HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF APOLLO THE SUN GOD

Known for his extreme physical beauty, in this article we want to let you know the Apollo features, the powerful deity of Greek and Roman mythology; god of the sun and the arts. His story goes even further than what has been revealed so far.

Greek Mythology and the characteristics of the God Apollo

To understand a little more about the history and characteristics of Apollo, we will make a brief summary of the world in which it developed. His origin, his passions, his family and everything he represented and continues to represent today when the cult of him, through the Hellenic religion, has been reborn.

In Ancient Greece, religion was based on polytheism, which is why in Greek Mythology we find several gods of great importance. Each of these gods represented the way in which the Greeks understood different aspects of their life.

The Greek gods lived on Olympus, the highest mountain in Greece, and from there they ruled the lives of the Greek people. The Greeks venerated these gods who represented universal harmony and were a reflection of their way of life. There were twelve main gods, better known as “the twelve Olympians.”, for living at the top of Mount Olympus, the highest in all of Greece.

The Olympic Gods

The most prominent Olympian gods in Greek Mythology were Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Dionysus, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus and Demeter and they gained supremacy after triumphing in the great war against the Titans. They began to be worshiped in the 6th century BC, in Athens.

The gods were immortal, they represented universal harmony, they respected a hierarchical order headed by Zeus. They lived in crystal palaces built by Hephaestus. Each one of them represents a specific idea, for example the deity that will concern us today, Apollo, god of music, carries a lyre.

They ate exquisite foods, such as nectar, ambrosia, olive oil and other delicacies. They had a great resemblance to human beings both physically and emotionally, with the same vices and virtues of mortals and they liked to live like them.

Passionate and formidable lovers interacted with humans with whom they could conceive children, giving rise to heroes and demigods. One of the characteristics of most men was infidelity to their wives, both with mortals and with other goddesses and demigoddesses, procreating many children.

Zeus is the god of gods. The supreme god, god of the heavens and thunder. He is a descendant of the titans Cronus and Rhea. Married to the goddess Hera, a womanizer and father of several children outside of her marriage.

Who is the God Apollo?

His name Apollo or Apollón, whose root is Greek, is derived from “apo” (far away) and “ollymi” (death) and means “he who gives life and drives away evil.” He was born on the island of Delos and is the son of Zeus and his lover Leto. Apollo is the twin brother of Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt.

As the son of the God Zeus, Apollo is part of the twelve Olympians, his place is within the twelve main gods of Greek mythology. He is immortal, beautiful and perfect, provided with a body and visible to the eyes of mortals.

He is one of the most multifaceted gods. He is the god of male beauty, of the arts, especially of music. He god of the sun, prophecy and medicine.

He has great powers, has been one of the most influential and is almost as revered as his father. He watches from high in the heavens to threaten or protect with his bow and arrow. He is the favorite son of Zeus and he can, like his father, throw lightning bolts.

A Birth with Many Difficulties

Apollo is the youngest son of Zeus, supreme god of Olympus, king of heaven and earth, and his lover, Leto, considered the goddess of night and daylight. This relationship has been one of the most terrible, complicated and distressing in the history of the Olympian gods.

There were many hardships that Leto had to overcome before and after giving birth to her children Apollo and Artemis. Well, Hera, wife of Zeus, jealous, aggressive and vengeful, wanted to end the life of Leto and his children and made them continue mercilessly and viciously.

Asteria, Leto’s sister, was also harassed by Zeus who wanted to have sexual relations with her. Asteria turned into a quail, fled to the sea and transformed into the floating island Ortigia. Leto went there to take refuge to give birth because Hera did not allow her to settle anywhere on dry land to do so.

But even there Leto did not find peace. The day of delivery arrived and Hera forbade Ilithia, goddess of childbirth and midwives, from assisting Leto. Nine days passed, the birth was dangerously delayed and Leto suffered cruelly without the help he needed to give birth to the twins he had in his womb.

The gods of Olympus who were present during the birth were moved by Leto’s pain and ordered the goddess Iris to bribe Hera and bring Ilithia. They had Artemis born first so that she could help her mother give birth to Apollo.

When Leto gave birth to Apollo, swans circled the island seven times, to report and celebrate the great event. After childbirth, Zeus gave him a golden miter, a lyre, and a chariot pulled by swans as a gift to Apollo.

Another detail from Zeus as a gift was to anchor the island to the bottom of the sea and call it Delos Island and thus provide a home for Leto and his children. However, Hera’s pursuit did not stop there and in order to move, Leto had to transform into a wolf to go unnoticed.

Apollo, Great Defender of his Mother

Hera had sent Python to chase Leto to kill her before she gave birth. Four days after his birth, to protect his mother, Apollo took a bow and arrow, cornered Python in the sacred cave of Delphi, and killed him.

Hera then sent the giant Titius to kill Leto. Apollo and his sister Artemis were the great protectors of his mother. During the battle Zeus sent his aid and threw Titius into Tartarus where the vultures fed daily on the giant’s liver.

When some peasants, instigated by Hera, removed the water from a pond so that Leto and his children could not drink, Zeus intervened again and punished them by turning them into frogs.

Niobe, queen of Thebes, mocked Leto for having few offspring and flaunted her superiority over Apollo’s mother. Niobe’s punishment was to witness the death of 12 of her children, by the arrows of Apollo and Artemis. Niobe fled to Mount Sipylus where she was transformed into stone.

Meeting Apollo

In addition to being the god of male beauty, a characteristic for which he is best known, he also represents perfection, harmony, and balance. Moral purity and moderation. He is responsible for initiating young people into the world of adults, making them aware of their sins and purifying them.

The power of Apollo extends to all areas of nature and human life. Although he could exert dire influences, he was also a protective god and guardian of peace. He represented law, justice, order and reason, avoiding conflict and war.

He is an intolerant enemy of crimes and darkness. As the god of colonization, Apollo advised on colonies. He founded cities that he watched over and protected from heaven. According to Greek tradition, Apollo helped the Cretans found the city of Troy.

His great power lies in his gift for art and music. He invented the cytar, an instrument of Greek origin, recognized as the ancestor of the slope and the guitar. He directed the nine gods who protected art and science and is a jealous protector of music and poetry. He organized and presided over concerts and directed the choir of the muses. He is a symbol of inspiration for musicians and poets.

God of medicine, healing and protection against evil forces. He managed to heal the sick only with his arrows. He presided over the laws of religion. God of truth and prophecy. Patron of all seers and of the most famous oracle of antiquity, the Oracle of Delphi.

Apollo had dominion over the plagues. He was connected to nature, to herbs and is recognized as the god of spring. He shepherded the flock. He protected the sheep from the wolves. He protected against pests and diseases of animals and plantations. He is the patron saint of shepherds, sailors and archers.

Physical appearance, personality traits and abilities

Born as a sun god, Apollo is immortal; he personifies masculine beauty. Of eternal and resplendent youth, his voice is magical. He has beautiful wavy hair and a beautiful body that he shows naked. His figure speaks of a tall man, and represents the masculine ideal.

The favorite son of Zeus, charming, strong, brave, intelligent, he was always respected and admired, even among the gods. Apollo’s abilities were very diverse. Like his father Zeus, he can shoot lightning with his hands. He is a very accurate archer, his arrows could kill or heal.

Apollo, rebellious, irreverent and impulsive deity. He was feared by the other gods and only his father and mother could restrain him when he became displeased. He convinced the gods to punish mortals who committed blasphemous and impious acts.

Apollo, like his father Zeus, was very amorous, but he surpassed him with his physical beauty. He sure of himself.

Attributes

Apollo is always accompanied by the lyre, a laurel wreath, the bow and its load of arrows. The sacrificial tripod is another of his attributes, representative of his prophetic powers.

His throne is golden and very high, with a lyre-shaped backrest, engraved magical inscriptions, and a python skin covering the seat. Its plants are Laurel (for Dafne), hyacinth, palm tree and myrtle. She is accompanied by her entourage of muses.

Animals consecrated to Apollo

It is associated with the swan, wolf, griffin, crab, dolphin, roe deer, deer, kite, vulture, crow, snake and rat. These animals express the essence of the god in a symbolic form. The wolf is sometimes offered in sacrifice, the image of it is frequently associated with that of Apollo.

The swan was dedicated to him as a songbird or as an emblem of the sun. Swans flew around Delphi to announce and celebrate his birth and he also had a chariot pulled by swans. Another bird dedicated to Apollo as a luminous emblem was the rooster.

The rat and the snake are divinatory animals that were sacred to Apollo. These animals were supposed to have a prophetic vision by breathing the exhalations of the earth

Sartyr Marsyas Challenge

As the god of art and music, Apollo always carries a lyre with him. It is said that a satyr named Sartyr Marsyas, a virtuoso of the aulós, a type of double flute, challenged Apollo in a musical contest. The arrogant Sartyr lost the duel and was sentenced to be flayed.

There are several versions of this story. Some say that the satyr played better than Apollo, but Apollo turned the lyre upside down and played the same melody while Marsyas could not do the same with his flute.

Another version narrates that Apollo…