The Oracle Doll
As many of you know, I model my monthly oracular sessions on the ancient oracle of Delphi. This is not done to legitimize my practice or to mindlessly mimic ancient ritual, but rather because I have, over time, developed a very strong bond with Delphi spiritually (and twice in person when I visited), and with the spirits involved in the oracles there, including those of previous Pythiai. I have therefore continued or adapted many important elements of the original practices.
So of course I’m very interested in all things Delphic, and have read most books on the topic, including fictional ones like William Golding’s fascinating last novel The Double Tongue. But awhile back I found something new, something special, one of those amazingly odd things one finds in thrift stores now and again. A children’s book called The Oracle Doll by Catherine Dexter (on Amazon it’s called The Doll Who Knew The Future, which I like less, but has a better cover painting). Of course I had to buy it (for 50 cents!) – not only do creepy dolls interest me all on their own, but this doll wasn’t just oracular, it was supposedly the reincarnation of the oracle of Delphi! Well how could I pass that up.
What was so amusing about this little story of children who find that their new talking doll predicts future events is that it is littered with sly references to the ancient oracle that are never really explained, therefore only meaningful to those who happen to know the history already (and I’m guessing the book’s intended audience of ages 9-12 are not in that category for the most part). The doll only speaks when set up under a fragrant bush in their backyard that is clearly laurel. It sits on a broken (and therefore three-legged) stool, like the tripod. They even have a dish of stones that sometimes rattles and shows the answer, similar to the “backup method” at Delphi. And their upstairs neighbor turns out to be none other than Apollon himself in disguise, although that’s never stated outright (I love that he has a collection of various divinatory tools, including magic 8 balls and the like, in his closet).
I also love that the children instinctively set up a shrine for the doll and make offerings to her when they ask their questions. They act more properly than some pagans I’ve met! And the whole book is pretty respectful of the natural inclination towards paganism involved.
It may be a little silly, but I’m keeping this book next to all my serious tomes on Delphi and oracular practice. I find something reassuring in knowing that the ancient ways are not forgotten, even if this is how they’re remembered.
What a great discovery ! Thanks for sharing, it mad me smile.
Don’t you think it is amazing that somebody even thought to write that book? It sounds amazing!
Children’s books can be so wonderful. Last week at a local book store I saw a children’s prayer book all about animals (Christian), and an amazing book with maps of the constellations and the myths surrounding them, complete with bright, sparkly illustrations of the gods and heroes. I wish I had bought it now!
[...] housekeeper, who believes Winnie knows more than she is saying. (On a side note, I recently wrote about another of Dexter’s books, The Oracle Doll, on my religious [...]