Origins
Apollo is one of the best know and most revered gods of the ancient Greek pantheon. His origins, however, are shadowed in the mists of time. There is some conjecture that the actual name Apollo is derived from such words as "simple", "god of light", and "to destroy" in ancient Greek and related languages. It is also thought that there may be some connection with a Babylonian sun god. It is all conjecture. No one knows for certain.
In the Greek religions, Apollo was not a sun god; he was a god of arts among many other things. The Romans converted most of the Greek gods to Roman names. It is under the Romans that Apollo regains his connection with the sun. Apollo was also the only god of the Greeks to maintain a non-Latinized name.
Apollo's first mention in history is by Homer during the Trojan War. He developed one of his first assignments as the god of plagues during this period. Paradoxically, he was also the god of healing. From Homer's writings onward, Apollo evolved and became something larger than he was ever intended to be.
In time, Apollo developed specialties in music for the songs sung to him and victory for his exploits of arms and assistance of Greek warriors. He managed to become all things to all peoples, and this may explain his staying power. He is also associated with oracles and the muses of the arts. He is, indeed, a man many talents.
Biography
Apollo led the mythological life of an Olympic rock star and was one of the most powerful gods. He was born of the union between Zeus and the goddess Leto. Zeus, the father of the gods, was married to the much maligned Hera. Her very justified jealousy caused her to try every means available to a powerful goddess to stop the birth of this illegitimate child. She tried banishing Leto, capturing the goddess of childbirth, and anything else she could think of.
She failed, and Leto gave birth to twins, Artemis and Apollo. Four days later, Apollo slew a dragon, but this is only the beginning of his superstar life. It is from this incident that Apollo is known for the bow and arrow. It was this weapon that gave him victory and saved his mother from Hera's assassination attempt. Artemis and Apollo also defeated a giant that was sent to kill Leto with only a little help from Daddy Zeus.
Both men and women were attracted to Apollo, and he did not disappoint them. He never married, but did father many children. The goddess Coronis gave birth to his most famous son Asclepius. Unfortunately, this child was killed by Zeus due to Apollo's meddling with Hades' tenants that is, the dead. Apollo slew the Cyclops, but was saved from his Zeus's wrath by his mother. Still, he was sentenced to hard work not a light sentence for a celebrity god.
At other times of his life, he showed both his positive and negative sides. Apollo killed all of Niobe's fourteen children because she mocked Leto only having two. He also killed the father of the children, and Niobe ran away in grief, eventually turning into a stone in Asia Minor.
Apollo was not a god to control his lusts much like Zeus. He was chasing a lovely nymph names Daphne when he came upon the god of love, Eros. Apollo managed to make Eros angry at one point, and the lesser god shot an arrow, turning Daphne's love away from Apollo. To get away from Apollo, Daphne asked the earth, her mother, to turn her into a laurel tree. No one spurned Apollo without punishment.
He had a dalliance with a daughter of a human king. Her sister was jealous and told the king about the tryst. The king ordered Apollo's lover to be buried alive. In retaliation, Apollo turned the sister into a sunflower, who must follow the sun Apollo's avatar all day long.
Many, many more women and goddesses fell to his youthful good looks and shining, golden hair. However, he did take male lovers, too. Hyacinth was one such man, but was killed by an errant discus throw. A minor god blew it off course out of jealousy. Apollo cursed the god to always be the wind so that he could never touch another. He then created the flower Hyacinth in memory of his lover.
Apollo never had a good relationship with the other gods. When Hermes was born of Zeus and Gaia, he stole cows from Apollo's herd, causing the god to become very wroth. Hermes took the intestines from Apollo's slaughtered cows and combined them with a tortoise shell. He strung the intestines over the shell and created the lyre. Despite his anger, Apollo enjoyed the music Hermes played and exchanged his cattle for the instrument. This is how he became known as the god of music.
There are many other stories of Apollo, too numerous to summarize here. He was a popular god with many adventures in the lands of the other world. His stories are worth reading if for nothing other than the sheer audacity of his behaviors.
Depictions
Apollo is often portrayed as a young, clean shaven man with a perfect physique and bright, golden hair. Some times he is holding the lyre or the bow he is famous for. His image has been made into paintings, sculpture, and mosaics.
Quite a few images show the lyre. The Apollo of Mantua is one such sculpture of this type. Unfortunately, most of the left hand and lyre are missing. Sculptures like this piece have been found far and wide, copies of ancient copies. It seems to be popular in all of the regions of Apollo, including Rome. The Apollo Citharoedus shows the lyre and features Apollo clothed and gives another glimpse into how the Greeks viewed their favorite god.
Another work of art, the Lycian Apollo, demonstrates the god leaning against a tree with his right hand braced along the top of his head. The Apollonio in Florence is a good example of this type of statue, although there are many others around the world with the same characteristics.
Apollo remained a popular figure for artists since the time of his cult's beginnings. Most depict him as the eternal youth, a god of lust and beauty. His figure can be seen in many of the greatest museums of the world and remains a window into the psyche of the ancient world.
Legacy
To the ancient Greeks, Apollo was a much respected and revered god. He was named as god of war, horses, light, music, crows, laurel, hawks, palm, colonization, and reason among many others.
He is often contrasted with Dionysus, the god of wine and debauchery. Both represent important aspects of a full life. The Greeks worshiped both and followed the tenets of each with enthusiasm.
Apollo is most famously linked with the Oracle at Delphi. It is Apollo's voice that speaks through the Oracle and guides the events of the Greek political machine. The Oracle drives history and shaped how history was made. It is a testament to the influence and reverence to Apollo that great kings of the land bowed to the word of his possessed messenger. In addition to Delphi, there were many other Apollonian shrines throughout Greece.
Apollo remains a strong image even in today's world. He is the namesake of the Apollo space program, an object of many literary works, and a patron of the arts. His legacy for his youth and his skills are still a part of our culture. For us, he represents Greece and all that is sacred and mysterious about that forward thinking time. In a world where the Greek gods are mere fantasies, Apollo stands out as the superstar of that realm. He's the first celebrity, and he's got centuries worth of staying power.