Apollo

Rome’s God of Light and Prophecy

Apollo was unusual among the major Roman gods because the Romans used the same name as the Greeks. He was god of music, poetry, prophecy, healing and archery, and later became strongly connected with sunlight. His parents were Jupiter and Latona, and Diana was his twin sister. Apollo’s symbols included the bow, lyre and laurel wreath. Romans inherited many of his Greek stories, including his birth on Delos and his defeat of the giant serpent Python at Delphi.

Delphi became Apollo’s most famous oracle. A priestess called the Pythia delivered answers believed to come from the god. People asked about wars, journeys and difficult decisions, but the replies could be mysterious and easy to misunderstand. Apollo was also an extraordinary musician and leader of the Muses. In myth, the baby Mercury stole his cattle but later gave Apollo the newly invented lyre. Apollo could be fiercely proud of his musical talent. The satyr Marsyas challenged him to a contest and suffered a terrible punishment after losing.

Apollo could heal disease, but his arrows could also bring it. His son Aesculapius became Rome’s great god of medicine. Romans first built a temple to Apollo after asking for help during an epidemic. Centuries later, the emperor Augustus made Apollo even more important after his victory at Actium in 31 BCE. Augustus built a magnificent temple to him on the Palatine Hill and connected Apollo with a new age of peace and order. The Sibylline Books, special prophetic texts consulted during serious crises, were kept there. Apollo therefore fitted Roman religion extremely well. He could guide the state with prophecy, protect health, inspire poets and represent harmony after war. But his myths also show pride, jealousy and harsh punishments. I think that contrast stops him becoming boring. Apollo may look perfectly calm with his lyre and laurel, but Greek and Roman storytellers knew that perfection could have a dangerous temper hiding underneath.

⬅   Back