We know very little regarding individual Pythias. Originally they were young virgins but things changed when Echecrates of Thessaly fell in love with Pythia, carried her off, and raped her. To avoid any such incidents in the future the Delphians decreed that Pythia should be a woman of at least fifty, even though she would continue to wear the dress of a maiden in memory of the original prophetess. Another requirement was that she should be from a respectable (though not necessarily noble) local family. In fact, some Pythias came from poor peasant families and fulfilled their role artlessly and without any special talent.