Dodona
Dodona In Greek cult, the site of the oracle of Zeus, built by Deucalion after the deluge and located in northwestern Greece. At Dodona there were priestesses called Peleiades (pigeons) who made known the will of Zeus. A large oak, sacred to Zeus, was the home of the real pigeons, and the god revealed himself by the rustling or markings of the leaves and the murmuring of a nearby brook. The priests of the shrine were called Selloi according to Homer’s Iliad (16). In later times oracles were taken from lots and the ringing of a gong or basin. In front of the gong was an iron statue of a boy with a whip made of three chains, from which hung some buttons that touched the gong. If the whip moved in the breeze, the buttons sounded against the gong. The shrine of Zeus gave way to that of Delphi, dedicated to Apollo, though it continued until about the fourth century c.e.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow
– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante