Apollo

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Apollo

Nationality/Culture

Greek/Roman

Pronunciation

uh-POL-oh

Alternate Names

Phoebus, Apulu (Etruscan)

Appears In

Homer's Iliad, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Hesiod's Theogony, Hyginus's Fabulae

Lineage

Son of Zeus and Leto

Character Overview

The most widely worshipped of the Greek gods, Apollo (pronounced uh-POL-oh) was the son ofZeus (pronounced ZOOS) and Leto (pronounced LEE-toh). He was also the twin brother of Artemis (pronounced AHR-tuh-miss), the goddess of the hunt. Apollo had many roles in Greek mythology , including god of the sun , god of the arts (especially music, poetry, and dance), god of medicine, protector of herdsmen and their flocks, and god of prophecy or predictions. His oracle at Delphi (pronounced DEL-fye) where humans could communicate with the gods through an appointed person, was the most famous in the world, and his reputation spread far beyond Greek culture.

Major Myths

According to legend, Apollo was born on the Greek island of Delos (pronounced DEE-loss) and grew to adulthood in just four days. To escape the island, he changed himself into a dolphin and caused a great storm on the sea. Apollo then threw himself on the deck of a ship in trouble and led it safely to shore. Having reached the mainland, Apollo set off for an important oracle of Gaia (pronounced GAY-uh), the earth goddess. A monstrous serpent named Pytho (pronounced PYE-thoh) not only guarded the place but also spoke the oracle's prophecies. Apollo killed Pytho and took the oracle for himself. The name of the site was called Delphi because Apollo had become a dolphin {delphis in Greek) in order to reach it. Delphi became the most famous and frequently visited oracle in the ancient world. Its location was considered to be the geographic center of the earth. The oracle's words were inspired by Apollo and delivered by a local female elder. She was called the Pythia (pronounced PITH-ee-uh) in honor of Pytho. As she spoke, priests interpreted her prophecies and wrote them down. The priests of Apollo claimed to be descended from the sailors aboard the ship that Apollo had led to safety in the storm.

Apollo's form was considered the ideal of male beauty; therefore, he had many love affairs and fathered many children. Despite his attractiveness, there are numerous stories of Apollo's failure to win the heart of a woman he desired. There are more stories of lovers being unfaithful to him.

In one story, Apollo fell in love with Cassandra , daughter of King Priam of Troy. In order to win her favor Apollo gave Cassandra the gift of prophecy. When she rejected him, Apollo punished her by declaring that her prophecies would be accurate but that no one would believe her. In another story, he courted the nymph (female nature god) Sinope (pronounced SEE-noh-pee), who asked him to grant her a favor before she accepted his proposal. When Apollo agreed, she asked to remain a virgin until her death.

One of Apollo's tragic loves was Daphne (pronounced DAF-nee), daughter of the river god Peneus (pronounced puh-NEE-uhs). Apollo fell in love with Daphne, but she did not return his affection. When Apollo chased her through the woods, she became so frightened that she cried out for her father to save her. Peneus turned Daphne into a laurel tree so that she could avoid Apollo's advances. The disappointed Apollo broke off a branch of the laurel and twisted it into a wreath to wear on his head in memory of Daphne. Thereafter, the laurel tree became sacred to Apollo's cult, devoted worshippers of the god. The laurel wreath also became a mark of honor to be given to poets, victors, and winners of athletic contests.

Some of Apollo's romantic misfortunes involved animals that became associated with him. One myth explains how the crow's feathers turned from white to black. In it, Apollo asked the crow to watch over the princess Coronis who was pregnant with his son; nevertheless, the crow failed to prevent Coronis from having an affair with another man. Angry at the crow, Apollo turned its feathers from white to black. He then asked his sister Artemis to kill Coronis. When Coronis lay burning on the funeral pyre (a large pile of burning wood used in some cultures to cremate a dead body), Apollo pulled his unborn son Asclepius (pronounced uh-SKLEE-pee-uhs) from her body. The boy later became the god of healing.

Apollo in Context

The worship of Apollo was widespread not only in Greece but also throughout the ancient world. Shrines could be found in places from Egypt to Anatolia (now northwestern Turkey). The Romans built their first temple to Apollo in 432 bce, and he became a favorite Roman god. The Roman emperor Augustus was a devoted worshiper because the battle of Actium, in which he gained political supremacy, was fought near a temple of Apollo.

The worship of Apollo began outside of Greece. Early cults associated with the god developed in Asia Minor and in the lands north of Greece. Several tales link him to the city of Troy. One credits him with helping the sea god Poseidon (pronounced poh-SYE-dun) build the walls of Troy.

Scholars think that Apollo's original role may have been as protector of herdsmen and shepherds. He is often pictured holding a lyre, which is a type of harp, and shepherds were known for playing music to pass their idle hours. Apollo's identification as god of music, archery, and medicine came after his oracle was established at Delphi. Only much later did he become the sun god.

Apollo represents “the light,” both literal (the sun) and metaphorical, as in the light of reason and the intellect. Apollo's popularity clearly shows how important learning and the intellect were to the Greeks. They valued their soldiers, to be sure, but they also valued their thinkers. Philosophers, inventors, scientists, and artists all occupied places of honor in Greek society.

Key Themes and Symbols

To the ancient Greeks, Apollo represented order, reason, beauty, and self-control. Apollo is typically portrayed holding a bow and arrow, symbols of his role as the god of death and disease. Apollo is also often depicted holding a harp or lyre, representing his role as god of music and the arts or of shepherds. Another common symbol of Apollo is a tripod, a three-legged stool or altar normally reserved for oracles to use while communicating with the gods and predicting the future. Apollo was also associated with the wolf, the dolphin, the raven, the serpent, and other animals.

Apollo in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

Like many important figures in myth and legend, Apollo is a favorite subject of art and literature. He first appears in Greek literature in the Iliad , Homer's epic, or long, grand-scale poem about the Trojan War. In the poem, Apollo is Troy's most consistent and enthusiastic champion against the Greeks. The Iliad opens with a fight between Apollo and Agamemnon (pronounced ag-uh-MEM-non), who took captive the daughter of Apollo's Trojan priest. Despite the priest's pleas and offers of ransom, Agamemnon refuses to return the girl. As punishment, Apollo sends a plague on the Greek army. Ultimately, Apollo kills the great Greek hero Achilles (pronounced uh-KILL-eez) by guiding the flight of an arrow shot by the Trojan warrior Paris into Achilles' heel, the only vulnerable spot on his body.

Ancient sculptures show Apollo as a handsome youth. One of the most famous is the Apollo Belvedere, a marble version of an ancient bronze statue found in Rome. The great German artist Albrecht Durer used the proportions of the statue to create his “ideal male” figure. Apollo is featured in the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Algernon Charles Swinburne. He also served as the inspiration for a ballet by Igor Stravinsky. More than twenty operas have featured Apollo as a central figure.

”Apollo” was also chosen as the name of the U.S. space program that resulted in humankind's first successful moon landing.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

The oracle at Delphi contained an important stone known as an omphalos. Using your library, the Internet, or other resources, research the omphalos. What is it? What does it represent? Why was it important to the ancient Greeks?