The Myth Of Apollo, The God Of Prophecies

The Apollo myth tells about the most revered god in Greek antiquity, after Zeus. So important was it that his cult covertly survived until the Middle Ages. In fact, today it is known that he has followers who still invoke him.

The importance of the Apollo myth derives from the great powers that were attributed to this deity. He was considered the god of the arts, of prophecy, bearer of the light of truth, ruler of plagues, epidemics and sudden death, but also of healing and protection against evil forces.

Likewise, in the myth of Apollo this god is awarded the rulership over beauty, harmony, balance, perfection. He was the initiator of maturity in the young, protector of shepherds, sailors and archers, as well as the ultimate lord of the bow and arrow. Also god of music and poetry, head of the muses  and patron of the Oracle of Delphi.

The origin of the Apollo myth

The Apollo myth indicates that this god was the son of Zeus , the highest authority on Olympus, and of Leto, a titan. At first, Zeus took an interest in Leto’s sister, named Asteria, and tried to take her by force. She, frightened, turned into a quail to escape their siege. As he continued to harass her, he threw himself into the sea and became the island of Ortigia.

Afterwards, the highest god of Olympus fixed his eyes on Leto, who reciprocated. She became pregnant, but Hera, Zeus’s legitimate wife , found out about the affair and began a fierce pursuit against Leto. The betrayed asked her daughter Llitía, goddess of childbirth, to prevent the birth. So Leto was in horrible pain for nine days.

The gods took pity on the titan. Leto was expecting twins and the gods allowed the girl, Artemis, to be born and quickly become an adult so that she could help the mother with the delivery of her brother, Apollo. It happened like that. Artemis was so impressed by her mother’s suffering that she decided to remain a virgin forever.

A fantastic Apollo

Leto’s Calvary did not end with the birth of Apollo. Hera, still furious at the betrayal, sent the snake Python to kill the little family. Again the gods, compassionate for Leto’s fate, caused Apollo to grow up in just four days and put the monster to death.

Apollo destroyed Python, the sacred serpent, with a thousand arrows. As it was a divine animal, he had to do penance for killing it and where the monster fell down, the Oracle of Delphi was built. Apollo became the patron of this place, to later whisper the predictions in the ear of the pythias or fortune-tellers.

The Apollo myth tells that both he and his sister remained their mother’s protectors forever, as Hera never stopped pursuing her. The twins killed the giant Titius, who tried to rape her. They also killed the 14 sons of Níobe, who made fun of the unfortunate titan.

A human god

The Apollo myth tells that this god had a numerous offspring, but was unlucky in love. He became interested in Cassandra, to whom he had given a prophetic gift, but she rejected it. Then he fell in love with Daphne, because of an arrow from Cupid, but this did not correspond to him and he turned her into a tree.

The myth of Apollo narrates several episodes in which this god participated. Many of them were acts of violence. One of the most prominent took place when Zeus ordered the Cyclopes to kill Asclepius, son of Apollo. Invaded by pain, the god of the arts killed the Cyclops and was punished for that. Zeus sent him to the mortal world and he had to live like them and experience their suffering.

Apollo was also a great lyre player and was active in the Trojan War. There he fought alongside the Trojans and helped Paris to kill Achilles, as he had killed his sons Héctor and Troilo. The Apollo myth passed almost intact to Roman mythology, where he was one of the most respected and admired deities.