Mythology Book

ANCIENT GREECE 59

Delphi’s Temple of Apollo

dates from the 4th century bce.

According to Pausanias, previous

temples on the site were made

of laurel leaves, beeswax, or bronze.

See also: The war of the gods and Titans 32–33 ■ Mount Olympus 34–35 ■ The many affairs of Zeus 42–47 ■

Apollo and Daphne 60–61 ■ The Sybil of Cumae 110–11

to hunt down Apollo’s mother, the

goddess Leto, who had become

pregnant by Zeus.

Although Leto escaped and

gave birth to Apollo and his twin

sister, Artemis, on Delos, Apollo

wished to avenge the attempt to

destroy his mother. Apollo slayed

the Python with a bow and arrows

made for him by the blacksmith

god, Hephaestus. He buried the

creature beneath the omphalos

stone, which marked the

geographical center of the earth,

and established his temple to

symbolize the resounding triumph

of heaven over earth.

Joy and wisdom

By the 5th century bce, Apollo had

supplanted Helios the Titan as the

sun god in the Greek pantheon.

The Homeric Hymn to Apollo

acclaims the “splendor of his

radiance.” It also says the god

was born to be “the joy of men” and

would “declare to men the unfailing

will of Zeus,” references to his role

as the god of poetry and music, and

to his association with wisdom.

The invention of medicine was also

ascribed to Apollo—although he

devolved most of his medical role to

Asclepius, one of his sons. He was

also a protector of shepherds, who

were identified with the pastoral

idyll celebrated in Greek poetry.

Pan, a god of fertility and shepherds,

who played the pipes, challenged

Apollo to a musical duel. Apollo,

who played a golden lyre (one of the

god’s many attributes, with which

he is often shown) captivated the

audience, and was unanimously

proclaimed the victor.

Apollo communicated his

wisdom through the Oracle at

Delphi. People flocked to Delphi

from every corner of Greece to gain

knowledge of future events and

discover the will of Zeus, especially

in times of national crisis, such as

war, when more than one Pythia

performed the role of Apollo’s

mouthpiece. The people offered

animal sacrifices to Apollo, then

waited patiently as the Pythia,

seated over a cauldron, with

volcanic vapor rising around

her, channeled his response. The

Pythia’s utterances were copious

but often incoherent. Shrine

officials interpreted and then

recorded Apollo’s precious words

of wisdom in verse hexameters. ■

The child leapt forth

into the light, and all

the goddesses

raised up a cry.

Homeric Hymn to Apollo

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