Dodona Oracle

an oracle at the Temple of Zeus at Dodona; mentioned in the Iliad and also in the works of Hesiod and Herodotus. Members of the priestly caste of the Sellou and priestesses prophesied by interpreting the rustling sounds from the sacred oak tree of Zeus and the gurgling stream that flowed near its roots. Later, prophesies were made by interpreting the sound made by whips as they were blown by the wind against a bronze gong. This is the origin of the Russian expressions “Dodona whip,” “Dodona bronze,” and “Dodona gong,” which are used to designate a chatterbox. After its destruction by the Aetolians in 219 B.C., the Dodona oracle lost its importance. The oracle ceased to exist at the end of the fourth century (during the reign of Emperor Theodosius I).