Appearance
Sometimes also known as Phoebus.
A young man with curly golden hair and blue eyes, Apollo is depicted as a handsome beardless young man, often with a kithara or bow in his hand, or reclining on a tree .
History
He was born on the island Delos by Leto, a Titan's daughter, and Zeus. The island was to be the most sacred of islands, and ruins of many temples can still be seen there. His sister was Artemis, the goddess of hunting and protecter of young women.
After he killed the huge snake Python in Delphi by the mountains Parnassus, the site was dedicated to him. There, the Omphalos, the navel, stood - a point believed by the ancient Greeks to be the centre of the earth. His oracle there was a place many people, commonmen and rulers, came to consult the priestess, Pythia, about their future. In Delphi games were held in Apollo's honour, originally every eight years but later every four. The Pythian games were both athletic and musical.
In many ways, Apollo personified the perfect man according to ancient Greek standards: he would entertain the other gods by playing the lyre, and he was also a brilliant archer and runner,
considered to be the first winner at the Olympic Games. He protected young men, was a god of agriculture and also was a healer. He was also thought to be the most beautiful of gods.
Adventures
His very first adventure was to kill the serpent of Pytho. The serpent guarded over Sibyl an oracle and also destroyed crops and villages in the area. Apollo killed it with his bow and took charge of the oracle. However, to make amends for killing the beast he had to serve king Admetus for nine yeras as a cattle herder. After killing Python (the serpent of Pytho) he dedicated a bronze tripod to the sanctuary and bestowed divine powers upon one of the priestesses.
Relationships
There are several stories about Apollo as a man desperately in love, avenging the women who will not return his feelings: Cassandra was cursed to never be believed when she saw terrible things in the future, Daphne had to become a tree to escape him and he abandoned princess Creusa of Athens and their child.
Apollo also loved men. In the story of the young man Hyacinthos Apollo accidentily kills his young lover with a discus, and is then transformed into the flower with the same name, where the letters AI AI can be read as the gods lament.
But Apollo was also the sender of the plague. His wrath punished the Greeks when he fired his arrows of plague upon the Greek camp at the Trojan war. As a healer, he teaches the people the importance of cleanliness, and he is the father of Asclepios, the god of medicine.
Symbols
Apollo's most common attributes were the bow and arrow. Other attributes of his included the kithara, the plectrum and the sword. Another common emblem was the sacrificial tripod, representing his prophetic powers. The Pythian Games were held in Apollo's honor every four years at Delphi. The bay laurel plant was used in expiatory sacrifices and in making the crown of victory at these games. The palm was also sacred to Apollo because he had been born under one in Delos. Animals sacred to Apollo included wolves, dolphins, swans, cicadas (symbolizing music and song), hawks, ravens, crows, snakes ,mice and griffins, mythical eagle–lion hybrids of Eastern origin.
Evolution
Apollo has developed over the years into hundreds of company logos, mostly incorporating his face or representing his strength, sportsmanship and relationship with the sun, such as phones, theatres, design , bike and recycling companies.
Apollo NASA first accomplished during the Apollo 11 mission on July 20, 1969 when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the spacecraft.
List of sports
Archery
running/athletics
AFL
triathlon
rowing
Sources
Wikipedia.com
About.com
In2greece.com
