Cumaean Sibyl – The Power of Prophecy

Mythical Priestess of the Apollonian Oracle

Nov 4, 2009

In ancient times certain women were thought to possess the 'god given' power of prophecy; they were known as the 'Sibyls'.

The Cumaean Sibyl was a character whose legend placed her in Cumae; the first of Greece’s foundling colonies on the Italian peninsula. An appropriately apocalyptic setting, now modern day Cuma, which lay within the volcanic grasp of an awakening, Vesuvius. The trembling gravel, sulphuric tang to the lips and shackled growls of earthbound energy straining for release must have set a convincing backdrop. For, the Sibyl was a prophetess, a mortal revered as a goddess – a soothsayer whose word had the power to sway kings.

Origins of the Cumaean Sibyl

Legend has it that Sibyl of Cumae was invested with her powers by the Greek sun god, Apollo. He had become enamored with the young human and offered her one wish in exchange for her virginity. Foolishly she accepted the transaction with the proviso that she would live for as many years as grains of sand she could clutch into her hand. Her wish was granted but the sibyl failed to honor her promise; shunning Apollo’s advances.

Her punishment required no more than adhesion to the exact wording of her wish – she was granted semi-eternal life but not youth. Her body would age and wither but she would be denied the comfort of natural death; perpetually suspended in time. Tradition tells of her eventually becoming so frail that she could fit in a jar, deteriorating until all that remained was her voice. Her final prison was then hung from the branches of a tree where she could still be enticed to mutter her garbled oracles:

"Sibyl, Sibyl, what do you wish?" To which she would faintly reply, "I wish to die."

The Sibylline Books of Prophecy

Another of the enduring legends connected with the Cumaean Sibyl is that of her nine sibylline volumes of prophecy. It is said that, in the guise of an old woman, she attempted to sell her written visions to the then king of the roman kingdom, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus. The king duly declined the offer, citing the old woman’s exorbitant fee. The sibyl proceeded to destroy three of the prophecies but again offered Tarquin the remaining six at the same original price. Again he refused, to which she burned yet a further three; for reasons unknown the king finally relented and purchased the final volumes.

The books came to be revered sources from which to consult in times of turmoil. They were stored in a vault within the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill in Rome. And there they remained until the temple was destroyed by fire in the 80s BC; hence the original sibylline books were lost forever.

Rewriting the Prophecies

When mentioned in ancient writings [1-2-3] the Cumaean Sibyl was said to have foretold her visions in leaves; scattered at the entrance to her grotto. If by chance an errant breeze would disturb these leaves the vision would be lost, never to be uttered again. And so, following the destruction of the sibylline volumes, an attempt was made to replace the lost ‘leaves’ from the four corners of the new empire. Over many years these ‘authenticated writings’ were carefully collated and again stored in the, now rebuilt, Apollonian temple.

Christianity Embraces the Ancient Oracle

The final fate of the books ironically elevated the Cumaean Sibyl into Christian favor. They were burned in AD 405 by General Flavius Stilicho, a Christian who believed them to be pagan heresy. But, in fact, certain passages within the books had already been perceived as prophecy pointing to the birth of Christ. And so the immortal seer of myth inadvertently formed a bridge between pagan ritual and the early establishment of Christianity. Subsequent Christian apologists would mention her many times over in their art, verse and even political aspirations.

The Christian emperor, Constantine included entire passages referring to her so called ‘Christ Prophecies’ in his inaugural address to the roman assembly. In years to come Michelangelo would go so far as include her image amongst the prophets upon the Sistine ceiling (1508-12); strikingly manlike and hulking in appearance she is eloquently portrayed in the throes of Apollo’s curse.

Discovering the Cavern of the Sibyl

In May of 1932 a distinctive trapezoidal passageway was uncovered by renowned Neapolitan archaeologist, Amedeo Maiuri. 131 meters in length it cut deep through the volcanic stone terminating in a chamber now known as the “Antro della Sibilla” (Cavern of the Sibyl). Initial identification came via descriptions mentioned in Virgil’s 6th book of the Aeneid and supplanted part a nearby acropolis as the ‘accepted’ and tourist home of the Cumaean Sibyl.

Even though subsequent investigation has reclassified the location as a Christian burial chamber it seems the power of suggestion still thrives within the grotto. The truth is rarely as enduring as fable and it is perhaps far more satisfying to imagine you are standing on the spot where a haggard prophet once cast her crumpled prophetic leaves to the ground.

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The copyright of the article Cumaean Sibyl – The Power of Prophecy in Italian History is owned by Hari Navarro. Permission to republish Cumaean Sibyl – The Power of Prophecy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.