According to legend, Apollo was born on the Greek island of Delos (pronounced DEE-loss) and grew to adulthood in just four days. To escape the island, he changed himself into a dolphin and caused a great storm on the sea. Apollo then threw himself on the deck of a ship in trouble and led it safely to shore. Having reached the mainland, Apollo set off for an important oracle of Gaia (pronounced GAY-uh), the earth goddess. A monstrous serpent named Pytho (pronounced PYE-thoh) not only guarded the place but also spoke the oracle’s prophecies. Apollo killed Pytho and took the oracle for himself. The name of the site was called Delphi because Apollo had become a dolphin (delphis in Greek) in order to reach it. Delphi became the most famous and frequently visited oracle in the ancient world. Its location was considered to be the geographic center of the earth. The oracle’s words were inspired by Apollo and delivered by a local female elder. She was called the Pythia (pronounced PITH-ee-uh) in honor of Pytho. As she spoke, priests interpreted her prophecies and wrote them down. The priests of Apollo claimed to be descended from the sailors aboard the ship that Apollo had led to safety in the storm.
Apollo’s form was considered the ideal of male beauty; therefore, he had many love affairs and fathered many children. Despite his attractiveness, there are numerous stories of Apollo’s failure to win the heart of a woman he desired. There are more stories of lovers being unfaithful to him.
In one story, Apollo fell in love with Cassandra, daughter of King Priam of Troy. In order to win her favor Apollo gave Cassandra the gift of prophecy. When she rejected him, Apollo punished her by declaring that her prophecies would be accurate but that no one would believe her. In another story, he courted the nymph (female nature god) Sinope (pronounced SEE-noh-pee), who asked him to grant her a favor before
She accepted his proposal. When Apollo agreed, she asked to remain a virgin until her death.
One of Apollo’s tragic loves was Daphne (pronounced DAF-nee), daughter of the river god Peneus (pronounced puh-NEE-uhs). Apollo fell in love with Daphne, but she did not return his affection. When Apollo chased her through the woods, she became so frightened that she cried out for her father to save her. Peneus turned Daphne into a laurel tree so that she could avoid Apollo’s advances. The disappointed Apollo broke off a branch of the laurel and twisted it into a wreath to wear on his head in memory of Daphne. Thereafter, the laurel tree became sacred to Apollo’s cult, devoted worshippers of the god. The laurel wreath also became a mark of honor to be given to poets, victors, and winners of athletic contests.
Some ofApollo’s romantic misfortunes involved animals that became associated with him. One myth explains how the crow’s feathers turned from white to black. In it, Apollo asked the crow to watch over the princess Coronis who was pregnant with his son; nevertheless, the crow failed to prevent Coronis from having an affair with another man. Angry at the crow, Apollo turned its feathers from white to black. He then asked his sister Artemis to kill Coronis. When Coronis lay burning on the funeral pyre (a large pile ofburning wood used in some cultures to cremate a dead body), Apollo pulled his unborn son Asclepius (pronounced uh-SKLEE-pee-uhs) from her body. The boy later became the god of healing.
World History
