Apollo

God of Music, Light and Prophecy

Apollo was the son of Zeus and the goddess Leto and the twin brother of Artemis. Hera was angry about Zeus’s relationship with Leto, so finding a safe place to give birth was difficult. Eventually the island of Delos welcomed her, and Apollo became strongly connected with the island. Apollo had an enormous number of responsibilities. He was god of music, prophecy, archery and healing, but he could also send disease. He usually carried a bow or a lyre, and the laurel tree became one of his special plants. Later people often connected Apollo with the Sun, although in the earlier Greek myths Helios was the actual Sun god.

One of Apollo’s most important places was Delphi. According to a famous story, he defeated a great serpent called Python and made Delphi his sanctuary. His priestess there was called the Pythia. People travelled from all over Greece to ask questions about wars, journeys, new cities and difficult decisions. The answers could be mysterious and sometimes had more than one meaning, so asking Apollo for advice did not always make life easier! Apollo was also an amazing musician and played the lyre. Unfortunately, he was extremely proud of his talent. When the satyr Marsyas challenged him to a music contest and lost, Apollo punished him terribly. King Midas also got donkey ears after preferring another musician.

Apollo could heal people, but his arrows could bring sudden sickness too. At the beginning of the Iliad, he sends a plague into the Greek camp after one of his priests is insulted. His son Asclepius became an even greater healer and was said to bring dead people back to life, which caused another enormous argument with Zeus. Apollo also had several unhappy love stories, including Daphne, Cassandra and Hyacinthus. He was handsome, talented and clever, but he could be proud and very harsh when offended. That is what makes him interesting to me. Apollo represents music, knowledge and healing, but Greek mythology never lets us forget that even a beautiful song-playing god with perfect hair can have a truly terrible temper.

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