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Apollon is the son of Zeus, King of the Olympian Gods, and Leto, a titaness, known as the gentlest of the immortals. His twin sister is the Goddess Artemis.
Apollon was one of the busiest of the Gods of Olympus, with more titles, attributes, and responsibilities than any of the other Gods. He was (and is) the god of:
Apollon is the son of Zeus, King of the Olympian Gods, and Leto, a titaness, known as the gentlest of the immortals. His twin sister is the Goddess Artemis.
Apollon was one of the busiest of the Gods of Olympus, with more titles, attributes, and responsibilities than any of the other Gods. He was (and is) the god of:
- Light (not to be confused with Helios, the god of the sun, who is seen as being subservient to Apollon)
- The Sun (a later development, when Apollon and Helios came to be seen as one and the same)
- Music (as god of music, song, and dance, he is the leader of the Muses)
- Prophecy (as seen by his control over the great Oracle at Delphi)
- Divination
- Law / Civic Responsibility / Human Affairs
- The Arts in general
- Travel
- Colonization
- Medicine (a power he shared with his son Asklepius)
- Archery (not for war or hunting, as with his sister Artemis, but for sport)
- Poetry (again, shared with the Muses)
- Dance (as above)
- Logic
- Philosophy
- Truth
- Communication (which in the modern era makes him the god of telephones, television, radio, computers, the internet, etc, (a function he shares with Hermes))
- Knowledge (not in the sense in which his sister Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom. In his case, it is the thirst for, and hunger to acquire knowledge)
- Shepherds and their flocks
- Plague (he was said to be able to control rats, a prime vector for carrying disease. His arrows were said to being plague)
- Nature (Apollon had more sacred woodland groves in Greece than any other god, including Artemis, Demeter, and Pan)
- Saver of Ships
A number of animals and
plants are considered sacred to him. These include:
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His attributes, those symbols by which he can be identified, are:
His sacred numbers (also his days after each new moon)
How does he appear
How is his character described
Thanks to John Hodgson for some of the above information
His attributes, those symbols by which he can be identified, are:
- Bow and Arrows
- Crown of Laurel Leaves
- Lyre and Plectrum
- Tripod (the sacred stool upon which sat the Prophetess of Delphi
- Globe (also the symbol of the Muse Urania)
- Sun Halo (more properly the symbol of Helios, the Sun)
- Shepherd's Crook
- Flute or Pan-pipes
- Golden Headband
- Palm Branch
- Sword
- Boy riding a Swan (this could be Apollon or Hyakinthos)
- The Nine Muses
- Sun Chariot with four Winged Horses
- The Three Graces
- The Poisonless Snake
His sacred numbers (also his days after each new moon)
- One
- Seven (the most important)
- Twenty
How does he appear
- Lovely child, glorious youth, always fair always young, desirable, loveable
- Resplendent, brilliant, glittering, gloriously-formed, golden, golden complexioned, rose complexioned, with the rich bloom of glorious youth, never do traces of down touch his blooming cheeks
- God of the caressing look, eyes that flash with fire, a radiance of shining haze about him
- Gold tressed, golden haired, violet tressed, long haired, unshorn (i.e. he has not yet reached maturity), his hair drips with fragrant oil (panacaea)
- Swift-footed
- Golden mantled with gold clasp, sandals and mitra (headband)
- Head girdled with a bay wreath
- Golden seven-stringed lyra, tortoiseshell lyra (gift from Hermes)
- Golden Lyctian bow (i.e. small double-curved), and broad covered quiver, silver bow, golden arrows (the bow is said to be the rainbow, the arrows, sunbeams)
- Drives rosy chariot drawn by swans
- His arrival is greeted with winds, then the voices of the forest awakens with birdsong as he approaches
- Apollo is normally portrayed naked (= purity), but wears fine-spun perfumed chiton when he plays he lyra
- The Pythogorians claimed that he had a gilded ivory thigh, a replacement following his resurrection after being killed in his first fight with Python
- He can appear as a
shepherd, a hawk, a dolphin, or as someone you know
How is his character described
- Solitary
- Joyous, laughing, happy, blest, sorrowless
- Sweet-hearted, mild, pleasant, kindly, gentle, gentle-handed, gentle-tempered, taking thought for all, unwilling to quarrel
- Sweet of speech, sweet-spoken, soft-speaking, swift-voiced, hates coarseness
- Hates constriction or heaviness
- Sober, unadulterated seriousness, orderly, prudent
- Loves happy play and cadenced singing
Thanks to John Hodgson for some of the above information