The Story of Apollo
Apollo was the son of Zeus and the Titaness Leto. When Hera discovered that Leto was carrying Zeus's children, she forbade every land on earth to give her shelter. At last Leto found refuge on the floating island of Delos, where she gave birth to the twins Artemis and Apollo beneath a palm tree.
Apollo grew up astonishingly fast. Fed on nectar and ambrosia, he was soon calling for a bow and a lyre and announcing that he would reveal the will of Zeus to mortals. While still very young, he traveled to Delphi and killed the monstrous serpent Python with his arrows, claiming the site for his own.
At Delphi he founded the most famous oracle in the ancient world. His priestess, the Pythia, sat above the sacred spring and spoke his prophecies to kings, generals and ordinary people who came from all over Greece. Apollo also became the god of music, poetry, healing and light, and he led the nine Muses in song on Mount Parnassus.
Apollo was always loyal to his twin Artemis and to his mother. When Queen Niobe insulted Leto, the twins avenged her together with their arrows. His love affairs, however, often ended in sorrow, as with the nymph Daphne and the youth Hyacinthus. Among his children was Asclepius, the great healer, who became a god of medicine.
Apollo could be gentle and generous, but he was also a god to fear. His arrows could bring sickness as well as cure it, and at the start of the Iliad he sends a plague on the Greek camp because his priest has been insulted. During the Trojan War he took the side of Troy, and he guided the arrow of Paris that killed Achilles.
Apollo was one of the most widely worshipped gods in Greece. Delphi was his greatest sanctuary, and the Pythian Games, second only to the Olympics, were held there in his honor, with contests in music as well as athletics. Delos, his birthplace, became a holy island where no one was allowed to be born or to die.
Apollo came to stand for reason, harmony and beauty, the ideals at the heart of Greek culture. Unlike most gods, he kept his name when the Romans adopted him. Today the ruins of Delphi and Delos still draw visitors from around the world, and his name lives on in everything from art to the Apollo missions that carried humans to the moon.
Famous Myths About Apollo
Slaying the Python
Soon after his birth, Apollo went to Delphi and killed the great serpent Python with his arrows. He took over the site, and it became the home of his famous oracle.
Apollo and Daphne
Struck by one of Eros's golden arrows, Apollo fell madly in love with the nymph Daphne, who had been struck with a lead arrow that made her flee love. As he caught up to her, she begged her father, a river god, for help and was turned into a laurel tree, which became Apollo's sacred plant.
The Death of Hyacinthus
Apollo loved the Spartan youth Hyacinthus and was teaching him to throw the discus when it struck the boy and killed him. From his spilled blood Apollo made the hyacinth flower grow.
The Curse of Cassandra
Apollo gave the Trojan princess Cassandra the gift of prophecy in hopes of winning her love. When she rejected him, he could not take back the gift, so he cursed her so that no one would ever believe her predictions.
The Contest with Marsyas
The satyr Marsyas challenged Apollo to a music contest, his flute against Apollo's lyre, with the winner free to do as he wished to the loser. Apollo won and punished Marsyas by flaying him alive.
Apollo's Family Tree
Partners of Apollo
Children of Apollo
Frequently Asked Questions About Apollo
Who is Apollo in Greek mythology?
Apollo is the Olympian god of light, music, poetry, prophecy, healing and archery, and later writers also linked him with the sun.
Who are Apollo's parents?
Apollo is the son of Zeus and the Titan Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis. He was born on the island of Delos.
How did Apollo found the oracle at Delphi?
Apollo killed the giant serpent Python that guarded Delphi and made the site his own. His priestess, the Pythia, gave prophecies there for centuries.
Why is the laurel sacred to Apollo?
Apollo fell in love with the nymph Daphne, who fled from him and was turned into a laurel tree. He made the laurel his sacred plant, and laurel wreaths became prizes in his honor.
What are Apollo's symbols?
Apollo's symbols include the lyre, the laurel wreath, the bow, the raven and the serpent Python he defeated at Delphi.
What is Apollo's Roman name?
The Romans kept the Greek name and worshiped him as Apollo, one of the few major gods whose name did not change.
