sibylline

Sibylline is an adjective derived from Sibyl, the term used for female prophetic figures in ancient Greco-Roman tradition. In historical and literary contexts, sibylline denotes prophetic or enigmatic utterances attributed to sibyls, and it is often used to describe works believed to preserve such prophecies. The word is also attached to two well-known bodies of ancient writing.

The Sibylline Books refers to a legendary collection of prophecies that, according to Roman tradition, originated with a Greek sibyl and were obtained by the kings of Rome. They were said to consist of nine volumes and were kept in the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill. A priestly college, the decemviri sacris faciundis, was charged with their custody and interpretation. In times of crisis, Roman officials consulted the books to guide religious rituals and state policy. The texts were largely Greek in origin and were translated into Latin; over the centuries they were cited and paraphrased by authors. By late antiquity, the original copies were lost or suppressed, leaving behind later summaries and references.

The term sibylline also appears in reference to the Sibylline Oracles, a separate collection of prophecies attributed to sibyls that circulated in the Hellenistic and early Christian periods. These texts exist in various languages and versions and are distinct from the Roman Sibylline Books, though they share the association with cryptic, prophetic material.

In contemporary usage, sibylline describes cryptic, prophetic, or enigmatic content, and is sometimes invoked in discussions of ancient prophecy and literary imagery.