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"Les Théophanies" were ceremonies at religious festivals in ancient Greece at which were displayed all the statues of the gods, mainly at Delphi, the main sanctuary of Apollo
Incarnation même de l'esprit grec, The god Apollo, incarnation of the Greek spirit, represents the cult of beauty and the Greek love of the intelligible, of harmony and measure. His mottos, inscribed on the fronton of the temple at Delphi, are rules of wisdom :
Mhden agan "Mèdènn agann", c'est-à-dire "No excesses".
Gnwqi seauton "Gnôthi séautonn", c'est-à-dire "Know yourself".
Son of Leto and of Zeus, brother of Artemis, forever young and handsome, always serene, his golden hair crowned with laurels, Apollo, the god with the silver bow and the harmonious lyre, is honoured throughout Greece as the god of balance and of beauty : propagator of the idea of moral purety, Apollo Phoïbos is naturally the god of music and poetry ; god of all the arts, he invented, according to mythology, the cithare and charmed the other gods of Olympus with his melodius songs.
Apollon Musagète presides the choir of the Nine Muses, daughters of Zeus and
Mnémosyne, goddess of spirit and memory : Calliope, muse of epic poetry, inspiration of Homer, Clio the historian, Erato, specialist in love poetry, Euterpe, muse of music, Melpomène the tragic, Polymnie adept of lyric poetry, Thalie who supported comedy, Terpsichore who encouraged dance, Uranie, clever at astronomy. They are the inspiration which raises the soul of man above material interests, the breathe of the divine spirit... Moreover, it is through the mouth of the Pythie that Apollo speaks to those come to consult his oracle.
The festivals in honour of Apollo, very varied, take place in Spring and Autumn :
it is believed that Apollo leaves Delphi during the winter months and goes to stay in a nordic country to return in the Spring. Certain days of the month are consecrated to him : the 1st, 14th and the 20th and especially the 7th which , according to tradition, was the day of his birth on the isle of Delos, "the brilliant". Originally agrarian festivals at the time of the fruit harvest, the major apollonian festivals in all the large sanctuaries became festivals of sporting and artistic nature. Thus at Delphi, the great pythian festival which was celebrated every fourth year and accompanied the "Théophanies" included musical sparring matches, a poetry competition, a competition of tragedy and a prize giving to painters. Poets, inspired by Apollo and the Muses, came in large numbers from all areas of Greece in order to be crowned. And large numbers of participants came to applaud and to offer gifts and sacrifices to the god whose oracle they consulted. And there were almost as many people as at the Olympic Games .... |
