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Thought to be a stone that Zeus had used to mark the center of the Earth, the Navelstone was a religious relic kept at Delphi, and the Greeks considered it enormously sacred. Apollo allows Orestes to touch the Navelstone, despite the fact that he is still covered in his mother’s blood—this is a testament to the god’s faith in and affection for the young man.
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The Navelstone Symbol Timeline in The Eumenides
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Navelstone appears in The Eumenides. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Lines 1-63
...topped with a tuft of wool (a signal that he comes in peace) at the Navelstone (thought to be the center of the Earth). Around the man, monstrous women (the Furies)...
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Lines 64-234
The ghost of Clytemnestra appears on top of the Navelstone, cursing the Furies for their laziness. She tells them that they have disgraced her in...
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...lament the fact that the Olympians—the young gods—control the world. They then see that the Navelstone is stained with blood, and cry that Apollo has defiled his own temple.
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