pollo was one of the great Greek divinities. He was the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin brother of Artemis.
Leto was the daughter of The Titans, Coeus and Phoebe.
Apollo's birthplace was the island of Delos (originally an island that floated, until Zeus
chained it to the bottom of the sea so that Leto may be comfortable whilst giving birth to
Apollo and Artemis.
Apollo was a many sided god, and was worshipped for various different qualities and capacities. He was a very punishing god, and because of this, he is depicted has having a bow and arrows, these having the ability to cause sudden death. With these arrows, he killed all of the sons of Niobe. Niobe was the mother of many children by Amphion, and she had set herself above Leto, who had only delivered two children. Because Leto was very angry at Niobe's attitude, she complained to the Apollo and Artemis, whereupon Apollo killed Niobe's sons, and Artemis her daughters.
Apollo was the god of prophecy, a power that he exercised in many oracles, especially the famous one at Delphi, which is constantly mentioned; hence he was know as the Pythian Apollo from the old name that Delphi had, Pythgo. In addition to having the ability to exercise this power, he also had the ability to tranfer it to other men and gods too.
Apollo being the god of music was credited with the invention of the lyre
and the flute. Apollo's playing skills brought frequent delight to his fellow gods, and he
was very proud of his ability; he was in fact so sensitive on the point that he took
drastic measures against those who dared to question it. Marsyas, a Phrygian Satyr, challenged Apollo to a contest, the
terms being that the winner could have command over the loser. Apollo, played the cithern,
Marsyas played the flute and The Muses were the judges. Apollo won the contest, and decided to tie
Marsyas to a tree, skin him alive (as a punishment for his impertinence) and changed him
in to a river, which now bears his name. In other contests, between Pan, playing the pipes, and Apollo the lyre, Midas
(the king with the golden touch) preferred Pan's music and awarded him the prize, an
exhibition of bad taste, for which the offended Apollo punished him by turning his ears in
to those of an ass.
Apollo was the god who protected flocks and cattle. In this capacity he took care of the flocks of King Admetus for nine years, a task that he was assigned by Zeus as punishment for killing the Cyclops. (Hades had complained to Zeus that Apollo's son, Aesculapius, the physician, had been restoring too many of the dead to life, and Zeus had hurled a thunderbolt at Aesulapius and destroyed him. In revenge Apollo had slain the Cyclops who had forged the thunderbolt.) While Apollo was guarding his flocks, Admetus went to seek the hand of Alcestis. Alcestis' father set Admetus the task of yoking a wild boar and a lion to his chariot, a deed which he accomplished with Apollo's aid. Apollo also arranged for The Fates to defer Admetus' death if someone would die in his place. When the time came, Alcestis offered to die instead of Admetus. As Alcestis lay in her tomb, the hero Heracles chanced by and fought with Death, forcing him to relinquish Alcestis, who returned to Admetus.
Apollo was also the god of towns and communities; new towns and colonies could only be founded if Apollo's oracle had been consulted first.
Apollo's other name was Pheobus, or Pheobus Apollo which means "bright" or "shining" Apollo, and in this form he was the god of light and youth, and the sun.
As the god that helped men and punished them also, when they displeased him, or deserved it, and also as the god that enabled the healing plants to grow and thrive, he was the god of medicine too. Because he was also breathtakingly good with the bow and arrow, he is also the god of archery.
As the god of shepherds, he was not averse to making love to pretty nymphs and shepherdesses:
| By Cyrene | A Thessalian nymph and daughter of the river god Peneus, he was the father of Aristaeus, who was the cause of the death of Eurydice, wife of Orpheus. |
| By Daphne | A nymph, and another daughter of Peneus, he was less successful. Daphne was chaste. Thus when she saw that she could not escape Apollo’s eager attentions, she was changed, at her own request, into a laurel tree. |
| By Dryope
|
A shepherdess,
who was the playmate of the hamadryads. Apollo appeared to them in the form of a tortoise
with which they began to play. Dryope placed the tortoise in her bosom and the god changed
himself into a serpent, where upon the nymphs fled in fright. Dryope bore Apollo another son, Amphissus, who built a temple to his father. When Dryope appeared there, the hamadryads spirited her away and caused a poplar to grow in her stead. Two wardens who informed on the nymphs were transformed into firtrees. |
One of the most pathetic legends relating to Apollo, is concerned with Coronis, whose infidelity to Apollo was revealed to him by a raven, a beautiful white bird. In a jealous fury he killed Coronis, then later, his anger passed, overcome by sorrow, turned his resentment upon the bird. Apollo cursed the bird as a talebearer, plucked out his feathers and made him black. Just before Coronis’ death, Apollo saved his son whom Coronis was about to bear. He gave the boy, Asclepius, to Chiron (a Centaur) to raise, and his foster father taught him the use of herbs and potions, and so Asclepius became a great physician.
One of those, to whom Apollo was attracted, was Cassandra, daughter of Priam, the king of Troy. In return for her favours she asked from Apollo the gift of prophecy, which he gladly gave. When Cassandra refused to give herself to him, Apollo, unable to withdraw his gift, made it useless to her, by providing that thos who herd her predictions, would not believe them.
Apollo was a great friend of Hyacinthus, a beautiful youth. One day the two were throwing the discus and Apollo made an great cast which accidentally struck Hyacinthus on the forehead. Apollo rushed to aid the injured lad but it was too late. Apollo cried out that he wished he could die with his friend, and just then from the bloodstained grass, sprang a flower which we know today as the Hyacinth. On the petals of the flower, Apollo inscribed the word, ai, the Greek exclamation for grief.
Apollo is regarded as the most influential of all of the Greek gods, in the effect that he had on people. Apollo occupied such a superior position that it is believed that he was originally, like Zeus, his father, the supreme god, the one god; that he had his origins in some such area where Zeus was not even known, and that Apollo could even have been the father of Zeus.
Clytie was a water-nymph
in love with Apollo. He rejected her love and spurned her. Each day she pined for him,
sitting on the ground with her arms outstretched to the sky. When the sun would rise, she
would gaze upon him, and as he moved across the sky, her eyes would follow and see nothing
else. Finally after nine days, with only the dew and her own tears for sustenance, she
sprouted roots and her face became a sunflower, forever to follow the sun across the sky.