In Greek mythology, the Python was a monstrous serpent that guarded the oracle at Delphi, and it is most famously known as the creature slain by the god Apollo. This myth explains the founding of the Delphic oracle and the establishment of the Pythian Games, one of the major Panhellenic festivals of ancient Greece.
The Birth of the Python
The Python’s origins are described in several ancient sources, with the most detailed account found in the Homeric Hymn to Apollo (7th–6th century BCE). According to this hymn, the Python was a female dragon (drakaina) named Delphyne, who was raised by the monstrous giant Typhon and his wife Echidna. She lived in a cave near the spring of Castalia on Mount Parnassus, where she terrorized the local people and livestock.
Other traditions offer different parentage. The mythographer Apollodorus (2nd century CE) writes that the Python was born from the mud and waters left after the great flood of Deucalion, while some scholia (ancient commentaries) claim it was the offspring of Gaia (Earth) herself. The common thread is that the Python was a chthonic creature—a being associated with the earth and its primordial forces—making it a fitting guardian for an earth-oracle.
Apollo’s Slaying of the Python
The central event of the myth is Apollo’s victory over the Python. According to the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, the god came to Delphi seeking a place for his oracle. He found the Python blocking the way and killed it with his bow and arrows, a weapon associated with the god’s role as a far-shooter and punisher of the wicked. The hymn describes Apollo’s triumph and his subsequent claim of the site:
“Here I am minded to build a glorious temple to be an oracle for men, and here they will always bring perfect hecatombs, both they who dwell in rich Peloponnesus and the men of Europe and all wave-washed isles, coming to question me.”
After the slaying, Apollo took over the oracle, and the priestess at Delphi came to be known as the Pythia, named after the slain serpent. The myth thus served to explain why the oracle was sacred to Apollo and why the site had an older, earth-based cult that was superseded by the Olympian god.
The Pythian Games and the Serpent’s Name
The slaying of the Python was commemorated in the Pythian Games, held at Delphi every four years. These games were second only to the Olympic Games in importance among Greek athletic and musical competitions. According to tradition, Apollo himself founded the games to celebrate his victory, and the winners were crowned with laurel wreaths from the sacred tree of Apollo.
The name “Python” itself is of uncertain etymology. Some ancient authors connected it to the verb pythein (to rot), claiming that the serpent’s body was left to decompose in the sun after Apollo killed it. Modern scholars often suggest a pre-Greek origin for the name, as the word does not have a clear Indo-European root. The name of the priestess “Pythia” and the city’s ancient name “Pytho” both derive from the serpent’s name, showing how deeply the myth was woven into the identity of the site.
The Python in Art and Literature
The Python appears in numerous ancient Greek works of art, particularly on vase paintings and reliefs. A famous depiction is on the metopes of the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi (c. 525 BCE), which shows Apollo and his sister Artemis in a chariot, with the Python often shown as a large serpent beneath the god’s feet. The myth was also a popular subject for lyric poets, though most of these works are lost. The Roman poet Ovid (1st century CE) retells the story in his Metamorphoses, adding the detail that the Python was born from the mud left after the flood, which he describes as a huge serpent that covered a mountainside.
In later literature, the Python became a symbol of the old, earth-bound religion that had to be overcome by the new, rational order of Apollo. This interpretation was especially popular in the Renaissance and Enlightenment, when the myth was read as an allegory for the triumph of reason over superstition.
Symbolism and Interpretations
Modern scholars have offered several interpretations of the Python myth. One common reading is that it reflects the historical takeover of an older earth-goddess cult at Delphi by the patriarchal Olympian religion. The Python, as a creature of Gaia, represents the indigenous chthonic powers, while Apollo represents the invading sky-god worship brought by the Greeks. This view is supported by the fact that the oracle at Delphi originally seems to have been associated with Gaia, who was said to have given the site to Themis before Apollo took it.
Another interpretation focuses on the Python as a dragon, a universal symbol of chaos and danger. In many Indo-European mythologies, a heroic god slays a serpent to establish order—think of Zeus and Typhon, Thor and the Midgard Serpent, or Indra and Vritra. The Python myth fits this pattern, with Apollo’s victory establishing cosmic and social order at the center of the Greek world.
The name “Pythia” also carries symbolic weight. The priestess was said to enter a trance and deliver the god’s prophecies, and her title linked her to the serpent she replaced. Some scholars have suggested that the Python was originally a guardian of the oracle, and by killing it, Apollo did not destroy the site’s power but rather channeled it into his own service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was the Python a male or female creature?
In most ancient sources, the Python is described as a female dragon (drakaina), and the Homeric Hymn to Apollo uses the feminine form. However, later writers sometimes refer to it as masculine, and the name itself does not indicate gender. The confusion arises because the Greek word drakon (serpent) is masculine, but the specific creature at Delphi was often called Delphyne, a feminine name.
Why was the priestess at Delphi called the Pythia?
The priestess was named after the Python, the serpent Apollo killed at the site. The name linked her to the chthonic power of the earth and the original guardian of the oracle, while also serving as a reminder of Apollo’s victory. The title was used for the high priestess who delivered the oracles, and it became synonymous with the oracle itself.
Did the Python have any connection to the Python programming language?
No, the Python programming language was named after the British comedy troupe Monty Python, not the mythological serpent. Guido van Rossum, the creator of the language, chose the name because he was a fan of the series “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” The mythological Python is a separate and unrelated reference.
Are there other serpents in Greek mythology similar to the Python?
Yes, the Python is one of several dragon-serpents in Greek myth. The most famous are Typhon, the monstrous storm-giant who fought Zeus, and the Hydra, a multi-headed serpent slain by Heracles. The Python is distinct in that it was specifically tied to a sacred site and was killed by Apollo, whereas Typhon and the Hydra were more general threats to the gods and heroes.
What happened to the Python after it was killed?
According to the Homeric Hymn, Apollo left the body to rot in the sun, and the name “Pytho” was derived from the verb pythein (to rot). The site was then purified, and Apollo established his oracle. Some later traditions say that the Python was buried at the site, and its remains were the source of the prophetic power of the oracle.
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