Apolline divination: hallucinogenic substances or cognitive inputs? The case of the laurel

ABSTRACT The use of laurel in Apolline divination at Delphi has been a prominent area of interest in academic debates over the possible influence of drugs on prophets. Previous analyses revealed the absence of chemicals in the bay capable of altering the human consciousness. In this paper, I argue that the laurel did nevertheless have the power to influence the Pythia’s mind through its cognitive impact on divinatory practices. The methodology pursues a cognitive approach that considers the object affordances and the human neural response. The paper concludes that, despite the modality being different from the one proposed in the past, the laurel had a strong impact on divination.