrimentally in the books (causing the nation's downfall, etc) and may want them found and destroyed.

References

New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology. Homlyn Publishing Group Ltd, 1968
Duby, Georges and Michelle Perrot, eds. A History of Women. Harvard University Press, 1992
Westwood, Jennifer, ed. Atlas of Mysterious Places. Marshall Editions Ltd, 1987
Pitt-Kethley, Fiona. Journeys to the Underworld. Chatto and Windus, 1992