Apollo was one of the most important gods of Ancient Greece, being known as the god of the sun, of the arts, of music, of prophecy, medicine etc. He was Zeus' son by Leto and was known for his beauty and for being an accomplished archer. Apollo also played the lyre and was the one who killed the serpent Python.
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Who was Apollo?
Apollo went one of the best known gods in the entire Greek pantheon. He became well known for being the sun god, but he was also known as the patron god of music, prophecy, archery, medicine, the arts, etc. Apollo was the only god present in the Greek mythology which became known by the same name in Roman mythology.
Despite being known as the god of Sun, scholars of classical culture claim that this Apollo's characteristic was only assigned in the FORHellenistic period. During the Homeric Period, Apollo was just the god of arts, music and medicine. One of the beliefs surrounding Apollo in the Homeric period was the belief that he was responsible for sudden deaths and plagues.
Apollo was a respected god and was considered young and one of the most beautiful gods of all the Greek gods. He had two important shrines in his honor, one of them located in Delphi and the other located in Delos. Apollo's sanctuary at Delphi is believed to have emerged around 650 BC. Ç. Delos, on the other hand, according to Greek myths, was the place where Apollo was born and there was also a temple for Apollo, built around 700 BC. Ç.
Origin of Apollo
According to Greek mythology, Apollo was son of Zeus with Leto, a titanide, daughter of Phoebe and Céos. Leto became pregnant with Zeus and gave birth to Apollo and artemis on the floating island of Delos. This happened because Ivy he was jealous of Zeus and, enraged, Hera forbade that Mother Earth, gaia, allowed Leto to have his children on Earth.
To help Leto, the god Poseidon he decided to create a floating island called Delos. As the island was not grounded, Gaia could do nothing and there Leto gave birth to her two children. After his birth, Apollo drank a nectar of the gods and ate ambrosia and after that Apollo stopped being a baby and became a grown man.
In addition to this prohibition, Hera also sent the serpent Python to chase Leto. Apollo, an excellent wielder of bow and arrow was the responsible for killing the Python snake. He found the serpent near Mount Parnassus and killed it with three arrows: one in the eye, one in the chest, and one in the mouth.
Apollo's victory over the Python earned him fame and recognition. The population of Delphi, a place near Mount Parnassus, was grateful that Apollo had killed the serpent and, in honor of the feat, decided to build a temple: the Oracle of Delphi. There, people who worshiped Apollo would worship him and obtain prophecies about the future.
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Apollo and Daphne
After killing Python, Apollo was flattered by his feat and seeing Eros, god of love, practice archery, he began to mock him saying that he did not have enough skill to wield the bow. He also boasted of having killed the serpent, and Eros, uncomfortable with Apollo's actions, decided to take revenge.
Eros hit Apollo with a golden arrow, which caused him to fall deeply in love with the nymph Daphne. Eros also dedicated an arrow to Daphne, but the arrow that hit her was the lead arrow, causing her deep revulsion for all who fell in love with her. Thus, Apollo was condemned to love a woman who didn't want him.
Every time Apollo approached to try to conquer Daphne, she fled from Apollo in horror. At one point, Apollo chased her, but Daphne desperately fled and when she lost her strength, she asked her father to transform her form so that no one would fall in love with her.
Her father, named Peneu, heard the request and immediately Daphne turned into a laurel. Realizing what had happened, Apollo announced that the laurel had become his favorite plant and decided to give laurel wreaths to everyone who performed heroic deeds. The laurel wreath was one of the main symbols of glory for Greeks and Romans.
After Daphne, Apollo fell in love at other times and had relationships with both men and women.
Disagreements with Zeus
Apollo was a god with a strong personality and at one point he was severely punished by Zeus. On one occasion, Asclepius, one of Apollo's sons and a skilled physician, managed to bring a patient back to life. the event enraged Hades, the god of the underworld. Zeus mediated the situation and decided to punish Asclepius by killing him with lightning.
Apollo was furious at the death of his son and he decided to get revenge on his father. He slew the three Cyclopes that had made Zeus's thunderbolt: Arges, Brontes and Sterope. Zeus enraged-if with Apollo and punished him by condemning him to live like a man for a year in the region of Thessaly.
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Curiosities about Apollo
Apollo had enormous ability to play the lyre (string instrument);
During the Trojan War, Apollo took the side of the Trojans and was responsible for making Paris hit the arrow in Achilles' heel;
Apollo is mentioned in the Homeric poems of Iliad and Odyssey;
Apollo was considered the god responsible for bringing epidemics;
The silver bow was one of the great symbols of Apollo;
One of the animals that represented Apollo was the crow;
Apollo had countless sons and daughters as a result of his relationships with mortals, nymphs and goddesses.
By Daniel Neves Silva
History teacher
