Discover with us the most amazing Apollo myths. One of the Gods of Olympus with more amazing stories and legends.
Myths of Apollo
In the myths of Apollo the representation of this deity of Greek mythology, personified as a handsome young man with curly golden hair, was the son of Zeus, the most powerful of the Olympian gods and the nymph Leto. Zeus’ wife, Hera the goddess of marriage, family and childbirth, was outraged by Leto’s pregnancy.
She persuaded the spirits of the earth to refuse to allow Leto to give birth anywhere on their surface or on their islands in the sea. Poseidon took pity on Leto and took her to Delos, a floating island, not technically the surface of the earth. Later, Zeus anchored Delos at the bottom of the sea so that she would no longer wander the seas.
A god with a thousand myths
In the myths of Apollo, they tell of this ancient Greek deity, who rode a chariot drawn by horses of fire across the sky every day to bring light to the world. Revered in various forms and incarnations throughout classical antiquity, the radiant Apollo came to represent not only the sun, but also other illuminating fields of music, logic and reason.
In The Birth of Tragedy, Friedrich Nietzsche, the nineteenth-century German philosopher, described what he called the Apollonian tendency as a kind of ordering impulse, bringing discipline and structure to the irrational and wild impulses that underlie all human expression. That’s a big task, even for the guy who rides a flying chariot every day. Want to know more about the myths or legends of Apollo, well here are 5 myths of the god Apollo that you may not have known about.
1.- Apollo and Daphne
The first of the myths of Apollo tells the story of an unrequited love between Daphne and Apollo. The myth begins with the virtuous maiden Daphne, one day wandering through the desert strolling peacefully. Meanwhile Cupid and Apollo were having a shooting contest in the skies.
Some authors of the myths of Apollo tell that the dispute between these gods was to know which of the two was the best with the bow and arrow. When Cupid won the challenge against Apollo, he shot one of his arrows at the sun god as a reward. After Cupid’s arrow, Apollo observed the beautiful nymph Daphne strolling peacefully and he fell madly in love.
In the myths of the god Apollo, it is said that the nymph, upon seeing the mad and desirous god in love, tried to run away quickly. He went after her, and unfortunately for Daphne he was getting tired of running. Instead of accepting defeat, at the last minute she asked her father, a river god, to turn her into a tree and thus managed to escape from Apollo.
2.- Myths of Apollo: The Python of Delphi and Apollo
In the myths of the god Apollo, there were also appearances of terrifying creatures and this myth of Apollo speaks of the Python. Wherever the Python went, it spread an unpleasant odor and spread death wherever it passed.
The Python was once sent by Hera, the wife of Zeus, to chase the pregnant Leto, a lover of Zeus, so that she could not settle anywhere to give birth. Zeus felt sorry for Leto and transformed her into a quail (ortix) to give birth to his twin children, Apollo and Artemis.
When Apollo was only 4 days old, he was already considered a strong child. His uncle Hephaestus, the god of forging, gave him a silver bow with golden arrows, the excellent gift made the young god decide to kill the Python and take revenge.
Soon, Apollo went to the creature’s cave to search for the Python. When the creature confronted Apollo, it began to boil with rage and lunged at the god to devour him. But Apollo was quicker and managed to shoot an arrow at the Python, piercing it directly in the forehead. The Python cried out in terror and her scream was heard in all the canyons of Mount Parnassus. She fought hard to survive… but died in the end.
The lyre
According to the myths of Apollo, the death of the Python filled Apollo with joy, so he happily took his lyre and began to play a song of victory, giving joy to the people. Just after he finished his song, Apollo took the creature and buried it under the slopes of Mount Parnassus. On its surface he built the oracle of Delphi, the most famous oracle of ancient Greece.
However, after the Pythian Games, it was considered that the god had committed a crime and according to the laws of Mount Olympus, he needed to be purified. Therefore, Zeus ordered Apollo to institute the Pythian Games at Delphi so that sporting and musical competitions could be organized. Apollo followed the order and even participated in the games himself. Thereafter, the Pythian Games were held every four years in honor of Apollo.
3.- Apollo and the chimera
The third of the myths of Apollo tells another outcome of misfortunes and love, not only the myths of Apollo focus on this character as a deity, historians also represent him as a man so heroic, that his fame involves him to become a Greek god. The story begins in ancient Greece, where there was a strong and handsome soldier named Apollo.
The god Apollo had a beautiful wife named Athena, who had been kidnapped by an old king named Minos. Apollo was devastated and vowed to rescue his wife Athena. He knew that the king would have taken her to his palace in Crete, but a monster known as the Chimera guarded this palace.
This ferocious monster had a lion for a head, the body of the beast was similar to a goat and its long tail was a horrible snake. Many heroic men had traveled to its cave and tried to kill the Chimera, but its fiery breath had burned them to death. Although Apollo was a brave man, he did not know how to kill this huge monster. His father told him to go to Mount Olympus and ask the great god Zeus for advice.
Apollo set out at once and soon arrived at the great mountain, where the twelve gods lived. Apollo called to Zeus and begged his advice. Zeus appeared before him and explained that although the Chimera was fierce and strong, its heart is poisoned blood. If Apollo could pierce its heart, the blood would seep into its body and the monster would die in agony.
Spear, shield and flying shoes
Zeus gave Apollo a silver spear, a shiny shield and shoes to run twice as fast as a lion. Apollo thanked Zeus and set out on the long journey to Crete. The brave hero walked on dry roads, climbed mountains and sailed the great sea until he finally reached the palace of King Minos.
The myths of Apollo tell that he entered the cave that housed the monster and could hear its chilling roar. Apollo crawled through the tunnels and approached the monsters lair. When he was close enough, the snakes hissed, he put on his shoes of swiftness and readied his sword and shield. He raised his shield in all directions trying to confuse the monster, the sword flew in the air and went straight for the heart, the lion roared as loud as it could and fell to the ground with a loud Thunder!
Apollo ran to the door, pulled out the sword and then kicked the door, he saw his wife, then unchained the perch, they kissed and escaped together.
4. Apollo Myths: The Golden Apples of Apollo
The fourth of the Apollo myths that you may not have known about, tells of a hero named Andrei who was strong, smart and fast. During a nice vacation, suddenly the god Apollo came down from heaven and told him that he needed to get his golden apples that Rinosark had stolen from him. He told him that he would give him anything he wanted if he could get them, he agreed to the quest, but the god Apollo did not tell him what had to happen.
He saw the Rinosark over the sea, he had a feeling that he would need to travel the sea in a small boat. His feeling was true, the only boat there was a small boat for one person. He started to sail, but on the way, unfortunately a storm started.
He surfed in the boat until he saw Poseidon. And the god of the sea asked him “why are you sailing in my sea?”. He said he needed to get Apollo’s golden apples; Poseidon gave him a trident that would help him defeat the Rinosark. Poseidon pushed him until he reached the Rinosark.
After a while the Rinosark saw him, the battle began. It felt like an eternal fight and due to his wounds he started to slow down, he tried to give him a final blow, but the Rinosark had the shield of protection. Finally, he broke the shield with the trident and delivered the final blow.
A new god
He quickly grabbed the golden apples, but had no idea how he could get back. Suddenly, a strong wind blew him back. He shouted to Apollo at the top of his lungs and no one appeared. Suddenly Apollo arrived but the god was too big with his swollen belly. Apollo told him that without the golden apples he would die because he would explode.
The myths of Apollo say that if he died, and someone else held the apples, he would become the new sun god. Concerned apollo asked the hero what he wanted, he said the golden apples. Apollo told him that a promise is a promise, so after a while, Apollo died and Andrei became the sun god, but after a longer time when he lost the apples again due to Rinosark, he revived again as he did every time he died.
5. Myths of Apollo: Apollo and the Cyclops
The myth of Apollo tells the legend of the battle between the Cyclops and Apollo. The story begins one fiery day in Athens. High above the city, in the imposing royal palace, Apollo was seated on his golden throne. Then a bright, blinding light shone upon the handsome prince as he surveyed his kingdom. Gradually the light dimmed, and Apollo fell asleep where he lay.
Suddenly, a frantic knock at the door disturbed the prince’s slumber. Leaping from his throne, Apollo ordered the visitor to enter. When the huge door opened, a young man burst into the throne room. The visitor was frantic. He ran and stumbled until he finally reached the prince and fell to his knees on the cold stone floor and said to him:
– “Apollo, my lord! I need your help!” the exhausted visitor cried out.
-What is it, my friend? What can I do for you?” the young prince replied.
-The cunning Cyclops, Arges, has captured five innocent children of my people. I replied. “He has hidden them inside a cave located deep inside Mount Olympus.” I add.
The Cyclops
The Apollo myths tell that Arges was no ordinary Cyclops: his single eye could detect the arrival of his assailant from three miles away. Coupled with his immense strength and colossal size, Apollo knew he had a fierce battle ahead of him.
However, the brave prince agreed to the request for help and said, “The citizens of Athens are my responsibility. I will kill the monster and rescue the children.”
That night, when Apollo was lying in his comfortable bed, a cloud of magic stars appeared in front of him. The sleepy prince looked up and smiled. It was the goddess Artemis, who approached him and said:
– “Dear Prince, I am here to help you in your perilous quest to defeat the mighty Cyclops,” she whispered.
From her leather quiver, Artemis grabbed an enchanted arrow and a braided string. “The giant will know you are coming. When he comes out of his dark cave, shoot this arrow straight into his eye; he will be blinded at once. You will know what to do with the rope when the time comes.” With that, she disappeared in a cloud of silver smoke.
The cave of the Cyclops
The next day, Apollo galloped on his perilous mission until finally, Apollo reached the chillingly cold entrance to the cave. Taking the enchanted bow from his quiver, Apollo nervously descended into the dark chamber.
Gradually he saw the scene before him. He first noticed the bones and muscular legs of the beast. Hanging at the side of its body, Arge’s clenched fists were as big as boulders and he held a huge spiked stick ready to crush Apollo with a single blow.
With hunger and malevolence in its eyes, the horrible beast attacked Apollo. He immediately placed the enchanted arrow in the bow and removed the string. Aiming his magic bow into the air, Theseus shot the arrow directly into the creature’s eye.
The wild blinded beast continued to thunder towards Apollo, but fortunately was able to move away and avoid being crushed by Arges’ giant feet. With the cyclops blinded, Apollo approached the corner and discovered that the kidnapped children were clinging desperately and trembling.
Then they quietly climbed out of the cave, down the steep slope and onto the boat. And the children returned home, safe and sound.
