(www.stonefromdelphi.co.uk)
Four-piece Stone From Delphi bring energy, p… Read Full Bio ↴(www.stonefromdelphi.co.uk)
Four-piece Stone From Delphi bring energy, passion and innovation to a sound described as dark, epic, alternative rock. Drawing their influences from modern bands such as Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Oceansize, Mogwai, Biffy Clyro and The Cooper Temple Clause, they have created their own huge sound that sets them apart from their contemporaries.

Beautiful soaring vocals, dynamic songwriting, atmosphere and an energetic drive are all fundamental components of the massive wall of sound they create, and onstage Delphi truly thrive, giving committed, explosive performances and displaying their inherent quality.

Bands that SFD have played with over the past two years include Arctic Monkeys, The Ordinary Boys, Blackbud, Kill Kenada, Fortune Drive and Souls. They have also spent time recording in the prestigious Moles recording studio, working with Paul Corkett (Biffy Clyro, The Cooper Temple Clause).

Nerve Gas
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3 Colours Red How could I let you get so attached Before I knew…
Kill Hannah Standing here In the ballroom as The dancers twirling ever…

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A Failure to Admit Wishful smiles on your face Loyalties divided Grabbed the g…

The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos

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Comments from YouTube:

@ReligionForBreakfast

2y↑58

Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/ywMs30s6YK2

@liquidluck711

2y↑1

Would you consider covering topics such as Ayahuasca, Amanita Muscaria, and/or Salvia Divinorum?

These psychedelics have had major impacts of occult and main stream belief systems. They also have major keys to unlocking certain features of our brains. I can go in depth and provide links to follow. Waking people up to these paradigms of reality is crucial for those who want curiosity over comfort.

@johann296

Hey man, great presentation. I was wondering, could Cannabis have some part to play in this mind altering state?

Also, I sense some very strong occult masonic influence here.

@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095

You actually gave credence to a book with a foreword by Graysham Hack-Crock?

{:-:-:}

@liquidluck711

2y↑1

@Eva Braun’s New Jewish Husband the church is in the mind as is the Kingdom to come. Better yet, look into Kabbalah and Occultism. Combine it with Christianity and Eastern Philosophy. You'd get a better picture much faster this way...

@DallasMay

2y↑1

Speaking of religious trances, I would love for you to do a video on musical use in religion. Basically every religion I can think of uses music in one form or another to achieve various ritualistic purposes. I would be interesting to see a compare and contrast style review of these.

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@direguineapig1755

2y↑2K

I love the fact that you don't just teach us something about ancient religions, you teach about good scholarship and critical analysis. Those are such important skills for everyone to practice

@leminjapan

2y↑24

Especially these days.

@theasianjaywalker4455

2y↑4

Are they though? What good have they brought us and what harm?

@BobHoss4

2y↑42

@Justinian Knoxamillion I think a better question would be to examine what harm inti-intellectualism does. Which is immeasurable harm. People being unable to think for themselves just makes everyone a shallow reactionary who gets easily duped by every scam, and is easy to control.

Everybody benefits from being given the tools to examine the information presented to them, understand what that information says, and draw their own conclusions independently. Education and tools of critical thinking give people freedom.

Why scoff at people who can think for themselves 🤔. I could draw some conclusions on who you are and what you value based on your reductionist comment that undervalues education, for example. And I could try to glean what your comment is trying to accomplish by comparing it to similar comments on similar subjects from other people. I could also browse your page and see what other comments you leave on other videos, or see what other videos you tend to watch... and my critical analysis skills could help me write up a series of sick burns to hurt you personally. Or I could be mature and do the right thing, and get you into a mature discussion about how you should be thinking a little harder about why you believe what you believe, and why you think some things are true instead of others. I could encourage you to question the sources of the information you get, and give you the tools to tell when someone is lying to you for an agenda. Because everyone benefits from being able to think critically. And everyone deserves to have that benefit.

@theasianjaywalker4455

2y↑2

@Nunyo-Bizznez So, to break down the verbose reply you've come up with:

It's a kind of formula that has made you a superior being, no longer able to control - you've now become the one who can control, grip and release and.. in a way.. you've become your own 'god'.

All that said and your own 'leveling-up' aside, has the 'critical scholarship' (the thing we were talking about) has that done more good than harm?

*I know you would like to choose your own questions to answer aka 'better questions' but we're here at: What has 'Critical Scholarship' done for us lately?

@creatrixZBD

2y↑12

Length isn’t really an obstacle when one can read with ease and is genuine in one’s desire to communicate. I see Nunyo’s comment as loquacious rather than verbose.

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@mjr_schneider

2y↑1.1K

This is one of those stories that I read about once and just accepted it uncritically because it made intuitive sense, but when you think about it more, it really doesn't. It's just so much simpler to suppose that it was a trance like those found in other religious rituals that don't require intoxicants.

@ReligionForBreakfast

2y↑219

That was my journey when making this video. I went from believer to "huh...maybe this doesn't make sense."

@DallasMay

2y↑110

@ReligionForBreakfast To be fair to the ethylene theory, geology is tough. I work in environmental science and engineering and have lots of personal experience with fractured limestone. A common mistake made by environmental geoscientists, even very experienced ones, is not understanding how much fracturing can affect contaminant migration. I actually gave a presentation at the TxDOT environmental conference last year about a project I worked on in Dallas where there was a significant contaminant migration problem in a new highway construction caused by a fault that diverted the groundwater in a completely different direction than would be anticipated.

Further, I've also seen subsurface vapors be concentrated and released in dangerous levels. This is actually quite common and can cause "sick building syndrome". It often happens because gasoline releases migrate under buildings and their vapors rise up through the foundation and concentrate in the building. I don't think it's impossible at all that the ancient people figured out a way to intentionally capture and concentrate geo-chemical gases. Focusing on ethylene specifically is a bit strange though.

There are lots of other geo-chemical gasses that could cause similar reactions, and cause those reactions at much lower concentrations. It kind of makes me think that the researchers probably developed the gases theory and then went looking for gases and ethylene is the one they found. The release also might have gone away within a few years of it's discovery, and the Delphi people kept faking it for many years after that, because why turn off the money faucet?

@view1st

2y↑13

Or just acting.

@icelandicfaeinPNW

2y↑8

@Dallas May fascinating information thank you

@goolumf

2y↑8

@Dallas May this is why I read comments

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@gjvnq

2y↑644

Ancient Oracles: My prophecies are correct. You are the one who intepreteed them wrong.

Modern programmers: My code is correct. The problem is the user.

Human nature neve changes :)

@christinevega9238

1y↑5

❤ lol

@nunyabiznes33

1y↑44

Maybe they were both high when they made their lines.

@nobodysbaby5048

1y↑5

Muffled Laughter.

@user-wr3vt8uq4s

1y↑33

Laughs quietly after spending years in Oracle database software...

@nobodysbaby5048

1y↑5

@[] S Your comment on this string is the best.

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@asheep8019

2y↑464

I loved this video, particularly because it took a line between two opinions posed by some of my former professors: that either there was no gas leak or it was ethylene. That either she was high off ethylene or that she wasn’t in a trance at all but cynically giving pronouncements. I don’t see a reason to doubt the many sources saying there was a crag spewing some kind of gas, but that doesn’t mean that it necessarily had to be intoxicating in and of itself. It could have just as easily have been, as you’ve said, a physical element as a part of a more complex ritual. Personally I don’t enjoy writing off ancient authors entirely to believe we know so much more this many years later, and I don’t enjoy believing that we have a perfectly rational explanation either. Theories which offer a more nuanced interpretation always are more appealing to me, and I’m glad you made the conclusion you did.

@bobmcbob9856

2y↑146

I definitely feel like the oracle having blue lips would be the sort of thing ancient people would latch onto as a sign of her importance & therefore write about

@dirremoire

2y↑22

The lips of someone deprived of oxygen aren't really that blue and wouldn't be noticed from a distance, especially in a dark cave. Also, as pointed out in the video, the effects dissipate within 5 to 15 minutes. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Pythia wore some sort of mask.

@Banneord

2y↑2

@David Dirré-Moire Well, this reminds me of Dune's spice.

@Tinil0

2y↑7

@Liktoric Spice didn't turn lips blue like it did the eyes. Anyway, as David said, hypoxic lips aren't super vibrant or conspicuous, they are more just desaturated.

@fuzzyhair321

2y↑2

@Tinil0 they look more bruised colour

@SombreroPharoah

39w↑2

Having had hypoxia. Your lips go a washed out, bluish tinge I guess, more white and 'drained' looking.

@z-beeblebrox

2y↑176

I've heard the "high on gas" hypothesis before, but what I never realized - as I've never done any proper research on the subject - is just how LONG the Oracle of Delphi was a profession. Just goes to show how insidious the "great man" theory is that any time I hear a historical title my default assumption is that it refers to a single person in time, and not a legacy that can span centuries. But with this new understanding, it becomes much more reasonable to me that vaporous gases - at best - only inspired the holiness of the location and likely played little role in the Oracle's actual rituals. You just don't go multiple centuries telling fortunes if your ritual involves toxic fumes. That's a quick way to wind up with no future volunteers

@oaktree__

2y↑28

A great point! If the theory relies on frequent, prolonged use of a toxic substance, we'd probably have more extant writing about the health consequences suffered by oracles, whether or not the writer made the connection between the substance and the health outcome.

@tzw001

2y↑29

Actually there is detailed description on the toxic effects of the inhaled gases and the rituals around it to mitigate their risks, e.g fasting over multiple days in advance of entering the adyton to prevent vomiting sickness. One story describes that the oracle priestess had been pressured by the priest to enter the adyton without this preparation and she died from the induced medical complication. This squares quite well with the observed risks of using ethylen as a narcotic in hospitals which is among the reasons why we've stopped using it for that purpose.

@tzw001

2y↑1

@oaktree_ actually, we do, see my comment below.

@robinlillian9471

2y↑9

No doubt the next generation will go back to the 'great man" theory just for the fun of contradicting your generation. This is all so petty. There are both social movements AND people who can make big changes at a crucial point in history. For example, if not for Henry VIII's difficulty getting a divorce, England might have stayed Catholic. However, if not for Martin Luther and the Protestant movement, Henry probably would never have had the idea to dump the Pope to get what he wanted.

@Jumpoable

LAWL.

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@cuckoophendula8211

2y↑151

Before watching this, I'm already reminded of that one scene in the Simpsons where characters having visions of their own personal heaven was later revealed to be breathing in a leaking gas pipe.

@sorayacatfriend

2y↑12

Yeah, the episode with Flanders' theme park

@lanawr80

41w↑11

This is fascinating! I grew up in a Pentecostal church and I was nodding my head aggressively while you described speaking in tongues as a learned behavior. I observed AND participated in speaking in tongues, “falling in the spirit,” prophesying, and uncontrollable laughing. All of these things are a complex mixture of genuine belief, feeling pressure of displaying yourself as holy, music, atmosphere, etc etc that causes feelings of being in a trance. Love how you thoroughly explained good scholarship. So glad I came affords your page- what a world we live in where I can listen to a lecture of this caliber on my couch. Thank you!!!

@dewilew2137

17w↑1

My parents sent me to a pentacostal rehab program for a year when I was a teenager. Several hours of prayer per day, mandatory daily “chapel” services, and forced manual labor. I’ll leave out the descriptions of abuse, but thankfully, this place no longer exists.

I got in trouble there for not faking speaking in tongues. I remember that there was a group of us who were very skeptical about it after seeing the entire congregation babbling and sounding ridiculous. We were chastised, and told that if we “just open our mouths and start speaking, the words will come”. That’s all I needed to hear to know that this was fake, but one by one, that group of skeptical girls began “speaking” at our next chapel service. I didn’t ask them after if they were indeed faking it, because I already knew, and I didn’t want to embarrass them or call them out. The power of suggestion is immense. Especially on highly agreeable and impressionable teenaged girls.

@lanawr80

16w

@@dewilew2137 wow! You need to write down your experience if you haven’t already. You know exactly what it’s like being raised that way. Yes that’s how I was coached too- “open your mouth and start saying syllables, it will happen” and why did so many of us believe it, too?! I literally started babbling words that sounded like what I’d heard my whole life, but I thought this must be the magical words because that’s what the authority figures were telling me, and praising me as well. Such a bizarre niche group of people.

@rustkitty

2y↑35

15:15 Isn't that just going to the other extreme though? I agree an 800 years gas leak is unrealistic, but that wouldn't be necessary for the whole duration. Once the place becomes famous for divination and the temple is already built, economic and cultural pressure would keep the show running long after any supposed magic fumes have ran out.

@FiveStudios32

2y↑103

I’m so glad you made this video since I was under the impression that the natural gas theory was widely accepted by historians. It actually served as an important lesson for me as a history student to think more critically about ancient texts, as there is guaranteed to be missing context.

@c1h2r3i4s56987

41w

yes good job thinking critically by taking this guy's word.... there are still large number of historians' who stand by the gas theory. And he didn't really do a good job countering all the points he made for the Gas idea. such as Gas can rise out the ground no where near fault lines, it is irrelevant. There just is not a nail in the coffin for the Gas theory or else the idea would have already died. I don't think we will ever truly know, unless it was written in great detail , by a priest who was in the know of the highly kept secrets, and we discover said writing.
( cough* gods and Magic are not real cough*) Both Trace and gas to me are equally plausible, unless I'm missing something, in which case im always ready to learn.

@sabagamager6253

2y↑160

This was the second video in a row in which you got visibly and audibly agitated when rebutting popular theories :D Nothing bad, rather nice to see how passionate you are about the subject. Thanks for another great video!

@elfarlaur

2y↑443

I am always a little skeptical about such scientific explanations for religious experience. Many modern secular people are so obsessed with trying to find the most rational explanation for things like trances and ignore the possibility for self induced states of altered consciousness. People cling to the idea of the gasses because it allows us to explain this phenomenon in the most rational way. If there is a lot of evidence for it then sure I'll buy it, but this reminds me of people claiming that Scandinavian berserkers were consuming mushrooms even though there is little to no evidence of this being true, just because that rationally explains this phenomenon.

@elfarlaur

2y↑96

Also I feel the same way about the "Salem witches were poisoned by fungus" theory. It's like people can't accept that cultural beliefs and social movements can have an effect on people's interactions with the world. No it has to be some scientific explanation.

@wfcoaker1398

2y↑64

The idea that mind altering drugs are some sort of "fake" spiritual experience is a product of the modern Puritanical anti drug frenzy. To the ancients, they were just a way of opening the door to the otherworld, communing with their spirit animals, and so on. It wasn't fake for them. A drug induced altered conscuousness is not somehow "unnatural" or not credible.

@cuckoophendula8211

2y↑41

I really like this take since we sometimes forget that one of the most important tenets in science is to humble ourselves to what the evidence shows us. Without anything to go off of, we technically can't make a conclusion. Thus, it's ironically unscientific to assume our personal interpretations despite how rational we believe they are. Without evidence to humble ourselves to, we become susceptible to our own biases.

@cuckoophendula8211

2y↑18

@elfarlaur I remember learning about the ergot theory as a small side note during our 5th grade Salem Witch unit (and hmm, I thought the theory was that the common folk who instigated witch hunts were the ones who were effected by ergot; not the so-called witches themselves). I think the reason why this theory didn't bother me too much even when thinking about it 25 years later was due to how the possibility isn't mutually exclusive from the cultural, sociological, and psychological priming of the time. But yeah, if anyone would ONLY place emphasis on the ergot theory, I'd agree with you that that's a bit inane.

@robinlillian9471

2y↑18

@elfarlaur Cultural beliefs just have an effect on how you interpret your physical reaction to ergot poisoning. Fungal growth on crops is quite common in wet weather. This is why the U.S. government and other modern governments require testing for fungal poisons in grain crops before they are brought to market for human consumption. A hundred years ago, you would have been far more likely to experience such poisoning personally or to know of cases--and then you would be less contemptuous.

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@markadams7046

2y↑145

I'm curious to know when did the Oracle fall out of use? Does its falling out of use give any clues as to what may have triggered the visions?

@ReligionForBreakfast

2y↑206

Waned in prominence in the Roman period. Cicero laments its disuse. Hadrian briefly tried to revive it. Ended during the Christianization of the Empire.

@henrimourant9855

2y↑60

If I remember correctly it was the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius I who finally shut down the temple and the oracle. But it was in decline before then.

@CrackleCat

2y↑1

"Certainty brings insanity"?

@torisantiago9176

2y↑3

@ReligionForBreakfast can you do a video on biblical prophecy like how according to the Bible was a prophet chosen or to be known. Like does the hebrew god just have to use them or is there a process and why does the Bible speak against mediums and those who commune with the dead

@sarahharris2729

2y↑3

@Tori Santiago There really isnt much difference between the two, a medium and a prophet, (speaking as a clairvoyant myself.) A medium "taps into" 4 intermentional octaves, physical, emotional, mental and identity realms. Spirits dwell in all four. Prophets and mystics commune with a 5th or "ascended realm" where everything is in alignment with the mind of God, which isnt perfection, but constant self-transcendence and progressive revelation. Mediums for the majority of the time, dont neccessarily have the spiritual purity or maturity to commune with this realm regardless of gifts. Revelation is personal and to meet one's destiny or divine plan, not avoid it. As Jesus did not run away, as painful as it was, when recieving revelation that he would be taken in the garden of Gethsemane is an example. A prophet is chosen in his or her divine plan before birth, but can self sabotage if they dont follow their intuition. They also occur when people are the most "cut-off" from their own intuition or ability to access gnosis. As you see, there is a natural upward momentum on most of earth, that of growth, the greatest downward momentum is STILL the Middle East to this day. Islam, Judaism and Christianity was born there simply because it was the worst. Prophets recieve, but not always some type of protective mantle from imposter spirits, mediums do not. Some prophets were chosen for different reasons including their ability to be successful in a leadership role, not neccessarily their maturity. Sometimes when a prophet thinks they are communing with an angel, they are not and even they are fooled. Sin, or misqualification of God's light through impersonation or karma is incurred yet it happens A LOT. Free will allows it to happen. Impersonation in mediumshop is explicitly stated in the Quran, but it isnt exclusively true. Muslims think all encounters of dead relatives are Djinn, though its prudent to suspect it, it isnt always so. Hope this helps. Its not academic but thats experience triangulated between historical experience, peer comparison with other seers and study.

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@dojokonojo

2y↑84

Sometimes I wonder if the Pythia ever gets "performance anxiety." Like if the visions stop happening one day for an extended period for any given reason, does the Priestess just say Apollo is not doing his part, or make up something very cryptic so one one can ever guess she was making it up?

@chiknscratch

Real witches use a trance or a weaving to help with prophecy. The Pythia would train and attune to the actual spirit of Apollo the Oneiromancer, to know and feel for when she should enter the temple where the fumes would induce her trance, they used it as a tool.

@cdreid9999

1y↑6

they were charlatans..

@chiknscratch

1y↑6

@cdreid9999 magic is real.

@surkey5055

@@chiknscratch7178 I am going to eat your son

@JubioHDX

1y↑7

@@chiknscratch7178 the definition of magic is that of the supernatural, aka, not real. there might be some better words to describe the things you believe in that are actually real, but your 3 word blanket statement is entirely incorrect from the start.

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@ronaldofrias2176

2y↑90

Yes... more ancient greek (and ancient) religion videos please... 🤞

@Beefystumeat

2y↑30

I’d heard the remark about her being high in the movie “300,” did a couple of Google searches, and figured the case was closed 15 years ago. I’m so grateful to be able to extend my history education through your channel.

@famuel2604

2y↑3

To be clear, in 300 he isn’t consulting the Delphic oracle.

@j.r.millstone

2y↑23

If there really was a crack in the earth, it could have been just air coming from some other opening in the mountains, then all they'd need to do is light a bundle of tinder with incense and herbs at the inlet and the smoke gets carried to the Oracle. Boom, instant ancient fog machine for their religious stage play.

@PunkRockPetSitter

2y↑50

Another super interesting video, my friend! I had also never heard of the follow up studies and had thought gaseous emission high was a very likely explanation! Your research has convinced me otherwise. I look forward to reading the follow up studies! Thanks for teaching me right, Brother!!

@hannahep5148

2y↑17

amateur chemist here. The room could fill with CO2 easily if it was below the entrance. edit: or even had curtains drapped at the entrance, like how walk in freezers keep cold air in with plastic. carbon dioxide is heavier than the air and will pool like water but it is not a drowsiness you can speak coherently. nitrous oxide would be my bet though, N2O. it is much denser than air and it gives a sweet oder and has an effect that wears off really fast. that might explain why the oracle sat up high in the room while the person entering would be lower. they would feel the effect more intensely and she would be able to keep a relatively clear head. the most telling thing imo is that they only held prophesy 9 times a year. if there was no one walking in and out of the temple during that time, disturbing the air, it would collect much faster. idk, i don't know the architecture or the bts ritual practice. i know nothing about geology but a thousand or two years (I assume) could change how much gas gets produced. this is not to say these points are slam dunks but like... come on. go there and put a plastic bag over a spout for a month and see how much and which gas you collect.

@borjesvensson8661

Did not the descriptions of the inner chamber describe it as a cave like room below?

@jorenbosmans8065

2y↑18

About the practising good scholarship: I fully agree. The downside is, that when you are not very active in the field, it has hard to keep up with the recent articles. It is nice to have channels as this one, that keep us up to date with more recent articles. So good work and keep it up.

@cemreomerayna463

2y↑32

How easy to miss so many highly serious counter-arguments when one theory ringing to ears has already swept the mass media.

@KiraNightshade

2y↑6

I visited Greece on a study tour through my college a few years ago and I remember being quite excited to learn about Delphi, and your breakdown of the scholarship regarding our understanding of the trance state was highly informative and backs up what I recall our professor discussing about the speculation and how we don't know for sure. It truly is a beautiful site and was quite a climb to get there. Looking forward to exploring more of your channel.

@Abelard4567

2y↑17

I love the story from Herodotus about Croesus "scientifically" testing the Greek oracles.

@AethelwulfBretwalda

2y↑6

Dr. Gregory S. Aldrete is my favorite lecturer from The Great Sources/Wondrium! His different lecture series cover all the greatest hits of the ancient Mediterranean world and as Lindybeige once said "Wow, does that man have SHOULDERS!"

@stevec7923

2y↑10

Nice discussion. I do suspect the gases had some effect (oxygen deprivation, CO2, Carbon monoxide toxicity). Chewing on plant leaves does raise a reasonable suspicion of hallucinogenic effects. A whole "cocktail" of influences may well have been developed over the many years of operation. This might include music, incense, chanting, maybe rhythmic dance. The whole process may have been as much to impress the pilgrims as induce a trance state.

@barkasz6066

2y↑8

I have been to Delphoi in 2006 or 2007. Could not find the pythia and had no visions of my own even afrer a day of hiking in Apollo’s sacred forest and taking a bath in the cold springs of Aphrodite.
Magnificent place. You don’t need to be high to have visions and spew prophecies. They might have been able to smell some gases in the onphalon, but their belief that the gas gave them visions was probably the strongest force. Giving naturalistic explanations to religious experiences is a good first step, but as an absolute layperson it seems to me that scholars often forget about the power of the human psyche even if you look at relatively simple phenomenon like the placebo effect. If the pythia was raised from childhood in the belief that she can see the future as a part of this ritual, and their environment would constantly validate this belief then you’d be hard pressed to find a priestess who would simply come forward and say “nope it’s all fake, the only thing you can smell is our sweat and farts.”

@oaktree__

2y↑20

This is great. I appreciate that you articulate the reality that there are many ways to enter a trance state, whether it's through substance use (like an inhalant), or through meditation, or some combination thereof. The intoxication-via-tripod-on-top-of-a-gas-fissure theory is fun and romantic, but if it evidence doesn't support it, then we have to look at other options.

@clevelandplonsey7480

16w

He sure doesn’t seem to like the idea that they might’ve used hallucinogens.

@wendellelisabeth8065

52w↑8

I visited Delphi many years ago and I had the most strange experience. I was walking with my brother and a group of people just where the oracle use to sit to receive messages. Suddenly I could hear like a numbing sound coming from the mountains. Then I start feeling like a subtle vibration in my legs coming from the ground. After a while I could feel through my whole body. I looked around and found out that I was not the only one having this experience. Till today I never had an explanation of what that was.

@freewilly1193

43w↑6

It's basically on top of fault lines, likely a small earthquake. I'm sorry that the explanation I offer is so mundane.

@ColasTeam

33w

@@freewilly1193earthquakes don't tend to be audible, but it's probably related

@clevelandplonsey7480

16w↑1

Go to Delphi. Then tell me that nothing mystical is going on there. I’ve been there. The Earth didn’t shake that day but it was definitely a holy place.

@hypergraphic

2y↑157

Ask any mystic, you can definitely get into altered states of consciousness with no chemicals at all. In my time as a charismatic Christian, I frequently received and gave visions, dreams, prophecies etc, and I wasn't high. Yes, of course drugs/chemicals can account for it, but it's not the only way. Dancing, fasting, meditation, silent "listening", and more have been used to "get into the spirit".

Plus, some tiny percent of people can fall into a trance and have a visionary experience without doing anything. They are just wired that way.

Lastly, never overlook that they could have just been making things up to make money. It's a mistake to think that everybody used only one method when it reality it was probably lots of different things.

@mastasexyrobotblasta4790

2y↑9

You forgot mental illness

@hypergraphic

2y↑27

@MastaSexyRobotBlasta Not really. That was implied in the part about some people spontaneously have these experiences without doing anything. But yeah, some mental illness used to be viewed as a gift from the gods and many shamans and such were likely mentally ill.

But then again, was it truly an illness if they fit in to their societies?

@robinlillian9471

2y↑5

People in some cultures do deliberately take hallucinogens to have visions.

@robinlillian9471

2y↑5

@MastaSexyRobotBlasta Who's definition of mental illness? It's totally subjective, depending on your culture, what behaviors are "normal" and which aren't. People who are diagnosed as "mentally ill" today were once honored as being chosen by gods.

@the11382

2y↑7

It really seems people forgot that altered states of consciousness can happen in anyone.

11 More Replies...

@stphnmrrs3982

2y↑7

19:50 Ok now I need a video on glossolalia. I'm so fascinated by Pentecostalism. I knew a lot of pentecostals growing up and I always wanted to go to my friends church cause it sounded really fun but my Baptist parents wouldn't let me.

@leminjapan

2y↑8

I've always been super interested in these theories since my first time hearing about them. Great video!

@gospelofthomas77thpearl81

2y↑13

Our Australian equivalent would be Nimbin. When you walk through this town you hear women’s voices whisper “want a cookie?”. So I bought a couple - boy did I see the future, past, sounds & a kangaroo that did a crazy wrap. Recommended 🖖🏼🌈

@swish3432

1y↑2

You Australians are so nutty

@tzw001

2y↑8

22:18 The hermit's place that's "filled with a sweetest perfume breathing from his mouth" when he speaks (Plutarch, de defectu oraculorum, par 21) is arguably just an ironic euphemism for "bad breath" (dental hygiene might not have been as advanced then as it is today) considering Plutarch's text is about "The Failure of Oracles". But that is no basis to conclude that Plutarch's information on the Delphi oracle would be wrong. Ancient writers weren't necessarily bad observers. E.g., Pliny the Younger's description of a pyroclastic flow to have occurred at the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD was considered an impossible thing to happen until we witnessed it being possible during the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980....

@dirremoire

2y↑1

Plutarch was highly-educated, a member of the Delphic Priesthood and an accomplished writer. He gave us a very detailed description of the Oracle and I see no reason to doubt his eyewitness account.

@zackdiazabiblio9592

50w↑3

This is fascinating! I actualy went to greece and visited delphi and it is really amazing in person.

@brotherjongrey9375

2y↑2

Thank you for sharing that you came into this with an expectation of what you knew and would present but that through your study you changed your mind.
I think too few people are ready to examine new information and adjust their perspective. You are a good roll model for the modern age

@markburris9280

2y↑3

I absolutely LOVE watching your videos. They are always so fair and balanced. Such a delight to watch. Thank you.

@lolly9804

2y↑6

I remember my first year classics lecturer being very sceptical of the gas theory. It was apparently his thing, whenever discussion of the oracle at delphi came up, that he would go on about the earthly vapors, and not trusting the opinions of every dead philosopher.

@gairmac33

29w

Wow, so glad to have seen this video as I was not aware of the follow up research papers. Thank you for bringing these to light for me....

@christianhoel1340

2y↑9

Fantastic job expanding on a very interesting subject in a clear and straightforward way. While I hadn't formed a definitive view on the subject of ethylene, I wasn't at all aware of the compounding arguments against it. You have a remarkable scientific integrity, which I admire very much.
My own very much non scholarly theory would be that it probably was several different forces at work. The Oracle itself would have had an interest in perpetuating the legend, so it might have been anything from a cynical act to genuine drug induced trance, and it could have changed over time and/or just periodically. Maybe once a period of volcanic activity (or some other circumstance) caused a proro-oracle to get visions at that location, and later generations just built on that with whatever means they found to keep going.

@tommymclaughlin-artist

2y↑3

This channel is criminally underrated.

@abigailjacob4043

Thank you so much for your good scholarship and analysis. I especially appreciate that you put the studies on screen!

@Katherine_The_Okay

2y↑3

I love how balanced and critical (in the good, scholarly way) your videos always are. Thank you for another interesting one :)

@csmlyly5736

2y↑1

I went into this with the same assumption and I’m glad you laid out the argument in favor in full faith and then also laid out the counter. Very good work!

@Tullio238

2y↑2

I may have said this before, but I love that your introductions actually have a purpose beyond padding the video and begging for money

@magnus75damkier

2y↑5

Thank you for making this video, it is crazy to think about the times I've just spouted this "fact" uncritically. Keep up the great work.

@scraberdash4286

16:05 I love how you start changing your tone to be slightly angrier, whether intentionally or not it added some nice flavour

@TerryBollinger

Well done, sir. I like very much that you took the time and effort to research topics such as chemistry and tectonics that are well outside your usual boundaries. Additionally, you provided cogent and persuasive arguments for how a better understanding of cultural context could improve research quality in more technical domains. You are a good model for all researchers.

@tzw001

2y↑2

23:25 On your question why the gases affected only the oracle priestess: possible answers can range from ritual use of stimulants (like inhaling the concentrated gases directly from the Omphalos without poisoning the whole room) to ritual context (e.g. the effect of fasting or special diet before the priestess commenced the ritual - in early times once a year, later once a month from Spring to Autumn).

@JonathanMartin884

Fantastic work! I was also coming here expecting to hear about that one article from twenty years ago and how cool it was that the oracle breathed vapors. I don't know these other scholars, but I have always enjoyed Hall's work.

@stellamarina4123

2y↑1

Years ago I visited Delpi early in the morning and had the whole place to myself. I was surprised to find such a complete stadium at the top of the hill.

@njm3211

2y↑2

I found the ethylene gas hypotheses very compelling when it was first posited. Was unaware of push back from other experts and scholars. Thanks for disabusing me of this theory.

@danguillou713

2y↑12

Really interesting.
I have an oblique question. How did the prestige of the Delphic oracle change the cult of Apollo?
I have a sneaky suspicion that he used to be both smaller and scarier, but that the priesthood of Delphi managed a pretty big reimagining and pr overhaul. Probably not enough evidence left to make that case though…

@dindindundun8211

it's easy to start, though! What about this smaller, fringier Apollo?

@scottygordon3280

Fascinating video. I always wondered how solid this theory was...Thank you for clearing up so many things!

@Sam-shushu

Well done. Thanks for the hard work.

@javieradorno2503

Excellent video! I love your channel so much! I’m currently writing a fantasy/historical fiction novel involving the Oracle of Delphi and this is a magnificent source!!

@AngeloNasios

2y↑1

Great video. And yes totally agree with you that intoxication hypothesis is not needed and is just wrong according to how many Greeks understand how oracles were done. You are right to approach it as a combination of elements.

@Eve.v

hey sir im pumped to watch this vid, right up my alley, but i first need to thank you for your channel name as it pulled me out of Phone Mode and made me realize i need breakfast. very excited to have a side of religion with it

@sobertillnoon

2y↑4

The picture you/your editor chose to represent a possessed goat was a fantastic choice.

@christopherdrago

2y↑2

Thank you for this video. There have been a couple of recent TV programs that came to the conclusion that it was the effect of the fumes and presented that as fact. I don't know what the explanation might be, but it's good to know there is still room for investigation.

@dkcarey1

2y↑11

I’ve always been curious if it was a gas but not natural. For instance a room or crevasse below the oracles room that temple priestesses would lite coals and add frankincense and other herbs ontop, with one of the herbs being psychoactive

@liamolaoghaire

2y↑1

Literally just visited Delphi the other day, perfect timing!

@bunnygirl2448

2y↑1

Thanks for doing this video. I had no idea there were any arguments against this conclusion.

@sandralane1923

Your research is outstanding.

@rafaelshinjitsu3478

Great content, and very nice extra lesson in the end.

@justinbirkholz7814

Thank you so much for making this video! I had heard about this theory and was wondering how plausible it really was.

@beardedpanda5086

2y↑2

Athletes also trained near by and stayed in dorms just down the road from Delphi. You can still see the baths and training facility.

@andrewclary4496

Ooo, I just assigned some of those passages from the Iliad in my English class. I'mma snag this video. Thanks for the lesson plan assist 🙏😊🙏

@joeshmoe8345

2y↑1

Great stuff thanks for posting

@pprehn5268

1y↑1

I really admire you and your passion for understanding the multiple belief systems humanity has conjured up. I truly respect the contributions to my historical knowledge. I had the opportunity to visit Delphi back in the 1970's and have always been fascinated by the Greek contributions to our modern world, in the west. I do think, however, that the Asian side of humanity doesn't get the same credit and understanding that we have for the Western 'paradigms'

@ryrylamby

2y↑1

I almost spit out my coffee when that photo of the goat appeared on screen!

@jacobborgmann7762

Academic Shots Fired!
What an intense day in the world of ancient religious studies

@papasquat3882

2y↑4

“For the goats began to act like beings possessed” may or may not be the best quote ever

@the11382

Honestly, aren't goats always possessed? These creatures make me wonder what is going on inside them.

@paulohagan3309

Maybe some vague connection to the god Pan? Where his legend began?

@liamredmill9134

That was an excellent and balanced presentation,thankyou

@xminecrafter18x

OMG I was not expecting to see you cite Dr. Lehoux! I'm in the Classics Master's Program at Queens University and while I haven't had any classes with him, nor is he my supervisor, I've talked with him a few times (It's a small department).

@monagorgan7288

2y↑1

you re channel is amazing!!!!

@theodoridi

EXCELLENT CONTENT AND EXPLANATION. MANY THANKS

@chiron14pl

I agree about the importance of scholarship and a critical attitude. As a clinician trained in both meditation and hypnosis, I know that it is possible to enter into trance by non-pharmacologic means. Trance is important to mantic function, but not necessary, so I think the case of how the Pythia worked is open but explainable by known means.

@baronesselsavonfreytag-lor1134

Well done, interesting subject. Thank you.

@makismalisianos5969

52w

Great video! I would just like to add about the plant Pythia is supposed to chew, we call it Dafne, it is used for food but if you use too much you get dizzy when you eat. Also the other plant you showed, we call that bitter-Dafne, is known to be toxic but not in a fun "put you in a trance" way. Another thing, I would like to suggest it may have been a combination of many factors as we see in many cultures where the shaman is a specific person, and they may combine psychoactive with specific rituals and routines and only then they can get the spiritual experience. Lastly, it is important to remember that in ancient Greece the specifics of the "mysteries", or the practices of the different temples, where not supposed to be shared openly but rather cloaked with codespeak and symbolisms that only specific people would understand.
Again thanks for the great video.

@henrimourant9855

2y↑1

Excellent video. Very interesting.

@aniksamiurrahman6365

2y↑1

Thanks! The moral of today's story - "Practice good scholarship" is really a very important thing.

@beebisbiasedbigtime

26w

Diodorus (Book 16, Chapter 26)
Since I have mentioned the tripod, I think it not inopportune to recount the ancient story which has been handed down about it. It is said that in ancient times goats discovered the oracular shrine, on which account even to this day the Delphians use goats preferably when they consult the oracle.
They say that the manner of its discovery was the following. There is a chasm at this place where now is situated what is known as the "forbidden" sanctuary, and as goats had been wont to feed about this because Delphi had not as yet been settled, invariably any goat that approached the chasm and peered into it would leap about in an extraordinary fashion and utter a sound quite different from what it was formerly wont to emit.
The herdsman in charge of the goats marvelled at the strange phenomenon and having approached the chasm and peeped down it to discover what it was, had the same experience as the goats, for the goats began to act like beings possessed and the goatherd also began to foretell future events. After this as the report was bruited among the people of the vicinity concerning the experience of those who approached the chasm, an increasing number of persons visited the place and, as they all tested it because of its miraculous character, whosoever approached the spot became inspired. For these reasons the oracle came to be regarded as a marvel and to be considered the prophecy-giving shrine of Earth.
For some time all who wished to obtain a prophecy approached the chasm and made their prophetic replies to one another; but later, since many were leaping down into the chasm under the influence of their frenzy and all disappeared, it seemed best to the dwellers in that region, in order to eliminate the risk, to station one woman there as a single prophetess for all and to have the oracles told through her. And for her a contrivance was devised which she could safely mount, then become inspired and give prophecies to those who so desired.
And this contrivance has three supports and hence was called a tripod, and, I dare say, all the bronze tripods which are constructed even to this day are made in imitation of this contrivance. In what manner, then, the oracle was discovered and for what reasons the tripod was devised I think I have told at sufficient length.
It is said that in ancient times virgins delivered the oracles because virgins have their natural innocence intact and are in the same case as Artemis; for indeed virgins were alleged to be well suited to guard the secrecy of disclosures made by oracles. In more recent times, however, people say that Echecrates the Thessalian, having arrived at the shrine and beheld the virgin who uttered the oracle, became enamoured of her because of her beauty, carried her away with him and violated her; and that the Delphians because of this deplorable occurrence passed a law that in future a virgin should no longer prophesy but that an elderly woman of fifty should declare the oracles and that she should be dressed in the costume of a virgin, as a sort of reminder of the prophetess of olden times.
Such are the details of the legend regarding the discovery of the oracle; and now we shall turn to the activities of Philomelus.

@julphines

Thank you for discussing the different scholarly theories and going through liberalism. Not only are you teaching us about this particular topic but also encouraging critical thinking.

@johnfairweather7012

47w

It will probably be a highly debated point
Many cultures in history have used mediums such as herbs, or teas, etc,. To induce a state in which you can "fully hear"
I'm a reformist myself but I can appreciate another's cultural histories

@muhammadhasnainkhalil7437

22w↑1

It is entirely possible that Plutarch and Paul were referring to the song Pneuma by Tool as the divine substance. The song, given its awesomeness, can easily explain the sensation experienced by the oracle and those who visited her. The song was played by the oracle for herself and her visitors, and it made them go into a headbanging frenzy. The same happened to Paul when he later streamed the song. I don't understand why no one else has thought about this before. Some might say that this would require time travel. And, indeed, the song transcends space and time.

@Armyjay

2y↑1

Great video, I too was under the impression that the 2000 study was the authority on the subject. I tend to think they knew the “narcotic trance” theory was an immensely attractive, and more importantly commercially viable, story. Hence the amount of books that include it in their accounts and investigations of “alt-history”, which sells very, VERY, well.

@MrGrindstaff1654

2y↑1

Another outstanding video. Really incredible stuff and what a relaxing and informative way to wind down my day. Thanks for another great video!

@xeniandyourlittledog

2y↑1

John R Hale from U of Louisville worked with a geologist and his study supports the fissures and ethylene gas theory. He has a detailed lecture available on YouTube.

@zadig08

OMG that model you use to illustrate the procession looks exactly like the in game map of Delphi in the game Titan Quest. So cool that the Greeks tried to model their temple after a game like that.

@jimgao6432

many respect to the explanation.

@LmfaoBanana

48w

So I guess a really great thing to come from these questions, is harder scrutiny of the facts... but without the consequence of virality

I really, really love this video.

@skollthehunter2709

2y↑3

Btw this story of one article shaping the social concept of things reminds me about the story of an article that suggested Marco Polo had never went to china. It is not widely known these days as some historians (who hold Marco Polo deep in their hearts) made a serious debunking campaign against it showing how many of the arguments were just… false.

I think this shows up the other part of our human nature - we tend to love have extremely precise, scientific explanations and we find it hard to believe that things might’ve been more straightforward. (The other part is the one making us believe in ghosts trying to kill us just because the knife fell on the floor)

@starla9735

Hi! Thanks for this! FYI the MGrieves Modern Herbal originally published in 1931, describes Laurus Nobilis as having an excitant and narcotic property. Also Diaphoretic. In the section describing it's Medicinal Actions and uses. Also mentions that Deplhic priestessess made use of the leaves.

@jtotheizay

Thanks so much for what you do💪🏾

@jodintlz5491

Professor Elizabeth Vandiver was really the best teacher at The great courses it is so sad we can't have more of her courses in there or anywhere online.

@CeciCaballero

46w↑1

I think im gonna listen every video in this channel, not because of its content but for his voice 🌝

@WickedFelina

2y↑1

🌹🍃Fantastic presentation. Anyone who comes across this work is far more educated for you having gone the extra mile. Thank you! 🌹🍃

@serbonkers4130

42w

This is absolutely on point.

@Sikader

It was an Ethylene well but not free flowing. Somebody put a tap on the outlet and they opened it only during divinations. This was there was no high concentration of Ethylene for a long period of time, and as a result very few fires. The well dried up during or before Julians' time as an emperor, because when he asked for a divination, he was informed that the well had dried up.

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