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Apollo (Roman
Phoebus)
The son of Zeus and
Leto and twin brother of Artemis (Diana); the
Romans named him Phoebus, but also used his Greek name as well.
Apollo was one of the greatest of the
Olympian gods, and sometimes identified with Helios the sun-god.
He was the god of the
intellect, of the arts, of prophecy, of healing, and of light. His plant was the laurel
and he is represented as the perfection of youthful manhood.
His greatest shrine was that
of the famous oracle at Delphi, which he had gained by killing the
Python, a dragon which had formerly guarded
the place.
Of Apollo's loves, noteworthy is that for Coronis, the mother of Aesculapius; of
Daphne, whom he turned into a laurel; of Cassandra, to whom he gave the gift of prophecy — which he could not
recall but which, when she denied him her love, he nullified by decreeing that, although
she could foretell the future, no one would ever believe her. A somewhat similar legend
concerned the Cumaean Sibyl. She asked to live as many years as she could hold grains of
sand in her hands and he granted her wish, but when she denied him her favors he refused
to attach eternal youth to her eternal years and she grew incredibly shriveled and longed
for death.
Another legend concerning Apollo is the
one about Hermes' birth. Hermes was a
mischievous rascal, and the day that he was born he stole Apollo's herd of
cows. Apollo forgave him when Hermes gave him the Lyre, a small harp, which
he had invented and made out of a tortoise shell.
See Zeus, Artemis, Hermes, Delphi,
Casting Black Magic Spells,
Commanding Spirits,
The Chakra Store,
The Tarot Store and
Divination & Scrying Tools and
Supplies.
Sources: Article is scheduled to be reviewed.
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