Pausanias Analysis

They say that in this place the most ancient city was founded by Parnassus, who was himself the son of the nymph Cleodora. As with others who are called heroes, they name two fathers for him: the god Poseidon and a mortal man, Cleopompus. It is said that from this Parnassus the mountain derived its name, and that the ravine itself is also called Parnassian after him. Moreover, divination by observing the flight of birds is said to have been discovered by Parnassus.

Now this city was flooded by the rains that fell in the time of Deucalion; but of those people who were able to escape the deluge, some were guided by the howling of wolves and thus came safely to the heights of Parnassus, the beasts serving as guides for their journey. For this reason, they named the city they founded Lycoreia.

There is also another story, differing from the previous one, saying that Lykoros was born to Apollo from the nymph Korykia; from this Lykoros the city of Lykoreia took its name, and the cave, called Korykion, gained its name from the nymph. It is also said further that Kelaino was the daughter of Hyamos, son of Lykoros, and that Delphos, from whom the present city received its name, was the son of Kelaino, daughter of Hyamos, and Apollo.

They say Castalius was an autochthonous man and had a daughter named Thyia; she was the first to sacrifice to Dionysus and to celebrate orgiastic rites to the god. Because of her, all the women who afterwards became frenzied for Dionysus have been called Thyades by people. Indeed, they hold Delphi to be the son of Apollo and Thyia. Others, however, say he was born from a mother named Melaina, daughter of Cephisus.

At a later time, however, the inhabitants around called the city itself Pytho as well, not only Delphi, as indeed Homer does in the Catalogue of the Phocians. Those who desire to derive everything from genealogies state that Pythes was a son of Delphus, and that from him, who was once king, the city acquired its name. But the common tradition among most men says that the serpent shot by Apollo rotted here, and therefore the city's name became Pytho; for the men of that age used the verb pythesthai to describe something rotting. For this reason also Homer wrote that the island of the Sirens was filled with bones, because the people who listened to their singing wasted away ("epython").

Regarding the one killed by Apollo, the poets say that he was a serpent appointed by Earth as guardian of the oracle. But another account relates that while Crius ruled as a powerful man around Euboea, he had a son who was arrogant and who plundered both the sanctuary of the god and the homes of prosperous men. When he launched a second raid, at this point the Delphians entreated Apollo to ward off the approaching danger.

And Phemonoe, who was then the prophetess, spoke to them in hexameter verse: "Now indeed Phoebus shall soon shoot a grievous arrow against a man Who despoils the sanctuary of Parnassus. Cretan men shall cleanse their hands from his blood; Yet his fame shall never perish."