omphalos

Greek religion

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July 1, 2026

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The term "omphalos" originates from the ancient Greek word for "navel". In Greek religion, it specifically referred to a sacred, rounded stone located in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. This stone was believed to mark the exact center of the Earth. The ancient Greeks considered Delphi to be the "navel of the world". According to myth, Zeus released two eagles that met at Delphi, marking it as the world's center, and the omphalos stone symbolized this spot. The word "omphalos" has also been adopted into English to mean a central point or hub.123

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sacrifice
Time and place of sacrifice
…altars, it was called the omphalos, “the navel” of the earth—i.e., the central point from which terrestrial life originated. In Vedic India the altar was regarded as a microcosm, its parts representing the various parts of the universe and its construction being interpreted as a repetition of the creation of…
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…altars, it was called the omphalos, “the navel” of the earth—i.e., the central point from which terrestrial life originated. In Vedic India the altar was regarded as a microcosm, its parts representing the various parts of the universe and its construction being interpreted as a repetition of the creation of…
Read More

Delphi
…by a stone called the omphalos (navel), which was later housed in the Temple of Apollo. According to legend, the oracle at Delphi originally belonged to Gaea, the Earth goddess, and was guarded by her child Python, the serpent. Apollo is said to have slain Python and founded his own…
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…by a stone called the omphalos (navel), which was later housed in the Temple of Apollo. According to legend, the oracle at Delphi originally belonged to Gaea, the Earth goddess, and was guarded by her child Python, the serpent. Apollo is said to have slain Python and founded his own…
Read More

baetylus
…holy stone at Delphi, the omphalos (“navel”), that reposed in the Temple of Apollo there and supposedly marked the exact centre of the universe. A second stone at Delphi was said to have been the one that the Titan Cronus swallowed; it was thought to be Zeus himself in his…
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…holy stone at Delphi, the omphalos (“navel”), that reposed in the Temple of Apollo there and supposedly marked the exact centre of the universe. A second stone at Delphi was said to have been the one that the Titan Cronus swallowed; it was thought to be Zeus himself in his…
Read More