Omphalos
The navel stone at Delphi believed to mark the centre of the world, placed where two eagles sent by Zeus from the ends of the earth met.
The Meaning of Omphalos
Zeus wished to determine the exact centre of the earth, so he released two golden eagles from the eastern and western edges of the world. The eagles flew toward each other and met at Delphi, and Zeus marked the spot with a sacred stone called the omphalos. The stone was kept in the inner sanctum of Apollo's temple at Delphi, near the chasm from which the Pythia delivered her oracles. It was draped with a net of fillets and flanked by two golden eagles. According to some accounts, Cronus had swallowed the omphalos stone thinking it was the infant Zeus, wrapped in swaddling clothes by Rhea. After Cronus disgorged it, the stone was placed at Delphi and anointed daily with oil. The omphalos connected the upper world of the Olympians to the Underworld below.
Parents
Zeus
Symbols
Fun Fact
The word "omphalos" gives us "navel" metaphors in dozens of languages. Jerusalem, Rome, Cusco, and Beijing all claimed to be the "navel of the world" — but Delphi was first. The original omphalos stone survives in the Delphi Archaeological Museum, still carved with its knotted net pattern after 2,500 years.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Delphi
🏛 placeSite of Apollo's Oracle, navel of the world
The most important oracle in ancient Greece, where the Pythia delivered Apollo's prophecies. The Greeks considered Delphi the center — the navel — of the world.
Augury
💭 conceptReligion
The practice of interpreting the flight patterns and behaviour of birds to discern divine will
Golden Bough
💭 conceptArtefact
A magical branch of gold that granted the living safe passage into and out of the underworld
The Greek World
💭 conceptSacred geography, divine landscape
The mountains, islands, rivers, and cities of the Greek mythological world — every place charged with divine meaning, from Olympus in the clouds to the rivers of the dead beneath the earth.
Oracle
💭 conceptSacred site of prophecy
Oracles were sacred sites where mortals could consult the gods — the most important decision-making institutions in ancient Greece.
Divination
💭 conceptReligion
The practice of seeking knowledge of the future or hidden things through divine communication
Golden Fleece
💭 conceptThe prize sought by Jason and the Argonauts
The fleece of a golden-wooled ram, hung in a sacred grove in Colchis and guarded by a sleepless dragon. Its recovery was the object of Jason's legendary voyage.
Fleece of Chrysomallus
💭 conceptArtefact
The golden fleece of the divine winged ram, the object of Jason's legendary quest to Colchis
Perseus and Medusa
💭 conceptNarrative
The hero's quest to slay the mortal Gorgon and his ingenious use of divine gifts to accomplish the impossible
Shield of Achilles
💭 conceptArtefact
The divinely crafted shield described in the Iliad, depicting the entire cosmos and human civilisation
Atlas
💭 conceptAnatomy and mythology
The first cervical vertebra in the human spine, named after the Titan Atlas because it supports the skull just as Atlas was condemned to hold up the heavens
Prometheus Bound
💭 conceptpunishment, defiance
The punishment of Prometheus, chained to a rock in the Caucasus where an eagle devoured his regenerating liver daily for giving fire to humanity.