Apollo is one of the most beautiful gods of Olympus. Considered the god of the Sun, he is also known as the god of light, of warmth, and of truth: where there is light, there is clarity. He is also seen as the god of physical beauty and godfather of the artistic branches: painting, poetry, and music. He is the famous god of the lyre and of singing.

As the god of the Sun, he was attributed the fruits that this star provides, such as factors related to agriculture and the land. In ancient times, some cities in Greece consecrated their first crops from the field to Apollo. In addition, he is known by many as the god who protects flocks. Among the things associated with him, the god of the Sun is still considered the god who keeps away allthe evil, the plagues and diseases of human beings, although the god of medicine is Asclepius, his son.

Apollo is famous for some feats that gave him prominence within Greco-Roman mythology. He was considered a warrior for having killed, with only one arrow, Python, a frightening female dragon. He also gained relevance for having defeated Aloadas, one of the giant sons of Poseidon, who tried to reach Olympus. As well as the death of the dragon, Apollo killed Aloadas with his bow and arrows.

History and origin of Apollo

Birth

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto: the god of the gods in Greek mythology and the daughter of Phoebe and Sky, the Titans. The sun god has a twin sister named Artemis, the goddess of the moon, of wild animals, hunting and magic. According to Greco-Roman mythology, mandatorily the sun god and the moon god were twins.

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Apollo's birth was extremely troubled because Hera, the goddess of maternity and wife of Zeus, was very vengeful and jealous of her husband. With all her anger, Hera did everything to make Leto's birth impossible and to prevent the birth of the babies. She arrested Ilithia, the goddess who facilitated and helped women during labor. As the people of the time fearedHowever, the brave mother managed to give birth to Apollo and Artemis on a floating island that was soon called Delos. However, the arrival of the twin gods into the world was not easy, as Leto suffered for nine days and nine nights, until Hera released Ilithia upon receiving offers. The first god to arrive into the world was Artemis,then Apollo.

Childhood

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Apollo was not fed on mother's milk! The goddess Themis fed the baby with ambrosial nectar, known today as the food of the gods, causing him to automatically become a man. In his first year of life, Apollo discovered that Hera had sent Python, a female dragon, to kill his mother; upon learning of this plan, with just one arrow, the god killed the dreaded beast.This achievement was celebrated for a long time by the population.

Besides Artemis, Apollo also had other siblings: Athena, Ares, Hermes and Hephaestus.

Home of the Holy Place: Oracle of Delphi

Apollo took possession of Temis and created a piece of furniture in which Pythia, his priestess, would snuggle to practice her predictions (such piece of furniture was called the triptod). This environment, where the triptod was located, later became the site of one of Apollo's greatest feats, named Delphi, the death of Python.

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Delphi is the place where the altar for the worship of Apollo was built, but at that time of construction there were no priests to contemplate the temple. Shortly after Delphi was built, a ship appeared nearby and Apollo, in the form of a dolphin, warned the sailors that from that moment on they would be the priests occupying the temple. However, the sun godSome legends say that when autumn came, Apollo would go to a mythical country where there was a great people who worshipped him. As soon as the season was over and the worshipping ceased, Apollo would return to Delphi, when it was already spring. Delphi was the great temple of Apollo!

War with Cupid of Love

Apollo was not very lucky in his love life. In the course of his life, he became involved with several women and men. But one of his most remarkable stories was the story of his romantic relationship with a nymph named Daphne, daughter of a king named Peneus.

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Since the sun god was very good with bow and arrows, he decided to challenge the god who was cupid of love, sure that her skills and arrows were more precise and powerful than his. But the god Cupid, with his great power, proved to Apollo that he was much more powerful: he hit the heart of the sun god with a big golden arrow, making him love very muchDaphne, but, in return, hit the nymph with a lead arrow to make her repudiate Apollo. With this, Daphne denied Apollo's love, until the god turned to his father, asking him to curse her and become a laurel.

Apollo also had other amorous misadventures in which he always ended up cursing his partners in some way, as happened with the seer Cassandra, who lost her power of persuasion for not keeping her word to stay with the god. From his relationships with Cyrene and Urania, Apollo had many children, but never married either of them. Cyrene was a nymph and Urania was an astronomical muse.

Actions of Apollo

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Besides killing Python and Aladdas, Apollo had a big fight with Titus, a giant who was also the son of Zeus. The quarrel between the half-brothers started when Titus harassed Leto, mother of the Sun god; resulting in Titus' death. Still on this list of wars with Apollo, Forbas was a bully who incited fights on the way to Delphi. Because he was extremely strong, no one could beat him.He disguised himself as an athlete and killed Forbas with just one punch.

Apollo helped the warriors in the Trojan War and saved many men. His protection was always ahead of those who held him in high esteem, and because of this the walls of Troy were defeated, just as Paris struck Achilles' great heel with just one arrow, emerging victorious from the combat. For having helped the Trojans win their battles, the people cast praise at his feet; plantthat to this day represents victories in the Olympic games.

Myth of Apollo

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Now that you know a little about the history and origin of Apollo, you know that his myth was totally dual in relation to human nature. Apollo was a god who did good and evil, everything depended on the situation and his will. As god of the Sun, of agriculture, as protector of flocks and the arts, he did good by generating fortune and happiness, but at the same time he took the lives of those who did notThey pleased or disrespected him with their sharp aim and their bow and arrows.

But, in any case, he was one of the most relevant gods in Greco-Roman mythology, defined as a being who could threaten but also protect. Regarded as the strength and light of the Sun, he acted as an inspirer of the arts and was a cause of fear for the other gods. Within his bravery, only his parents could contain his wills, joys and rages. Within the duality of his exploits, ApolloHe was the god of diseases but he was also the god of healing.

His myth has been worked on for many years by philosophers and researchers, religious, artistic, or simply curious. The purpose of arriving at a greater understanding of the history of the sun god is to understand the diversity of behavior in human life, in nature, and in society as a whole.

Cult of Apollo

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Apollo's cults were initially held in Delphi. His rites were filled with musical activities, dancing, sacrifices, with the intention of purification, processions, and other practices. The cults to Apollo were not always the same; they varied according to the place or time (if we stop to analyze the historical context of its history, which has changed over the years).

Some legends claim that Delphi was the first place where a cult to Apollo took place, but some archaeologists claim that there was a temple at Naxos, around the 5th century BC.

Archetype of Apollo

The Greek sun god has a great emphasis in Greco-Roman mythology, as mentioned before, but he still possessed a greater strength for being one of the most mentioned gods in the Iliad.

Apollo was a model of masculine aspects that made him powerful in any situation. He possessed beauty, outburst sexuality and strength. He had a very strong emotional detachment, so much so that the god never married and had many mistresses while maintaining fixed relationships with certain women. The difficulty of maintaining a lasting bond could be a result of the denialslove affairs experienced previously, with Dafne and Cassandra.

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His pattern of explosive behavior was a questionable issue, for it was logical the size of his power, but he always used it as he wanted, never thinking of the good of others. Even the benefits he caused the population carried with them ulterior motives. His frustrations were discounted in arrows, but even so, he had great relevance in the victory of many peoples.Within his unrighteousness for self-pleasure, Apollo was also a righteous god who healed the sick and delivered people from countless plagues and diseases.

Image of Apollo

Apollo is represented in a very simple way: a young, beautiful, totally naked man who gives the perception that he is the Sun himself. The objects that became his symbols are the bow and arrows, the lyre, laurels, and the palm tree.

Now that you know a little more about the story of Apollo, share this article with your friends so they can also learn about Greek-Roman mythology!