Apollo

Overview Apollo is the Hellenic god of music, poetry, art, disease, healing, medicine, archery, prophecy, divination, oracles, the truth, the sun, light, order, logic, knowledge, learning, and history. He was also regarded as a protector of young people. Apollo is one of the twelve Olympian gods, and the leader of the Nine Muses. Family Tree Apollo's parents are Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, and Leto, the Titan goddess of motherhood. His paternal grandparents are the Titans Kronos and Rhea, and his maternal grandparents are the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. Apollo is a member of the second generation of Olympian gods. He has one full sibling: his twin sister Artemis. Among his half siblings are Hermes, Dionysus, Ares, Athena, and Persephone. Hekate is his maternal cousin. His children include Asclepius (god of medicine), Orpheus, Prince Hector of Troy, and Aristeus (god of beekeeping and animal husbandry). His granddaughter is Hygeia, goddess of health. Myths Slight trigger warning on this section for violence.

Birth of Apollo and Artemis Leto and Zeus conceived children together. When Hera found out about Leto's pregnancy, she forbade anything anchored to the land to allow Leto to give birth on it. Once she went into labor, Leto was forced to wander the earth looking for a place that she could rest on and give birth. After almost ten days, Leto finally found the island of Asteria, the island that Leto's sister had transformed herself into in order to escape the advances of Zeus. Asteria sheltered her sister from Hera's rage and allowed her to give birth. After the twin gods were born, Asteria became known as Delos, meaning "the unconcealed one." Artemis was born first, on the sixth day of the seventh month. After her birth, she helped her mother give birth to Apollo, who was born on the seventh day of the seventh month. Niobe Niobe was a mortal woman who had six daughters and six sons. One day, she boasted that she was greater than the goddess Leto because she had twelve children and Leto only had two. Angered by her hubris, Artemis and Apollo slew her children with a volley of arrows. Niobe cried until she turned to stone on Mount Sipylus. Koronis Koronis was a Thessalian princess loved by Apollo. While she was pregnant with his son Asclepius, Apollo sent crows to watch over her. The crows saw her cheating on Apollo with a mortal prince named Ischys, and reported it back to him. Apollo, angry and hurt, asked his sister to kill Koronis. She did but saved baby Asclepius. Apollo took his son and gave him to Chiron to raise. Hyacinthus Hyacinthus was a mortal Spartan man loved by Apollo. The god of the west wind, Zephyrus, was also in love with Hyacinthus, but was spurned by him. Hyacinthus and Apollo were throwing the discus together. Zephyrus, in an act of revenge, caused the discus to hit Hyacinthus in the head, killing him. Apollo held his dying lover in his arms and transformed him into the Hyacinth flower to immortalize his memory. Apollo In The Iliad In the first book of Homer's Iliad, the Greek king Agamemnon captures the daughter of Chryses as a war prize (aka slave). Chryses is a priest of Apollo, and he prays to him and asks for his daughter to be returned to him. Apollo hears his prayer and sends a torrent of plague arrows into the Greek army. The army appeases him with a burnt offering, and Agamemnon takes Achilles's war prize away from him, thus igniting the central conflict of the Iliad. Later, Apollo helps his son, Prince Hector of Troy, to kill Patroclus, the lover of Achilles. Apollo In The Oresteia Apollo, alongside Athena and Hermes, protects the hero Orestes from the wrath of the Furies. Apollo allows Orestes to take shelter in his temple, then guides him to his half-sister Athena, who oversees the first trial court case. Role As A Household God As Apollo Agyieus, Apollo was worshipped within Hellenic folk religion as a household god. He was credited with protecting the household from disease and other forms of harm. His shrine would be placed at the door of the house and outskirts of the property, and was marked with an obelisk and stone slab. The shrine would also be decorated with ribbons and wreaths of myrtle or bay leaves. Apollo and Dionysus Apollo and Dionysus were thought to be counterparts of each other. Apollo represents order, logic, and the boundaries of civilization, and Dionysus represented chaos, emotions, and the untamed wilderness. Neither god was considered to be more moral or immoral, but represented the balance in the natural world. In his writings of Egypt, Greek historian Herodotus later equated the Egyptian god Horus with Apollo, further reinforcing the idea that Apollo represented order and logic.

Apollo and Helios

Originally, the personification of the sun was acknowledged as the Titan Helios. Overtime, Olympian worship took the foreground in Greek religion, and Apollo at least partially absorbed the cult of Helios, as well as some of his solar attributes.

Oracles One of Apollo's main aspects is that of an oracular god. There were eleven total Apollonian oracles including Delphi. The oracles were located all around Greece and the surrounding territories, including Sicily, Corinth, Lycia, and Delos, among others. His most famous oracles were the Pythia at Delphi and the Erythraean Sibyl (who gave prophecies in the form of crossword clues). The Delphic Oracle was considered to be the most accurate oracle in antiquity. Festivals Thargelia- Held on May 24 and 25 to celebrate the birthdays of Artemis and Apollo. Involved purification ceremonies and was connected to agriculture and giving thanks to the gods. Pythia- Held every four years in Delphi to celebrate the victory over Python that allowed him to assume control of the Delphic oracle Hyacinthia- Spartan festival held in early summer to mourn the death of Hyacinthus. It was a three day festival composed of a day of mourning and a day of celebration, as well as a day of unknown festivities.

Epithets Akestôr-averter of evil, healing Agraeus-the hunter Boêdromios-the helper in distress Chrysaor-of the golden sword Intonsus-unshorn (indicates youth) Loimios-deliverer from plague Phoebus-shining, bright Lycegenes-born of the wolf Sauroktonos-lizard killer (in reference to Python) Sacred Symbols bow and arrows lyre the sun snakes swans dolphins ravens/crows wolves deer hawks mice cows Greek Versus Roman There is actually very little difference between the Greek and Roman forms of Apollo. In fact, they didn't even change his name! The only differences are the changes in his family (Diana instead of Artemis, Latona instead of Leto) and a slight imperialization (focus on the military and state religion). Offerings And Devotional Acts Herbs, Plants, and Flowers: sunflowers oranges lemons honeysuckle hyacinth laurels bay leaf dandelions cypress star anise lily of the valley Other: bread wine olive oil water a playlist you've made for him yellow, gold, and white candles art poetry depictions of artemis and leto depictions of hyacinthus and daphne, or any of his other lovers singing or playing a string instrument divination learning first aid or CPR picking an outfit based on his color associations reading about him or his areas of influence research or learning something new reading the iliad archery utilizing the sun in spell work focusing on your health automatic writing or drawing UPG: peach soda macaroni and cheese cheese in general crackers caramel chocolate coffee vanilla or lemon cake orange juice/soda sweet tea green tea potato products (fries, chips, mashed, etc) chicken pineapple Crystals tiger's eye amber sunstone bumblebee jasper agate citrine orange and yellow calcite rainbow fluorite lapis lazuli sodalite tourmaline hematite Colors yellow orange blue white gold black red Associations Planet: Sun Element: Fire and Air Number: 7 Tarot Cards ***UPG*** The Sun-positivity, vitality, success Justice-balance, order, cause and effect Ace of Swords-intuition, mental clarity, breakthrough Knight Of Cups-creativity, emotional expression, beauty Sources Theoi-Apollo Britannica-Apollo Ancient History Encyclopedia-Apollo Mythopedia-Apollo Theoi-Roman V. Greek Niobe Apollo and Hyacinthus Theoi-Epithets Oracles