05. APOLLO

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Origin very obscure; conflicting stories told

  • Delos
    • born, with twin sister Artemis, on Mt. Cynthus on the island of Delos
    • father Zeus, mother Leto
  • Hyperboreans (far north; Boreas is the north wind)
    • said to originate among these partly mythical people
    • Hyperboreans are ageless, without disease; live for 1000 years; needn't work for their livelihood
    • many tales of how they worshipped Apollo correspond to actual Greek rituals
  • Lycia (Asia Minor)
    • Apollo an eastern import to Greece; n.b. he sides with the eastern Trojans in the Trojan War
    • epithet Lykeios (Lycian) for him also comes from the word lykos, 'wolf'
      • Some say Apollo was originally a god of shepherds, protecting them against wolves; hence his use of the bow and arrow

Character very pure

  • fits wrong but traditional 19th-20th century notions of what ancient Greeks were like
  • purifies those convicted of murder
  • god of the sun, light, reason, music and drama
  • famous oracular sayings: KNOW THYSELF; NOTHING IN EXCESS

Delphi

  • Apollo's main sanctuary
    • temple, treasuries holding dedications from different cities to Apollo, theater, stadium (home of the Pythian games)
  • seat of the Delphic Oracle--a feature of this and some other sanctuaries
    • Apollo speaks through a priestess, the Pythia, whose gibberish is interpreted by priests
    • consulted for advice by kings, cities, ordinary people
    • advice comes in poetic form, the same meter as Homeric epic (dactylic hexameter)
  • Greeks said Delphi was the center (navel) of the world; a stone there is called the omphalos, 'navel'


Last updated: 8/25/07

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