Apollo
Patron god
of the Arts, the gift of prophecy and also connected with light (which in
Greek also can be translated illumination). He was born on the island Delos
by Leto, a Titan's daughter, and Zeus. The island was to be the most sacred
of islands, and ruins of many temples can still be seen there. His sister
was Artemis, the goddess of hunting and protecter of young women.
In many ways,
Apollo personified the perfect man according to ancient Greek standards: he
would entertain the other gods by playing the lyre, and he was also a brilliant
archer and runner,
After he killed the huge snake Python in Delphi by the mountains Parnassus,
the site was dedicated to him. There, the Omphalos, the navel, stood - a point
believed by the ancient Greeks to be the centre of the earth. His oracle there
was a place many people, commonmen and rulers, came to consult the priestess,
Pythia, about their future.
In Delphi games were held in Apollo's honour, originally every eight years
but later every four. The Pythian games were both athletic and musical.
There are several stories about Apollo as a man desperately in love, avenging
the women who will not return his feelings: Cassandra was cursed to never
be believed when she saw terrible things in the future, Daphne had to become
a tree to escape him and he abandoned princess Creusa of Athens and their
child.
Apollo also loved men. In the story of the young man Hyacinthos Apollo accidentily
kills his young lover with a discus, and is then transformed into the flower
with the same name, where the letters AI AI can be read as the gods lament.
But Apollo was also the sender of the plague. His wrath punished the Greeks
when he fired his arrows of plague upon the Greek camp at the Trojan war.
As a healer, he teaches the people the importance of cleanliness, and he is
the father of Asclepios, the god of medicine.
Apollo can easily be considered one of the most important gods in Greek mythology.
Seven was Apollos holy number, and he was connected to the calendar. The tripod
was one of his symbols, and he was often referred to as Phoibos = the cleanser.
Apollo was also connected to the dolphin.
Apollo
also had many epithets:
Abaeus, Acesius, Acraephius, Acreitas, Actiacus, Actius, Aegileus, Aegletes,
Aegyptaeus, Agraeus, Agyieus, Alexicacus, Amazonius, Amyclaeus, Aphetaeus,
Archegetes, Boedromius, Calydneus, Carinus, Carneius, Clarius, Coropaeus,
Corythus, Cynthius, Cyparissius, Daphnephorus, Decatephorus, Deiradiotes,
Delius, Delphinius, Dionysodotus, Epibaterius, Epicurius, Erethimus, Eutresites,
Galaxius, Hyperteleates, Ismenus, Ixius, Laphrius, Larissaeus, Latous, Leucadius,
Loemius, Lyceius, Lycoreus, Maleates, Malloeis, Moiragetes, Nomius, Oncaeatus,
Pagaseus, Parnopius, Parrhasius, Patrous, Prostateirus, Ptous, Pythaeus, Pythius,
Salganeus, Selinuntius, Sitalcus, Smintheus, Spodius, Tarrhaeus, Tegyreius,
Tempeites, Teneates, Thearius, Theoxenius, Thermius, Thymbaeus, Zosterius
