Key Points

- Gigantic serpent that guarded the Temple of Delphi

- Killed by Apollo when he took the Temple for his own 

Brief Bio

Python, sometimes written Pytho, presided at the Delphic oracle, which existed in the cult center for its mother, Gaia, Pytho being the place name that was substituted for the earlier Krisa. Greeks considered the site to be the center of the Earth, represented by a stone, the omphalos or navel, which Python guarded.

Python became the chthonic enemy of the later Olympian deity Apollo, who slew it and took over Python's former home and oracle. These were the most famous and revered in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Like many monsters, Python was known as Gaia's son and prophesied as Gaia's son. In turn, Apollo had to eliminate him before he could establish a temple in Delphi.