Delos and Delphi, the Dolphins

The Journey of Delos and Delphi

In the mountains of Mexico, where the mist curls through pine forests and rivers run silver with morning light, two dolphins were born where no sea could reach them. They were crafted by Mary and her circle of women artisans—each stitch spun from the wool of local sheep, each hue softened by vegetable dyes and mountain air. Yet, even as they took their first woolly breaths, they longed for water.

Every night, they gazed upward at the clouds drifting past the peaks, wondering about the names they had been given in a place with no sea: Delos and Delphi. Names that felt ancient on their tongues. Names that sounded like waves. They didn’t yet know why those names had found them, but they sensed they belonged to a story waiting far across the world.

So one day, carried by a gentle wind scented with pine and promise, they set out on their journey east. Across continents and oceans they traveled, until the air grew sweet with salt and the world unfolded into endless blue.

Their first glimpse of Greece came at Crete, where ancient dolphins leap across the palace walls of Knossos—guardians of a world where sea and myth have always intertwined. The sight moved them, but they sensed the story was only unfolding.
They continued north, and the sea opened into the caldera of Santorini, where the wind carried whispers of blue dolphins painted in the West House at Akrotiri. The woolen travelers felt a kinship with those ancient swimmers—joyful, eternal, preserved in a moment of volcanic silence.

Further along their route, Delos awaited—a sacred island shimmering beneath the sun. There, in a quiet courtyard, they paused before a mosaic where dolphins arc around anchors, each tessera glinting like a fragment of the Aegean. And suddenly, Delos understood. The mosaic felt like a reflection, a memory, a naming. He recognized himself in its rhythm, as though the island had been holding a place for him long before he ever arrived. His name belonged here.

Yet even this revelation was but a step on their path.

For Delphi felt another pull—an older, deeper one. The tale of Delphi, a sanctuary founded by a god who once took the shape of a dolphin, tugged at her like a tide in her stitched ribs. Apollo Delphinios, patron of sailors and intuition, had given that sacred place its name.

Leaving the sea behind, they followed the invisible current inland. At Delphi, they climbed the sacred slope, woolen fins brushing thyme and stone, and Delphi paused at the threshold of the temple. The air shimmered with an ancient quiet, and in that silence she felt it: the truth of her name. It wasn’t just something she carried—it was something that had been calling her. She belonged to this mountain as much as to the sea.

Only then did they continue on to Athens, following a bright thread of instinct toward a place spoken of by artisans around the world—a home for creatures shaped by story and imagination. They found it at Anthologist, where kindred spirits awaited.
Now, they rest within The Anthologist Ark—playful emissaries of sea and story, nestled among chimeras, dolphins, and dragons. By day, they bask in the Athenian light; by night, they dream of the Aegean, the islands that welcomed them, and the mountain that named them both.

Because even dolphins born in the highlands will always seek the sea, the sacred, and the stories that remember them.

DESCRIPTION

Made from naturally dyed wool and stitched entirely by hand, Delphi is the darker dolphin of the Anthologist Ark, and Delos is the light-colored dolphin. Their deep charcoal tones reflect the ancient sanctuary of their namesake—a place of intuition, myth, and mountain quiet. With striped fins and a soft wool texture, Delphi carries the calm strength of creatures shaped by story and tradition.

Not recommended as a young child’s toy. Use at your own discretion. 

DETAILS

• Sold separately
• 100% hand-loomed wool, cotton embroidery, natural dyes
• Color:
  • Delos: grey and Anthologist Old Gold pin
  • Delphi: Off-white wool Anthologist Old Gold pin
• Dimensions: 7.9" (L) × 11.8" (H) × 6.7" (W)/ 20 cm (L) × 30 cm(H) × 17 cm(W)
• Spot clean only.
• Do not place in direct sunlight.
• Made in Mexico.

Many of our items are custom made to order. Please allow three to five weeks for delivery depending on the item.