246 THE MYTHS OF CREATION: THE GODS
Apollo. Marble detail from the west pediment of the temple of Zeus at Olympia, ca. 460
B.C.; height of complete fixure approx. 120 in. This is the head of the central figure in the
pediment (see pp. 113-114). Son of Zeus, he imposes peace on the drunken brawl of the
Lapiths and Centaurs at the wedding of Pirithous (also the subject of the metopes on the
south side of the Parthenon). The ancient traveler Pausanias thought that the figure was
Pirithous, but no modern scholars accept his interpretation. (Olympia Museum, Greece.
Courtesy of Alinari/Art Resource, New York.)f
ADDITIONAL READING
THE HOMERIC HYMN TO APOLLO (3. 179-546:
To PYTHIAN APOLLO)O lord, you hold Lycia and charming Maeonia and Miletus, desirable city on
the sea; but you yourself rule mightily over Delos, washed by the waves.
The renowned son of Leto, dressed in divine and fragrant garments, goes
to rocky Pytho, as he plays upon his hollow lyre; at the touch of his golden pick,
the lyre makes a lovely sound. From there, as swift as thought, he soars from
earth to Olympus, to the house of Zeus and the company of the other gods. Im-