Greek Mythology 101: Who is Apollo?
Learning about Greek mythology, especially with its large pantheon of gods, may seem daunting. Here, though, we try to make it easy for you, breaking down who each god and goddess is in turn. Welcome to Greek Mythology 101! Today’s topic: the radiant one, Apollo.
General Info
Apollo is one of the twelve Olympians, son of Zeus and twin brother of Artemis. While most of the gods have one, maybe two, domains, Apollo has five: he is the god of the sun, music, archery, healing and plague, and prophecy.
As the sun god, a role he took over from the Titan Helios, he rides his chariot around the world, causing the sun to rise at the start of the day and set at the end. Companion to the Muses, known for his beautiful singing and playing the lyre (a harp-like instrument), Apollo is also the patron god of musicians.
Meanwhile, the invention of archery itself is credited to Apollo and Artemis, and with his archery skills and special arrows, Apollo could bring about either miraculous healing or devastating plagues to the people of Greece. After slaying the monstrous serpent Python, he claimed the Oracle at Delphi, adding prophecy to his repertoire.
A true jack of all trades, there is almost nothing that Apollo can’t do.
Symbols & Sacred Animals
It should come as no surprise that Apollo’s two main symbols are a bow and a lyre. The bow represents his role as the god of archery and the precision of his skill, while the lyre represents his role as the god of music.
His sacred animals are the swan and the raven. The swan represents beauty and harmony, which is tied to Apollo’s musical nature. According to myth, Apollo is the one who created the raven and this bird has served as his messenger ever since.
Relationships
Apollo was known to love both women and men, divine and mortal. He had relationships with many of the Muses (one cannot make music or art of any kind without cavorting with the Muses after all), but amongst those that he pursued, the two most famous are Daphne and Hyacinthus.
Daphne was a nymph that Apollo fell in love at first sight with. She did not reciprocate his feelings and instead ran away from him. He pursued her relentlessly and eventually she couldn’t run any longer, so she cried out to her father, a minor river god, to save her. She was then transformed into a laurel tree. Though Apollo could not have her as he wanted, he still loved her and honored the laurel, using her leaves to adorn his hair.
Hyacinthus was a handsome Spartan prince who was pursued by both Apollo and the wind god Zephyrus. Hyacinthus chose Apollo and one day when the two were together playing discus, the jealous Zephyrus blew the discus off course, causing it to hit Hyacinthus in the head, killing him. Overcome with sorrow, Apollo did not let Hyacinthus go to the Underworld, instead turning him into a flower (the hyacinth), so that his beauty would be honored for all eternity.
Final Thoughts
The sun, music, archery, healing, and prophecy, Apollo is a god of so many domains, it’s sometimes difficult to keep track of them all. Known for his exceptional artistry, he shines the brightest of all the gods on Olympus.
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