Python
Πύθων
The giant serpent Apollo slew to claim his oracle.
A great serpent that guarded the prophetic power rising from the earth at Delphi.
Apollo killed it with his bow and founded his oracle on the spot — which is why the priestess of Delphi is called the Pythia.
In zoology, the python genus of snakes carries this name.
SourcesHomeric Hymns, Hymn to Apollo
Commonly confused
The programming language Python is named not for this serpent but for the comedy troupe Monty Python.