That didn’t save Apollo from punishment, though: Zeus stripped him of his immortality and sent him to earth as a mortal to serve the king of Phaerae in Thessaly for some years. He brought back Asclepius as a god and made him a constellation in the sky. Zeus was also enraged when that happened, but he recognized Apollo’s grief. The very lightning with which he killed Asclepius. Unable to retaliate against Zeus directly, he instead unleashed his arrows at the Cyclopes who were making Zeus’ lightning. However, when Apollo learned that Zeus had killed his son, he was livid. That’s right, Asclepius started bringing people back from the dead! This carried on for a bit, but after a while, Hades asked Zeus to intervene because people weren’t dying when they should, which was upsetting the order of things.Īfraid that Asclepius might even teach his technique for bringing people back from the dead to others, Zeus struck him dead with lightning. He became mortal a couple of timesĪpollo’s son Asclepius was such a good doctor that he managed to cure death. Apollo liked the music it made so much that he forgave Hermes and gifted him the iconic caduceus. To appease him, the young Hermes created a lyre from the shell of a tortoise. When Apollo realized that, he was furious. He then decided to lure them away and eat them. Hermes was hungry and came across the cows. However, that changed when Hermes, the god of commerce and mischief was born. He had no lyre but a lot of cows at one timeĪpollo used to be the owner of a large flock of cows. Asclepius became the god of healing and medicine. He was also the first god of healing and medicine! He later bequeathed this position to his son Asclepius who was a master healer. Once he shot Python dead with his arrows, Apollo became the ruler of Delphi and all oracles. To be able to claim his temple, he had to kill a giant snake, Python, who was guarding the oracle. The story of how he founded his main temple at Delphi is closely connected with his ability to give powers of clairvoyance to mortals. That’s why one of his key symbols is the lyre.
It was called Delos, became a sacred island for the ancient Greeks, and you can still visit it in the Cyclades! Apollo as a godĪpollo is associated with the sun, although the Greeks also had Helios, the actual deified sun, coexisting! Apollo is a god of a lot of things but mostly of music and the arts. Once the babies were born, the island stopped floating and became stable. First, she had Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and then she had Apollo. That’s where Leto went to have her babies. That left Leto without any place to give birth.įortunately, just as she was ready to have her babies, a floating island emerged from the sea. Hera ordered her not to give birth on stable land, be it mainland or island. Unable to retaliate against Zeus, she took revenge on Leto instead. However, Hera, Zeus’ wife, was enraged that he cheated on her again. From their union, Leto became pregnant with twins. When Zeus saw her, he fell in love with her. She was always willing to offer help when asked, and always was soft-mannered. Leto was the daughter of two Titans and is described as the gentlest goddess in all Olympus. That, however, barely scratches the surface of who Apollo was! Here are some interesting facts that will shed some more light on this sun god’s background: 8 Fun Facts About the Greek God Apollo Apollo’s parentageĪpollo’s parents were Zeus, the king of the gods and god of the sky and lightning, and Leto. He has many symbols, including the laurel and the lyre. He was considered the most handsome god of all! His hair is golden and he is swathed with the sun’s rays so he is always lustrous. He is one of the few gods who retained his name even when the Romans claimed him as part of their pantheon!Īs the sun god of the Greeks, he is always depicted as a strong, athletic, clean-shaven young man. He is easily one of the most popular ones, too! Associated with the sun, music, the arts, and oracles among many things, Apollo has innumerable myths and legends surrounding him. Apollo is one of the ancient Greek gods, a member of the 12 gods of Olympus.
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