Ancient Greek Divination and Funeral Rituals

Divination and Oracles in Ancient Greece

Divination was the practice of fortune telling performed by seers and oracles to fulfill this function. In Greek religion, there were two kinds of divination: that inspired by the gods and that performed through technical skill. In the first, the diviner received the message directly from the gods, such as the Pythia of Delphi. In the second, the diviner exercised a learned technique in order to interpret the divine will. The sanctuaries where a god spoke through divination were called oracles, the most famous being Delphi and Dodona.

The Delphic Sibyl and Sacred Rituals

The activity of the sanctuary was centered on predicting the future and giving advice. Before entering the temple, the client was purified with holy water and left an amount of money at the altar outside; then, a sheep or goat was sacrificed. Afterward, they entered the area where the adyton was located, and the Pythia (or priestess) was already in a state of ecstasy. A priest transmitted the customer's question, and the Pythia answered with shouts and incomprehensible words. These were interpreted to provide a response that was more or less enigmatic.

Ancient Greek Rituals of Death

Funeral rites began on the day of death: the women of the family washed the corpse, anointed it with perfumes, dressed it in white, covered it with a sheet leaving the face uncovered, and decorated it with flowers. The body was exposed for a day or two on a bed placed in the foyer of the house, where relatives and friends came to pay their last respects, while women of the family in black dresses cried and sang a ritual lament.

The Journey to the Afterlife and Burial

At certain times, a coin was put into the mouth of the deceased to pay Charon, the ferryman who transported souls across the river Styx, and sometimes a honey cake was included to appease Cerberus. The day before dawn, the funeral procession began, carrying the body by hand. The procession accompanied the body to the necropolis, or cemetery, located outside the city. The body could simply be buried on a bed of leaves or inside a wooden or clay box. Beside the corpse, various objects were deposited, such as:

• Weapons
• Ceramic vessels
• Jewelry
• Toys

Upon returning home, the family purified themselves, washed, and held a banquet.

The Cult of the Dead and Family Duty

The cult of the dead was a crucial aspect of family religion: commemorations for the deceased were held on the third, ninth, and thirtieth days after the funeral. It was a duty to maintain family graves and to celebrate annual rites in honor of the dead so that their spirits would not haunt the living as ghosts. Every birthday, the grave was visited.