Apollon

God of Light and Darkness

Apollon has always been a very important God: in ancient times He was Lord of the great oracles, patron of several festivals and of the most sacred actions, such as purification, yet He wasn't away from the common cult whatsoever and farmers worshipped him as Lord of Plagues and He who waits us after death.

His "shiny" aspect is the most know today: God of Youth, poetry, music, sports, prophecy, healing, purification, Ruler of the Muses, Lord of light, truth, Shepherd who protects youth, Patron of colonization, in two words, the Greek ideal, the greekiest of the Greek Gods. However, His dark side is as important and powerful as the shiny one: God of diseases whose arrows bring both night and death, pestilence and all kind of plagues, Lord who brings mice and makes them destroy houses, God of wolves who kill and feast on their preys, God whose temple awaits us at Hades' entrance.

Son of Leto and Zeus, He was only born after His mother roamed the world in search of a land which would let Her have Her children, for Hera had curse Her. It was during that time that Leto walked through Lykia, land of wolves, and Delphi where Python, the female dragon, chased Her. At last, She found in Delos the land She was searching for, the land where She gave us Apollo with the help of Her daughter, Artemis, twin to Apollo.

Apollo first declared Himself as the One who speaks the will of His father, Zeus, therefore becoming God of Oracles. Then He went to Delphi and revenged His mother by killing Python. After cleansing Himself of that crime, He took over Delphi and created the Pythian Games to honor Python herself, who was daughter of the Earth.

As protector of His mother, Apollo revealed His darker aspect by killing, with help from Artemis, Niobe's children, He the boys and She the girls, because she had boasted to be better than Leto. Likely, He made Artemis kill Orion because He was too close to His sister.

Apollo Himself was a victim to several love affairs, almost always unsuccessful or with tragic ending, such as happened with Daphne, Hyakintos or Kyrene or Cassandra and also with Marpessa and Hyacinthus and Koronis and many others...

Apollo's Epithets

Purification

Music of Apollon

Offerings to Apollon

On Homeric Hymn 21

Know Thyself - Delphic Maxim