Apollo is the ancient Greek god of light, lighting, prophecy, plague, medicine, archery, poetry, dance, reason and herds.

Apollo’s birth

Leto became pregnant with Zeus and Hera cursed her so that she did not give birth anywhere in land or sea.

Leto gave birth in Delos, a floating island that was not really a firm land or an island. It was surrounded by swans that moved it. Artemis was born first and the next day he helped his mother give birth to Apollo.

Later, Zeus said Delos to stop floating and became sacred to Apollo.

Oracles of Apollo

There were many oracles of Apollo in ancient Greece and in the surrounding civilizations. Most were associated with a mass of water from which the inspiration of their prophecies came. It was said that the water contained the Apollo tire.

The Oracle of Delphi

The python snake lived in Delphi, next to the castalia spring. Apparently, he attacked Leto and Apollo came out and killed her. But Python was Gea’s daughter, so Apollo was expelled from Olympus for nine years. During this time he served as a shepherd to King Ademeto, whom he rewarded allowing him to choose another to take his place when the time of his death came.

When Apollo was able to return to Olympus, he ordered his Cretan priests to erect a temple in Delphi and blessed the oracle there to be the most famous and exact. The vapors of the castly spring allowed the oracle to enter a state of trance.

The Oracle of Delos

The birthplace of Apollo had a sanctuary adjacent to the sacred lake.

Didyma’s oracle

On the coast of Anatolia, west of the fight of Sardis. The priests received inspiration drinking from a sacred spring.

The Oracle of Hieropolis Bambor

A temple dedicated to a Syrian goddess contained an Apollo statue that moved spontaneously in response to questions.

Lovers and descendants

Eros had been irritated with Apollo’s constant song and when Apollo said it made fun of his skills with the arch. Then, Eros fired an arrow to Apollo causing him to fall in love with the Nymph Dafne and in turn he shot a repulsion arrow.

So disgusted was because of Apollo’s affection, which became a tree laurel to leave her alone.

In Cyrene, Apollo engendered Aristeo, who taught humanity the dairy techniques and arts of beekeeping, hunting with traps and fishing with networks.

Hécuba, wife of King Priam of Troy, gave birth to Apollo a son named Troilio. If the child had lived until he was twenty, Troy would have won the war, but Achilles had an ambush and killed him.

Apollo also loved Casandra, Hécuba’s daughter and Priam, and granted him the gift of prophecy in an attempt to seduce her. She asked him for another gift and he promised what he wanted. He asked him to leave her virgin. Enraged, he cursed her by telling him that no one would ever believe in his prophecies.

Apollo also loved Coronis, daughter of the king of Lapiths, but while giving birth to the son of Apollo, Asclepio, had an adventure with a mortal called Ischys. A crow informed Apollo of the adventure, but he did not believe it and returned black to all the crows for lying. But Artemis knew the truth and killed Coronis in childbirth.

The truth out, Apollo made the crows sacred and entrusted them with the task of announcing important deaths. He rescued the baby and gave it to Quirón to raise him. Coronis’s father burned Delphi in revenge for the death of his daughter and Apollo killed him.

Jacinto was a Spartan prince and athlete loved by both Apollo and Céfiro. Céfiro, jealous of the young man’s preference for Apollo, made an album diverted from his career while both practiced and hit Jacinto in the head, killing him. Apollo created the flower of the Jacinto with the blood of his lover.

Apollo gave his lover Cipariso a domesticated deer, but the boy accidentally killed him. Deconsolated, he asked Apollo to let his tears run forever, so Apollo made him a cypress.

Associations

Apollo is closely associated with the muses and is said to be the leader of his choir.

Although it was not at first, Apollo associated with the sun at some point between the third century and the III DC, and many of Helios’ stories ended up attributing him to him. His sister Artemisa associated with the moon for the same time and took over most of Helios’ stories. of Selene in a similar way.

Apollo has been associated with the god Hitita Alfu, Nergal and Shamash (Alfu can be an epithet of Nergal), as well as with the Roman Sun God.

Symbols

• Swans,
• Lobos,
• palm,
• Dolphins,
• arc and arrow,
• laurel,
• the lyre,
• the poue,
• hawks,
• crows,
• crows,
• snakes,
• mouse,
• grasshopper,
• tap
• The tripod.

Festivals

Pitic games were held every four years in Delphi in honor of Apollo.