Introduction to Apollo

Apollo is the main Greek god, associated with bows, music and divination. Apollo is the epitome of youth and beauty, the source of life and treatment, and the patron saint of art, as bright and powerful as the sun. It can be said that Apollo is the most beloved among the gods. He was worshipped at Delphi and Tiros, the most famous of all Greek religious shrines.

Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of themis. He was born on the island of Telo (in hesiod's genealogy, he holds the A Jin sword in his hand). His mother was afraid of Zeus' wife Hera's revenge, and chose barren Druce as the safest refuge she could find. It is said that when he tasted delicious food for the first time, he immediately changed from a baby to a man. Then Apollo got his bow, which was made by hephaestus, a craftsman of Mount Olympus.

Like other gods, Apollo had many children. Perhaps the most famous are orpheus (who inherited his father's musical skills and became a harp or guitar player), Asclepius (who taught him knowledge of therapy and medicine) and Hyon, a hero according to euripides, a tragic writer in the 5th century BC.

Apollo got his harp from his naughty half brother Hermes.

In mythology,

Apollo is an important protagonist of the Trojan War described by Homer in the Iliad. On the Trojan side, he especially helped the Trojan heroes hector, Aeneas and Glaucus, and saved their lives more than once with the intervention of his God. He brought the plague to achaean, led the entire Trojan army (with Zeus's terrible aegis) to attack and destroy the defensive wall of the Greek camp, and was also responsible for guiding Paris's arrow to the heel of Achilles, killing the seemingly invincible Greek hero. Homer and hesiod most often describe Apollo as a long-range shooter, a long-distance worker, an army awakener and Forbes Apollo.

Apollo usually played the dutiful son of Zeus, the father of the gods, and never tried to usurp his position (unlike Zeus who overthrew his father Cronus). After Asclepius brought mortals back to life with magical medical skills, Zeus killed Asclepius, and the couple really had a serious quarrel. In revenge, Apollo killed the cyclops, and they created Zeus' thunderbolt. As a punishment, Apollo had to serve Admetus lowly in Sire for one year, looking after the king's sheep.

Apollo got his lyre from his naughty half-brother Hermes (the messenger god). When Hermes was a baby, he stole Apollo's sacred cows and twisted their hooves skillfully, making it difficult to trace them. Hermes was allowed to keep his ill-gotten gains, but only if he gave Apollo the lyre he invented with the tortoise shell.

The most direct existence of Apollo among the Greeks is reflected in his Oracle at Delphi, which is the most important Oracle in the Greek world.

Apollo, as the messenger of plague and God's revenge, is most famous for his dark side. When he and his sister Al themis mercilessly killed six (some say seven) sons of Niobe, he boasted that Niobe had strong fertility in Bulleteau. Another unfortunate victim of Apollo's anger was macias, a pervert who unwisely claimed that he was more talented than God in music. Two people had a competition, and the muse decided that Apollo was indeed a better musician. Apollo then skinned the mortal alive and nailed his skin to a pine tree. This story is an interesting metaphor (at least in the ears of the Greeks) about the competition between the civilized and orderly music of Apollo's lyre and the wilder and more chaotic music of macias's flute. Apollo won another music competition, this time against the pastoral god Pan. Under the trial of King Midas, Apollo became the undisputed master of music in the Greek world. God's defeat of Mathias and Pan may reflect Greece's conquest of Phrygia and Acadia respectively.

society

Traditionally, items related to gods include:

Silver bow-a symbol of his strength as an archer.

Made of tortoise shells, it symbolizes Apollo's musical talent and his leadership over nine Muse Choirs.

Laurel branches-a symbol of Daphne's fate. After Apollo's passionate pursuit of her, she led her father Phoenicia, the river god, to turn her into a laurel tree.

Omphalos- symbolizes Apollo's refuge in Delphi, as the navel of the world.

A palm tree-Leto caught it when she gave birth to her son.

Apollo is a deeply loved god, probably because he is related to many positive aspects of the human condition, such as music, poetry, purification, therapy and medicine. God also cares about moderation in everything. Although his arrow can bring destruction, it can also avoid hurting people he likes better. A strategy to keep evil away from the Greek family was the pillar of Apollo Agyius. On a larger scale, Apollo Proprios protected the city gate.

Apollo supervised the initiation ceremony of young people (Ephesians) when they entered a complete civic community and became soldiers. The rituals in this process include hair cutting and offering to the gods, as well as sports and martial arts challenges. This god is often associated with the sun (such as Apollo on Phobos) and the sun god Helius, but most modern scholars believe that the connection between Apollo and Helius cannot be traced back to the 5th century BC. When Apollo was mainly regarded as the god of healing, he continued to inspire the Romans. Octavian, the future Emperor Augustus (reigned in 27 BC-A.D. 14), famously claimed that this god was his patron saint, and even built a temple for Apollo in Akon. The god of temperance is a useful association, which is in sharp contrast with Dionysus, the god of wine advocated by Octavian. 1 Enemy, Mark Antony.

the Holy Land

Throughout the Greek world, especially in Tyrus and Rhodes, Putuo Ion and claros, shelters were built to commemorate Apollo. There are still some great ruins of the temple of Apollo, including the ruins of Naxos Island (6th century BC), where the huge gate still stands proudly in Corinth (550-530 BC), and the seven Doric columns there are impressive buildings. In Didyma (4th century BC), its temple was the fourth temple in the Greek world. In Sid and Turkey (2nd century AD), a corner of its elegant cylindrical facade has been restored.

However, the most direct existence of Apollo among the Greeks is reflected in his Oracle at Delphi, which is the most important in the Greek world because of its predictive power. According to legend, in order to reveal the intention of his father Zeus to mankind, Apollo created an Oracle where he killed snakes (or dragons) pythons. The Pan-Greek Pythia game began in this place to commemorate the death of this sacred creature. Tripods and laurel wreaths are prizes for the winners of these competitions. The 30 treasure houses built by cities in Delphi show the popularity of gods and shelters in the wider Greek world (such as Asia Minor).

The Oracle of Delphi was very popular in the 8th century BC-although it was difficult to reach and only opened in summer-and its priestesses sometimes made mysterious statements that could not be ignored, and often decided how to apply the law or whether to launch foreign wars. Sometimes the Oracle's answer to the question is so vague that the priest at the scene (for a fee) provides more clarification. As the historian B. Graziosi summed up,

Pilgrims often continue to think about Apollo's response and consult more experts at home. After a long process of consultation and explanation, Apollo's enlightenment is usually reflected in six-meter-long poems, and it is always found to be true-even if the correct explanation sometimes only appears after related events. (2 1)

artistic expression

Apollo often appeared in all the media of ancient Greek art, most commonly as a beautiful young man without a beard. He is easily recognized as a guitar or lyre, a bronze tripod (symbolizing his Oracle in Delphi), a deer (he often quarrels with Hercules) and a bow and quiver. Sometimes, he is also depicted riding a chariot pulled by a lion or a swan.

Perhaps the most famous representative of Apollo in ancient Greek art is the statue (460 BC) occupying the center of the Western Wall in temple of olympian zeus. Here, with a solemn gesture, he brought order and reason to the battle between Lapis and Centaur at the wedding of Peritus. Another good example of Apollo pretending to be a handsome young man with long hair is the 2nd century marble relief on a funeral monument in Piraeus. The head of Apollo appeared frequently, together with Greek coins, especially the silver coins of Catania in the 5th century BC, four drachma Sicily and the gold coins of Philip II of Honshu (River 359-356 BC).

Roman sculptors also like Apollo, a famous marble statue, which is now in the Vatican Museum in Rome. It is the beautiful Apollo Palace, a replica of the bronze statue of Leo Charles in the 4th century BC and 2nd century BC. Even the Etruscans were involved. Perhaps one of their most famous sculptures in songkhla is Wei Yi's Apollo (in the late 6th century BC), a striding statue called Apulu, which once stood on the roof of a temple.