Cumaean Sibyl

The Cumaean Sibyl was the priestess presiding over the oracle at Cumae, located near Naples, Italy. She owned nine books of prophecies and gave them to King Tarquin of Rome. He didn't like the price she offered; she threw three books into a fire and doubled the price. He still refused and she did the same. He was then forced to buy the last three books at four times the original price. (In another version of the tradition she asks the same price every time.)

The word Sibyl comes (via Latin) from the ancient Greek word sibylla, meaning prophetess. There were many Sibyls in the ancient world, but because of the importance of the Cumaean Sibyl in the legends of early Rome, she became one of the most noted and famous, and was often simply referred to as The Sibyl.

It was said in some of the ancient poems that the whispers of the Sibyl would be heard for a thousand years, and some have said that they will resound and echo for all eternity.

She is featured in the works of, among others, Vergil (The Eclogues, Æneid) and Petronius (Satyricon).

The Cumaean Sibyl appears on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michaelangelo.