The Myth Of Apollo, The God Of Divination
The myth of Apollo is about one of the most admired gods of classical Greek antiquity – after Zeus. He was very important. So important that his cult survived in secret in the Middle Ages. In fact, he is known for having followers today who still summon him.
The importance of the myth of Apollo comes from the great powers this superior being had. Those around him saw him as the god of art, of divination, the giver of the light of truth, the ruler of torments, epidemics, and sudden death, as well as healing and protection from evil forces.
Likewise, Apollo reigns over beauty, balance and perfection. He was the initiator of maturity among young people, and he was also the protector of shepherds, sailors, and archers. Furthermore, he was the ultimate master of bow and arrow. Finally, he was the god of music and poetry, the leader of the musicians and protector of the Oracle of Delphi.
The origin of the myth of Apollo
According to the myth of Apollo, this god was the son of Zeus, the highest authority in Olympus, and of Leto, a titan. To begin with, Zeus was interested in Leto’s sister, Asteria, and he tried to take her by force.
She was frightened, however, and as a result, she turned into a quail to escape his siege. Nevertheless, he continued to harass her, causing her to throw herself into the sea, where she turned into the island of Ortigia.
After this, the greatest Olympic god fixed his eyes on Leto, who felt the same as him. She became pregnant, but Hera, Zeus’ legal wife, found out about his adventures and began a violent persecution of Leto.
Therefore, Hera asked her daughter, Eileithyia, who was the goddess of birth, to prevent childbirth. As a result, Leto was in terrible pain for nine days.
God, however, had compassion for the titan. Leto was expecting twins, so the god allowed the girl, Artemis, to be born quickly and grow up so she could help her mother give birth to her brother, Apollo. Leto’s suffering made such an impression on Artemis that she decided to remain a virgin forever.
Apollo – a fascinating creature
However, the siege of Leto did not end at the birth of Apollo. Hera was still furious at the betrayal, so she sent the serpent Python away to kill the family. However, the gods again sympathized with Leto’s fate and caused Apollo to grow up in just four days so that he could kill the monster.
With a thousand arrows, Apollo assassinated the serpent, Python, which was the sacred serpent. Nevertheless, he had to be punished for killing it as it was a divine animal. Next, the Oracle at Delphi was built where the monster died. Apollo became the protector of this place, where he would later whisper all sorts of predictions in the ears of Pythias or fortune-tellers.
The myth of Apollo tells that both he and his sister protected their mother until the end of the world when Hera never stopped pursuing her. Once, they killed the giant Titius, who tried to rape her several times. They also killed Niobe’s 14 sons, who repeatedly made fun of her.
A human god
The myth of Apollo tells that this god had several offspring, but he was unlucky in love. He became interested in Cassandra, to whom he gave a prophetic gift, but she rejected it. Next, he fell in love with Daphne because of an arrow from Cupid, but she did not feel the same for him, so she turned into a tree.
This myth tells of several events of which this god was a part. Many of them were violent acts. One of the most prominent happened when Zeus ordered the Cyclops to kill Asclepius – one of Apollo’s sons.
In revenge, the art god killed the Cyclops and was subsequently punished for this. Zeus sent him to the mortal world, where he had to live like them and experience their suffering.
It is worth noting that Apollo was a good lyre player and he participated in the Trojan War. There he fought side by side with the Trojans, and he helped Paris kill Achilles after killing Apollo’s sons, Hector and Troilus. The myth of Apollo was then passed on to Roman mythology, where he was one of the most respected and admired gods.
