Pythia | Greek religion (2024)

","url":"Introduction","wordCount":0,"sequence":1,"headerCarousel":null},"imarsData":{"INFINITE_SCROLL":"485269|1,424235|1,156752|1,430708|1,244768|5,475922|6,166528|4,260390|4","HAS_REVERTED_TIMELINE":"false"},"npsAdditionalContents":{},"templateHandler":{"name":"INDEX"},"paginationInfo":{"previousPage":null,"nextPage":null,"totalPages":1},"uaTemplate":"INDEX","infiniteScrollList":[{"p":1,"t":485269},{"p":1,"t":424235},{"p":1,"t":156752},{"p":1,"t":430708},{"p":5,"t":244768},{"p":6,"t":475922},{"p":4,"t":166528},{"p":4,"t":260390}],"topicLeftRail":{"topicInfo":{"id":485269,"title":"Pythia","url":"https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pythia","description":"Ecstasy: The Pythia (priestess) of the oracle at Delphi often went into an ecstatic state during which she uttered sounds revealed to her by the Greek god Apollo. Her “words” were then interpreted by a priest to help a suppliant find a way to avoid calamities, especially…","type":"TOPIC","titleText":"Pythia","urlTitle":"Pythia","metaDescription":"Other articles where Pythia is discussed: ecstasy: The Pythia (priestess) of the oracle at Delphi often went into an ecstatic state during which she uttered sounds revealed to her by the Greek god Apollo. Her “words” were then interpreted by a priest to help a suppliant find a way to avoid calamities, especially…","identifierHtml":"Greek religion","identifierText":"Greek religion","alternateTitles":"Pytho","topicClass":"topic","topicKey":"Pythia","articleContentType":"INDEX","ppTecType":"CONCEPT","gaTemplate":"INDEX","topicType":"INDEX","relativeUrl":"/topic/Pythia","assemblyLinkPrefix":"/media/1/485269/"},"topicLink":{"title":"Pythia","url":"https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pythia"},"tocTitle":"Directory","tocEntry":"References","toc":null,"quoteLink":null,"indexLink":null,"factsLink":null,"mediaLink":null,"media":null,"studentLinks":null,"relatedQuizzes":null,"topQuestions":null,"readNext":null,"discover":[{"id":5778,"title":"12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”","url":"/list/12-novels-considered-the-greatest-book-ever-written","description":"How many of these great novels have you read?","image":{"id":0,"url":"/55/142355-131-EFF621AF/books-Stack-literature-pile-reading-entertainment-society-2010.jpg","altText":"Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society","credit":"© Hemera/Thinkstock","width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/55/142355-131-EFF621AF/books-Stack-literature-pile-reading-entertainment-society-2010.jpg"},"type":"LIST","breadcrumb":{"homeLink":null,"items":[{"title":"List","url":"/list/browse"},{"title":"Literature","url":"/list/browse/Literature"}],"lastItemTitle":"Literature"},"superCategory":{"id":2,"title":"Arts & Culture","url":"Arts-Culture","description":"Explore arts and culture; entertainment and pop culture, actors, comics, dance, film, food, music, theatre, tv; visual arts, architecture, fashion, painting, photography, sculpture; literature, fiction, nonfiction, plays, poetry, short story; sports and recreation","keywords":"entertainment and pop culture, actors, comics, dance, film, food, music, theatre, tv; visual arts, architecture, fashion, painting, photography, sculpture; literature, fiction, nonfiction, plays, poetry, short story; sports and recreation","classId":"ART","sortOrder":6},"hashtags":["novels","literature","books","Anna Karenina","To Kill a Mockingbird","Invisible Man","The Great Gatsby","A Passage to India","Don Quixote","Beloved","Mrs. Dalloway","The Color Purple","Jane Eyre","Charlotte Brontë","Alice Walker","Toni Morrison","Miguel de Cervantes","F. Scott Fitzgerald","E.M. Forster","Ralph Ellison","Harper Lee","Leo Tolstoy","best","greatest","top","Chinua Achebe","Gabriel García Márquez","Things Fall Apart","One Hundred Years of Solitude","Nobel Prize for Literature","African literature","Latin American literature "],"hashtagsString":"novels, literature, books, Anna Karenina, To Kill a Mockingbird, Invisible Man, The Great Gatsby, A Passage to India, Don Quixote, Beloved, Mrs. Dalloway, The Color Purple, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Miguel de Cervantes, F. Scott Fitzgerald, E.M. Forster, Ralph Ellison, Harper Lee, Leo Tolstoy, best, greatest, top, Chinua Achebe, Gabriel García Márquez, Things Fall Apart, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Nobel Prize for Literature, African literature, Latin American literature ","displayDate":[2023,6,23],"urlTitle":"12-novels-considered-the-greatest-book-ever-written","featureSubType":"REGULAR","categories":[{"id":12000,"title":"Literature","url":"Literature","description":"With the development of language, the human imagination has found a way to create and communicate through the written word. A literary work can transport us into a fictional, fantastic new world, describe a fleeting feeling, or simply give us a picture of the past through novels, poems, tragedies, epic works, and other genres. Through literature, communication becomes an art, and it can bridge and bond people and cultures of different languages and backgrounds.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/44/172844-131-9695C31F/word-communication-stress-accent-letters-syllable.jpg","altText":"Literature","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/44/172844-131-9695C31F/word-communication-stress-accent-letters-syllable.jpg"}},null,null],"mainCategory":{"id":12000,"title":"Literature","url":"Literature","description":"With the development of language, the human imagination has found a way to create and communicate through the written word. A literary work can transport us into a fictional, fantastic new world, describe a fleeting feeling, or simply give us a picture of the past through novels, poems, tragedies, epic works, and other genres. Through literature, communication becomes an art, and it can bridge and bond people and cultures of different languages and backgrounds.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/44/172844-131-9695C31F/word-communication-stress-accent-letters-syllable.jpg","altText":"Literature","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/44/172844-131-9695C31F/word-communication-stress-accent-letters-syllable.jpg"}},"typeDisplayName":"List"},{"id":8154,"title":"Does Ball Lightning Exist?","url":"/story/does-ball-lightning-exist","description":"Fantasy, phenomenon, or weapon? How ball lightning has eluded our understanding for centuries.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/75/138875-131-ABCDE003/Lightning-outskirts-thunderstorm-Rom-Oradea-August-17-2005.jpg","altText":"Lightning over the outskirts of Oradea, Rom., during the thunderstorm of August 17, 2005.","credit":"Mircea Madau","width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/75/138875-131-ABCDE003/Lightning-outskirts-thunderstorm-Rom-Oradea-August-17-2005.jpg"},"type":"STORY","breadcrumb":{"homeLink":null,"items":[{"title":"Companion","url":"/stories/companion"},{"title":"Science","url":"/stories/companion/Science"}],"lastItemTitle":"Science"},"superCategory":{"id":6,"title":"Science & Tech","url":"Science-Tech","description":"Explore science and technology; astronomy; biology; chemistry; earth science; mathematics; physics; technology, agriculture, cars, computers, engineering, industry, inventions, communication","keywords":"astronomy; biology; chemistry; earth science; mathematics; physics; technology, agriculture, cars, computers, engineering, industry, inventions, communication","classId":"SCIENCE","sortOrder":2},"hashtags":["companion","lightning","ball lightning","plasma","weather","mystery","phenomenon","myth"],"hashtagsString":"companion, lightning, ball lightning, plasma, weather, mystery, phenomenon, myth","displayDate":[2020,8,21],"urlTitle":"does-ball-lightning-exist","featureSubType":"COMPANION","categories":[{"id":1000,"title":"Science","url":"Science","description":"How can the sky be blue one day and stormy the next? Why do heavy objects tend to fall downwards when dropped? How are birds able to fly (and why can’t I do the same?)? Human beings have long been curious about the world in which we live, striving to identify connections among the phenomenons we witness and to understand how it all works. The field of science has developed over many centuries as a way of studying and understanding the world, beginning with the primitive stage of simply noting important regularities in nature and continuing through the rise of modern science. The modern-day sciences cover a vast range of fields, including biology, chemistry, meteorology, astronomy, physics, and much more.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg","altText":"Science","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg"}},null,null],"mainCategory":{"id":1000,"title":"Science","url":"Science","description":"How can the sky be blue one day and stormy the next? Why do heavy objects tend to fall downwards when dropped? How are birds able to fly (and why can’t I do the same?)? Human beings have long been curious about the world in which we live, striving to identify connections among the phenomenons we witness and to understand how it all works. The field of science has developed over many centuries as a way of studying and understanding the world, beginning with the primitive stage of simply noting important regularities in nature and continuing through the rise of modern science. The modern-day sciences cover a vast range of fields, including biology, chemistry, meteorology, astronomy, physics, and much more.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg","altText":"Science","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg"}},"typeDisplayName":"Companion"},{"id":6480,"title":"Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution","url":"/list/inventors-and-inventions-of-the-industrial-revolution","description":"Read about the people and machines that transformed Western society in the 18th and 19th centuries.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/34/193634-131-F5FF783D/factories-Industrial-Revolution-workers-house-machines.jpg","altText":"A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England","credit":"Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection (B1986.29.390)","width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/34/193634-131-F5FF783D/factories-Industrial-Revolution-workers-house-machines.jpg"},"type":"LIST","breadcrumb":{"homeLink":null,"items":[{"title":"List","url":"/list/browse"},{"title":"Technology","url":"/list/browse/Technology"}],"lastItemTitle":"Technology"},"superCategory":{"id":6,"title":"Science & Tech","url":"Science-Tech","description":"Explore science and technology; astronomy; biology; chemistry; earth science; mathematics; physics; technology, agriculture, cars, computers, engineering, industry, inventions, communication","keywords":"astronomy; biology; chemistry; earth science; mathematics; physics; technology, agriculture, cars, computers, engineering, industry, inventions, communication","classId":"SCIENCE","sortOrder":2},"hashtags":["Industrial Revolution","textiles","cotton","wool","thread","yarn","spinning jenny","water frame","spinning mule","James Hargreaves","Richard Arkwright","Samuel Crompton","steam engine","James Watt","Richard Trevithick","steam locomotive","steamship","steamboat","George Stephenson","Michael Faraday","electric generator","electric motor","electromagnetic induction","dynamo","electric tramway","electric railway","Joseph William Swan","Thomas Alva Edison","incandescent light bulb","incandescent bulb","incandescent light","William Fothergill Cooke","Charles Wheatstone","Samuel F.B. Morse","Samuel Morse","Morse Code","telegraph","telegraphy","Western Union","Associated Press","Guglielmo Marconi","wireless telegraphy","radio telegraphy","Alexander Graham Bell","telephone","telephony","Thomas Watson","internal-combustion engine","gasoline-powered engine","diesel engine","Etienne Lenoir","Nikolaus Otto","Gottlieb Daimler","Rudolf Diesel","Karl Benz","Henry Ford","Model T","motorcycle","motorcar","automobile","horseless carriage","assembly line"],"hashtagsString":"Industrial Revolution, textiles, cotton, wool, thread, yarn, spinning jenny, water frame, spinning mule, James Hargreaves, Richard Arkwright, Samuel Crompton, steam engine, James Watt, Richard Trevithick, steam locomotive, steamship, steamboat, George Stephenson, Michael Faraday, electric generator, electric motor, electromagnetic induction, dynamo, electric tramway, electric railway, Joseph William Swan, Thomas Alva Edison, incandescent light bulb, incandescent bulb, incandescent light, William Fothergill Cooke, Charles Wheatstone, Samuel F.B. Morse, Samuel Morse, Morse Code, telegraph, telegraphy, Western Union, Associated Press, Guglielmo Marconi, wireless telegraphy, radio telegraphy, Alexander Graham Bell, telephone, telephony, Thomas Watson, internal-combustion engine, gasoline-powered engine, diesel engine, Etienne Lenoir, Nikolaus Otto, Gottlieb Daimler, Rudolf Diesel, Karl Benz, Henry Ford, Model T, motorcycle, motorcar, automobile, horseless carriage, assembly line","displayDate":[2023,8,31],"urlTitle":"inventors-and-inventions-of-the-industrial-revolution","featureSubType":"REGULAR","categories":[{"id":2000,"title":"Technology","url":"Technology","description":"Humankind has long striven to improve its living conditions through the development of tools, instruments, and transportation and communications systems, all with the goal of making our lives easier, more productive and—why not?—more fun, too. Thanks to human curiosity and technological research, many significant inventions have been made throughout history that in turn made a difference in our daily lives.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/84/203584-131-357FBE7D/speed-internet-technology-background.jpg","altText":"Technology","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/84/203584-131-357FBE7D/speed-internet-technology-background.jpg"}},{"id":6000,"title":"World History","url":"World-History","description":"Does history really repeat itself, or can we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us? History provides a chronological, statistical, and cultural record of the events, people, and movements that have made an impact on humankind and the world at large throughout the ages.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/05/84505-050-8BB58BE6/cave-art-Ennedi-Plateau-Chad.jpg","altText":"World History","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/05/84505-050-8BB58BE6/cave-art-Ennedi-Plateau-Chad.jpg"}},{"id":8000,"title":"Lifestyles & Social Issues","url":"Lifestyles-Social-Issues","description":"It's easy enough to agree that human beings all around the world have certain basic requirements that must be fulfilled in order to ensure their individual and collective well-being. History has shown us, however, that it's not so easy to form societies or communities that fulfill these requirements for all members. The fight for human and civil rights has persisted for hundreds of years and remains alive today, both within the borders of nations and on an international scale. It has led to large-scale social movements and reforms concerning issues such as suffrage, slavery, women's rights, racism, environmentalism, gay rights, and much more.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/11/195611-131-4DFC1336/Belgian-pride-parade-People-streets-flags-Brussels-2017.jpg","altText":"Lifestyles & Social Issues","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/11/195611-131-4DFC1336/Belgian-pride-parade-People-streets-flags-Brussels-2017.jpg"}}],"mainCategory":{"id":2000,"title":"Technology","url":"Technology","description":"Humankind has long striven to improve its living conditions through the development of tools, instruments, and transportation and communications systems, all with the goal of making our lives easier, more productive and—why not?—more fun, too. Thanks to human curiosity and technological research, many significant inventions have been made throughout history that in turn made a difference in our daily lives.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/84/203584-131-357FBE7D/speed-internet-technology-background.jpg","altText":"Technology","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/84/203584-131-357FBE7D/speed-internet-technology-background.jpg"}},"typeDisplayName":"List"},{"id":5765,"title":"6 of the First Women to Become Heads of State","url":"/list/6-of-the-first-women-heads-of-state","description":"How six women became leaders, from Iceland to the Philippines.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/45/114445-131-7A7D9353/Corazon-Aquino-1986.jpg","altText":"Philippine President Corazon Aquino (b. Maria Corazon Cojuangco) greets officials in airport terminal. Andrews Air Force Base, U.S., Maryland September 15, 1986. President of the Philippines 1986-1992.","credit":"Gerald B. Johnson/U.S. Department of Defense","width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/45/114445-131-7A7D9353/Corazon-Aquino-1986.jpg"},"type":"LIST","breadcrumb":{"homeLink":null,"items":[{"title":"List","url":"/list/browse"},{"title":"Politics, Law & Government","url":"/list/browse/Politics-Law-Government"}],"lastItemTitle":"Politics, Law & Government"},"superCategory":{"id":5,"title":"History & Society","url":"History-Society","description":"Explore history and society; accidents and disasters; the age of revolutions; the ancient world; historic dynasties; global exploration; the middle ages; the modern world; prehistory; US history; world history; wars and battles; sociology; religion and philosophy; humanities; ethics; anthropology; festivals and holidays; human rights; human migration; international relations; politics, law, and government","keywords":"accidents and disasters; the age of revolutions; the ancient world; historic dynasties; global exploration; the middle ages; the modern world; prehistory; US history; world history; wars and battles; sociology; religion and philosophy; humanities; ethics; anthropology; festivals and holidays; human rights; human migration; international relations; politics, law, and government","classId":"HISTORY","sortOrder":1},"hashtags":["Khertek Anchimaa-Toka","Vigdís Finnbogadóttir","Isabel Martínez de Perón","Corazon Aquino","Ellen Johnson Sirleaf","Pratibha Patil","India","Liberia","Iceland","Argentina","the Philippines","Tuvan People’s Republic","women","heads of state","president","female president","woman president"],"hashtagsString":"Khertek Anchimaa-Toka, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, Isabel Martínez de Perón, Corazon Aquino, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Pratibha Patil, India, Liberia, Iceland, Argentina, the Philippines, Tuvan People’s Republic, women, heads of state, president, female president, woman president","displayDate":[2018,3,1],"urlTitle":"6-of-the-first-women-heads-of-state","featureSubType":"REGULAR","categories":[{"id":9000,"title":"Politics, Law & Government","url":"Politics-Law-Government","description":"The world today is divided territorially into more than 190 countries, each of which possesses a national government that claims to exercise sovereignty and seeks to compel obedience to its will by its citizens. Governments can be classified in any number of ways. For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy). Governments can also be classified by mode of succession; for example, ascension to governmental leadership may follow the rules of hereditary succession, or it may be determined through elections or by force. Governments also vary in terms of the laws and rules of conduct that each political entity follows.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/22/99622-050-E70BCD0A/Parthenon-Athens.jpg","altText":"Politics, Law & Government","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/22/99622-050-E70BCD0A/Parthenon-Athens.jpg"}},{"id":6000,"title":"World History","url":"World-History","description":"Does history really repeat itself, or can we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us? History provides a chronological, statistical, and cultural record of the events, people, and movements that have made an impact on humankind and the world at large throughout the ages.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/05/84505-050-8BB58BE6/cave-art-Ennedi-Plateau-Chad.jpg","altText":"World History","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/05/84505-050-8BB58BE6/cave-art-Ennedi-Plateau-Chad.jpg"}},null],"mainCategory":{"id":9000,"title":"Politics, Law & Government","url":"Politics-Law-Government","description":"The world today is divided territorially into more than 190 countries, each of which possesses a national government that claims to exercise sovereignty and seeks to compel obedience to its will by its citizens. Governments can be classified in any number of ways. For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy). Governments can also be classified by mode of succession; for example, ascension to governmental leadership may follow the rules of hereditary succession, or it may be determined through elections or by force. Governments also vary in terms of the laws and rules of conduct that each political entity follows.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/22/99622-050-E70BCD0A/Parthenon-Athens.jpg","altText":"Politics, Law & Government","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/22/99622-050-E70BCD0A/Parthenon-Athens.jpg"}},"typeDisplayName":"List"},{"id":5563,"title":"10 Best Hockey Players of All Time","url":"/list/10-best-hockey-players-of-all-time","description":"Wanna fight about it?","image":{"id":0,"url":"/13/134913-131-D9520745/Ice-Sledge-Hockey-Canada-Cup-USA-ice-2010.jpg","altText":"Ice Sledge Hockey, Hockey Canada Cup, USA (left) vs Canada, 2009. UBC Thunderbird Arena, Vancouver, BC, competition site for Olympic ice hockey and Paralympic ice sledge hockey. Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Vancouver Olympics","credit":"© VANOC/COVAN","width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/13/134913-131-D9520745/Ice-Sledge-Hockey-Canada-Cup-USA-ice-2010.jpg"},"type":"LIST","breadcrumb":{"homeLink":null,"items":[{"title":"List","url":"/list/browse"},{"title":"Sports & Recreation","url":"/list/browse/Sports-Recreation"}],"lastItemTitle":"Sports & Recreation"},"superCategory":{"id":2,"title":"Arts & Culture","url":"Arts-Culture","description":"Explore arts and culture; entertainment and pop culture, actors, comics, dance, film, food, music, theatre, tv; visual arts, architecture, fashion, painting, photography, sculpture; literature, fiction, nonfiction, plays, poetry, short story; sports and recreation","keywords":"entertainment and pop culture, actors, comics, dance, film, food, music, theatre, tv; visual arts, architecture, fashion, painting, photography, sculpture; literature, fiction, nonfiction, plays, poetry, short story; sports and recreation","classId":"ART","sortOrder":6},"hashtags":["National Hockey League","NHL","ice hockey","Gordie Howe","Wayne Gretzky","Bobby Orr","Mario Lemieux","Maurice Richard","Terry Sawchuk","Jean Béliveau","Jacques Plante","Steve Yzerman","Alex Ovechkin"],"hashtagsString":"National Hockey League, NHL, ice hockey, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Maurice Richard, Terry Sawchuk, Jean Béliveau, Jacques Plante, Steve Yzerman, Alex Ovechkin","displayDate":[2021,8,5],"urlTitle":"10-best-hockey-players-of-all-time","featureSubType":"REGULAR","categories":[{"id":4000,"title":"Sports & Recreation","url":"Sports-Recreation","description":"Physical contests and recreational games have long played a part in human society. In both team and solo sports, the human body has been pushed to its limits in the name of improving athletic performance and in order to break record upon record. The ancient Olympic Games are an early example of the contests in which humans have engaged to showcase physical prowess. In modern times, sports and games have evolved into a lucrative and competitive industry, while other leisure activities, such as card and video games, can be competitive or just serve as a way to unwind or socialize.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/13/170713-131-8D6B0AF7.jpg","altText":"Sports & Recreation","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/13/170713-131-8D6B0AF7.jpg"}},null,null],"mainCategory":{"id":4000,"title":"Sports & Recreation","url":"Sports-Recreation","description":"Physical contests and recreational games have long played a part in human society. In both team and solo sports, the human body has been pushed to its limits in the name of improving athletic performance and in order to break record upon record. The ancient Olympic Games are an early example of the contests in which humans have engaged to showcase physical prowess. In modern times, sports and games have evolved into a lucrative and competitive industry, while other leisure activities, such as card and video games, can be competitive or just serve as a way to unwind or socialize.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/13/170713-131-8D6B0AF7.jpg","altText":"Sports & Recreation","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/13/170713-131-8D6B0AF7.jpg"}},"typeDisplayName":"List"},{"id":6369,"title":"Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs","url":"/list/titanosaurs-8-of-the-worlds-biggest-dinosaurs","description":"The largest land animals of all time.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/14/196914-131-061D0CB0/Patagotitan-mayorum-titanosaurs.jpg","altText":"illustration of the walking titanosaurus, Patagotitan mayorum","credit":"© Kostyantyn Ivanyshen/Shutterstock.com","width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/14/196914-131-061D0CB0/Patagotitan-mayorum-titanosaurs.jpg"},"type":"LIST","breadcrumb":{"homeLink":null,"items":[{"title":"List","url":"/list/browse"},{"title":"Science","url":"/list/browse/Science"}],"lastItemTitle":"Science"},"superCategory":{"id":6,"title":"Science & Tech","url":"Science-Tech","description":"Explore science and technology; astronomy; biology; chemistry; earth science; mathematics; physics; technology, agriculture, cars, computers, engineering, industry, inventions, communication","keywords":"astronomy; biology; chemistry; earth science; mathematics; physics; technology, agriculture, cars, computers, engineering, industry, inventions, communication","classId":"SCIENCE","sortOrder":2},"hashtags":["dinosaurs","titanosaurs","sauropods","paleontology"],"hashtagsString":"dinosaurs, titanosaurs, sauropods, paleontology","displayDate":[2023,5,22],"urlTitle":"titanosaurs-8-of-the-worlds-biggest-dinosaurs","featureSubType":"REGULAR","categories":[{"id":1000,"title":"Science","url":"Science","description":"How can the sky be blue one day and stormy the next? Why do heavy objects tend to fall downwards when dropped? How are birds able to fly (and why can’t I do the same?)? Human beings have long been curious about the world in which we live, striving to identify connections among the phenomenons we witness and to understand how it all works. The field of science has developed over many centuries as a way of studying and understanding the world, beginning with the primitive stage of simply noting important regularities in nature and continuing through the rise of modern science. The modern-day sciences cover a vast range of fields, including biology, chemistry, meteorology, astronomy, physics, and much more.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg","altText":"Science","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg"}},null,null],"mainCategory":{"id":1000,"title":"Science","url":"Science","description":"How can the sky be blue one day and stormy the next? Why do heavy objects tend to fall downwards when dropped? How are birds able to fly (and why can’t I do the same?)? Human beings have long been curious about the world in which we live, striving to identify connections among the phenomenons we witness and to understand how it all works. The field of science has developed over many centuries as a way of studying and understanding the world, beginning with the primitive stage of simply noting important regularities in nature and continuing through the rise of modern science. The modern-day sciences cover a vast range of fields, including biology, chemistry, meteorology, astronomy, physics, and much more.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg","altText":"Science","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/86/193986-050-7B2DBB6A/ball-and-stick-model-structure-atoms.jpg"}},"typeDisplayName":"List"},{"id":6381,"title":"Why New York Is Called \"The Big Apple\" and How 8 Other Famous Cities Got Their Nicknames","url":"/story/how-9-famous-cities-got-their-nicknames","description":"What’s so apple-y about New York, anyway?","image":{"id":0,"url":"/71/188471-131-4DF0E559/Sydney-Opera-House-Port-Jackson.jpg","altText":"Sydney Opera House, Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.","credit":"© Paul Liu/Fotolia","width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/71/188471-131-4DF0E559/Sydney-Opera-House-Port-Jackson.jpg"},"type":"STORY","breadcrumb":{"homeLink":null,"items":[{"title":"#WTFact","url":"/stories/wtfact"},{"title":"Geography & Travel","url":"/stories/wtfact/Geography-Travel"}],"lastItemTitle":"Geography & Travel"},"superCategory":{"id":4,"title":"Geography & Travel","url":"Geography-Travel","description":"Explore geography and travel; geographic regions; historical places; people of the world; countries, states, provinces, cities, and towns; languages; deserts, islands, mountains, plateaus; lakes, oceans, seas, rivers; national parks, tourist attractions","keywords":"geographic regions; historical places; people of the world; countries, states, provinces, cities, and towns; languages; deserts, islands, mountains, plateaus; lakes, oceans, seas, rivers; national parks, tourist attractions ","classId":"GEOGRAPHY","sortOrder":5},"hashtags":["geography","nicknames","major cities","famous cities","cities"],"hashtagsString":"geography, nicknames, major cities, famous cities, cities","displayDate":[2017,10,25],"urlTitle":"how-9-famous-cities-got-their-nicknames","featureSubType":"WTFACT","categories":[{"id":5000,"title":"Geography & Travel","url":"Geography-Travel","description":"Planet Earth contains some extraordinarily diverse environments, some of which are easily habitable and some not so much. In different areas of Earth, one might find sweltering deserts, dense tropical rainforests, or bone-chilling tundras. Each biome and habitat comes with its own selection of flora and fauna, and it may include physical features such as canyons, volcanoes, rivers, or caves. Human beings have built homes in many different environments, settling the area and organizing it into units such as cities, states, regions, and countries, each with its own points of interest. Shifting trends in human migration have resulted in a human geography that is profoundly different from that of centuries ago.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/17/2317-050-758D0E55/World-map-descriptions-Herodotus-Black-Sea.jpg","altText":"Geography & Travel","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/17/2317-050-758D0E55/World-map-descriptions-Herodotus-Black-Sea.jpg"}},{"id":10000,"title":"Entertainment & Pop Culture","url":"Entertainment-Pop-Culture","description":"Entertainment and leisure activities have been a part of culture in one form or another since the ancient times. Dance performances, live music, and storytelling have a long tradition throughout history, even as the styles and available methods of delivery have shifted dramatically.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/04/167104-050-A0D0F726.jpg","altText":"Entertainment & Pop Culture","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/04/167104-050-A0D0F726.jpg"}},null],"mainCategory":{"id":5000,"title":"Geography & Travel","url":"Geography-Travel","description":"Planet Earth contains some extraordinarily diverse environments, some of which are easily habitable and some not so much. In different areas of Earth, one might find sweltering deserts, dense tropical rainforests, or bone-chilling tundras. Each biome and habitat comes with its own selection of flora and fauna, and it may include physical features such as canyons, volcanoes, rivers, or caves. Human beings have built homes in many different environments, settling the area and organizing it into units such as cities, states, regions, and countries, each with its own points of interest. Shifting trends in human migration have resulted in a human geography that is profoundly different from that of centuries ago.","image":{"id":0,"url":"/17/2317-050-758D0E55/World-map-descriptions-Herodotus-Black-Sea.jpg","altText":"Geography & Travel","credit":null,"width":null,"height":null,"fullUrl":"https://cdn.britannica.com/17/2317-050-758D0E55/World-map-descriptions-Herodotus-Black-Sea.jpg"}},"typeDisplayName":"#WTFact"}]},"byline":null,"citationInfo":null,"websites":null,"freeTopicReason":"TOPIC_IS_INDEX_PAGE","articleSchemaMarkup":{"keywords":"Pythia","wordcount":0,"url":"https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pythia","description":"Other articles where Pythia is discussed: ecstasy: The Pythia (priestess) of the oracle at Delphi often went into an ecstatic state during which she uttered sounds revealed to her by the Greek god Apollo. Her “words” were then interpreted by a priest to help a suppliant find a way to avoid calamities, especially…","publisher":{"name":"Encyclopedia Britannica","@type":"Organization","logo":{"url":"https://corporate.britannica.com/wp-content/themes/eb-corporate/_img/logo.png","@type":"ImageObject"}},"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"article"},"studentArticle":false,"initialLoad":true}