omphalos
The omphalos is a very common type of religious stone artifact. The word omphalos means "navel" in greek. According to the ancient Greeks, Zeus sent out two eagles to fly across the world and they met at its center, the "navel" of the world--which the omphalos represents. Many records indicate that the omphalos stone was the holiest object at various oracle centers in all the lands bordering the Mediterranean Sea, the most well known being at Delphi. It most likely originated from the "stone of splendor" associated with the Canaanite god Baal. The main characteristic of the omphalos/stone of splendor was its ability to allow direct communication with the gods.
"They released two golden eagles
from the far corners of the Earth
and knew that, where they would
come together and touch wings,
there, they would find the center
of the universe."
THE OMPHALOS ARGUMENT
OMPHALOS: An Attempt to Untie the Geological Knot by Phillip Henry Gosse.
Omaphalos - Finding the Centre
Home Page of The Omphalos
The Rejection of Omphalos: A Note on Shifts in the Intellectual Hierarchy of Mid-Nineteenth Century Britain
Omphalos ~ Arcs & Archetypes
The Tholos Temple
THE Omphalos and the Cross
The Black Stone - the Omphalos of the Goddess
http://www.sikyon.com/Delphi/Monuments/delphi_eg00a.html
Important Announcement
