Apollo, twin brother of Artemis, was
the god of light, god of sun, but also god of music, poetry and
fine arts, god of cure and god of prophecy. Despite his
magnificent beauty, something that made him a beloved subject for
painters and sculptors, he was not very lucky when it came to
love.
Apollo, the youngest one of Zeus and Leto's twin, was spared from
the punishments Hera used on her partner's unlawful children.
Apollo was always very much loved on Mount Olympus and Zeus gave
him the power of knowing the future. As Artemis took the
characteristics of the moon goddess Selene, Apollo took all
characteristics of Helius, god of the sun. He was most of all
designated as "Phoebus Apollo" ('phoibos' had always
been one of Helius' titles). This merging of two different myths
has created some confusion. In mythology the sun was a chariot on
fire, pulled by two winged horses, used by the god of the sun to
drive along the sky during the day. Though Apollo was also seen
as a god of the sun, he was never expected to carry out this duty.
This work was still done by Helius, who kept his own identity
totally independent from Apollo.
There were almost no stories about Apollo's youth and education.
When he was a child, he may have killed the monstrous Python, who
was torturing his mother on Hera's command. This is how he
conquered the oracle of Delphi, where the monster lived. Apollo
lived on Mount Olympus and was treated with utmost respect by
Zeus, though they had a terrible fight when Apollo killed a
female dragon consecrated to Gaea. As his punishment, Apollo was
banned from Mount Olympus and was forced to live on earth for
nine years. There he served Admetus, king of Thessaly, as a
shepherd. The king treated him so well, that Apollo made him
immortal, as a reward. Apollo was considered the god of
shepherds, and one of his sacrificial animals was the wolf, enemy
of all shepherds.
Apollo was especially known as the god of music. He is often
depicted carrying a lyre, the beloved Greek musical instrument
with seven strings. The lyre was also that important because it
was used to accompany poetry recitations. Hermes, who invented
this musical instrument, gave the lyre to Apollo. Apollo became a
master in playing the lyre and he also taught mortals how to play
it.
Apollo was very proud of his musical talents. The satyr Marsyas
once challenged him for a game, saying the sounds of his flute
were much more sweet than those of Apollo's lyre. When the Muses,
who were the judges, called Apollo as the winner, he had Marsyas
skinned alive as punishment for his brutality. On another
occasion Apollo gave king Midas the ears of a donkey, because he
liked Pan's flute more than Apollo's lyre. Sometimes Apollo also
used his musical gifts to help humanity: when Poseidon founded
Troy, Apollo played such wonderful music that the city walls
seemed to grow by the sound of his lyre.
Apollo's romances often had bad ends. He was unfaithful to the
nymph Clytia, who pined away and was reborn as a sunflower, who
always has to face the sun, her beloved one. His unwanted
advances pushed Daphne that much to despair, she had herself
changed into a laurel (this is the reason why Apollo is also
identified with the laurel). To gain the love of the Trojan
princess Cassandra, Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy. When
she turned him down, he could not recall this, but as her
punishment he made sure no one would ever believe her correct
predictions. When Cassandra predicted during the Trojan War that
the city would fall, the Trojans declared her mad and took no
notice of her warnings.
Apollo had much authority, partly from his role as god of
prophecy. His temple and oracle at Delphi, the most famous
sanctuary in the Mediterranean, was only one of his many oracles.
His two mottos, "know yourself" and "everything
with moderation", carved in a gate at Delphi, reflected the
Greek philosophy of life. With his beauty, Apollo was the
personification of the Greek ideal of male beauty.
Apollo was the only god of Mount Olympus who entered the Roman
pantheon by his own name. He was not gradually identified with
Italian deities, but entered suddenly after an epidemic, as a
result of an oracle's saying. Though the Romans worshipped him
for his role as a healer, he would never be estimated as high as
with the Greeks.