Dioses

APOLLO THE GREEK GOD

Apollo is one of the most important and diverse of the Olympian deities in Greek and mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; medicine, healing, and plague; music, poetry, and the arts. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the huntress Artemis.
As the patron of Delphi (Pythian Apollo),Apollo was an oracular god—the prophetic deity of the Delphic Oracle. Medicine and healing were associated with Apollo. Apollo was also seen as a god who could bring ill-health and deadly plague. Apollo was the leader of the Muses and director of their choir. Apollo functioned as the patron god of music and poetry. Hermes created the lyre for him, and the instrument became a common attribute ofApollo.


Important Facts
Apollo's Appearance: A young man with curly golden hair.
Symbol or Attribute: The Sun itself, the lyre, the bow, and the chariot he drives across the sky daily, borrowed from an earlier pre-Greek Sun god, Helios.
Apollo's Strengths: Creative, handsome, supportive of all the arts of civilization.
Weaknesses:Apollo is all too happy to enjoy the charms of nymphs, and his conquests number in the dozens.
Birthplace of Apollo: On the sunny Greek island of Delos, where he was born along with his twin sister, Artemis.
Spouse: Apollo had many encounters, but no marriages. Flings with Cassandra, to whom he gave the gift of prophecy; Daphne, who fled from his embrace and turned into a laurel tree; and Calliope,with whom he had a child, Orpheus.
Apollo's Children: The enchanting semi-divine singer Orpheus and Asklepios, god of healing, are the most famous of Apollo's offspring.
Some Major Temple Sites of Apollo: The mountain town of Delphi, where a few columns from an early temple of Apollo still stand.
Basic Story: Apollo was the son of the supreme Greek god Zeus and Leto, a nymph. Zeus's wife Herawas outraged and convinced the earth to refuse to allow Leto to give birth anywhere on its surface. But the island of Delos allowed Leto to take refuge there and give birth to Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis.
Interesting Fact: Apollo Delphinus was the dolphin-form of the god and was revered at Delphi - despite its location high in the mountains. He was also believed to have destroyed an evilserpent at Delphi.
Greek God Apollo - Slaying of the Python Greek god Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. Apollo was four days old when he demanded a bow and arrows. He immediately went in pursuit of the serpent that Hera sent to torment his mother, Leto. The serpent, Python, sought refuge at Delphi. But Apollo followed it into the shrine of the Oracle of Mother Earth and killed him. He tookover the Oracle at Delphi and became closely associated with the art of prophecy since. Greek God Apollo - Temperamental Musician Greek god Apollo was originally a herdsman, but he later returned these duties to Hermes in exchange for some musical instruments Hermes created. He was so good at it that he soon became god of music. |

| Apollo Symbols |
The Symbols of the Greek God Apollo |* Silver bow and arrow * Swans * Wolves * Raven | * Laurel * Snakes * Gold * Flute * Grasshoppers |


The Raven
Apollo turned the raven black when the bird informed him of the unfaithfulness of his lover, Coronis. This episode gave the raven a reputation as a tattler, a spy, and a divulger of secrets.
He was in love with Coronis. She was pregnant with hischild, but Apollo was fearful that she might take another lover during one of his frequent absences. So Apollo dispatched a white raven to spy on her for him. When the raven reported that she had betrayed his trust, he was displeased and turned the raven’s feathers black. Then he killed Coronis, but suddenly regretting it, he saved the unborn child naming him Asclepius.

Daphne
Apollo never...