Apollo [Apollo] is one of the most important gods in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and the goddess Leto, the twin brother of Artemis, Orpheus, Linos, and Asclepius. The father of Pius (or Aesculapius). When Leto became pregnant with Apollo and Artemis, jealous Hera refused to allow her to give birth on land. So according to the will of Zeus, the island of Delos appeared in the sea, where Leto gave birth to twins Apollo and Artemis. The myth about Apollo is spread:

1. Apollo killed the evil dragon Pito in Delphi, so he built the Delphi temple there. Apollo also got another nickname: Apollo - Pito.

2. Apollo and the gods of Olympus participated in the struggle against the giants.

3. Apollo and Artemis killed the giant Titius who insulted Leto.

4. Apollo and Artemis killed Niobe's children for insulting Leto.

5. During the Trojan War, because the Greeks insulted Apollo's priest Chryses, Apollo sent a plague to the Greek army.

6. Hermes gave the harp he invented to Apollo, so Apollo became the god of music and the head of the god of poetry.

7. Marsyas was skinned by Apollo because he dared to compete with Apollo in the art of music.

8. Cassandra, the princess of Troy, promised to marry Apollo if he gave her the gift of a prophet. Apollo did so, but Cassandra failed to fulfill her promise. As a result, Apollo made people not believe her predictions.

9. Apollo fell in love with the nature goddess Daphne. In order to escape Apollo's pursuit, Daphne turned into a laurel tree, so the laurel tree became Apollo's sacred tree.

10. Asclepius, the son of Apollo, was good at medicine and could even bring the dead back to life. Zeus thought that he had broken the divine rules, so he struck him to death with an electric shock. In order to avenge his son, Apollo killed all Cyclops who created lightning for Zeus. For this reason, Zeus punished Apollo and sent Admetus to hard labor for seven years.

11. Apollo and Poseidon served the Trojan king Laomedon and built an unbreakable wall for the city of Troy.

12. Apollo promised that the exhausted Sibylla could ask for anything. Sibylla asked that her life be as long as the grains of sand she carried, but she forgot to ask for eternal youth. Then she became old and decrepit and hung herself in a barrel. People asked her what she wished for, and she said she just wished to die.

13. Apollo fell in love with Cyrene. Cyrene was the great-granddaughter of the river god Peneus. She was brave and agile. She fought a lion with bare hands on Mount Pelion, so she was favored by Apollo. . Apollo took her to a place in Africa that was later named after Cyrene, and they gave birth to a son, Aristaeus.

There are two different theories about the origin of the Apollo myth. One theory is that the legend of Apollo may have originally spread in the north of Greece. Because the belief in Apollo is very common and long-standing in the north. The legendary Hyperborians were the people of Apollo and they also lived in the north. Legend has it that they offered sacrifices to Delos every year. The Great Festival of Stepteria at Delphi also faced north.

Another theory suggests that the worship of Apollo may have come from Asia Minor. The following facts can prove it:

1. In the Trojan war, Apollo sided with the Trojans.

2. Some of the most important temples of Apollo were in Asia Minor.

3. Some scholars believe that the word "Apollo" comes from Asia Minor, and its meaning is "door". They believe that Apollo may have been the door god who protected families or cities at first. One of Apollo's aliases is "The Gatekeeper."

The worship of Apollo was introduced to Greece around the Mycenaean era (2000 BC). Apollo's many aliases prove that the myth about him is extremely ancient, and that Apollo originally came from totems.

His aliases include "Wolf", "Rat", etc. This is probably the original image of Apollo. Apollo is regarded as the god who protects people, livestock and crops from wolves and rats.

In Athens and other Greek cities, Apollo was worshiped as the god of roads and navigation.

In a very early time, Apollo was already the sun god, so in poetry Apollo had another name "Phoebus", which means "bright". Perhaps the name came about after the Olympian pantheon crowded out the local god Phoebus.

With the development of Greek religion, Apollo and Helios were united. Apollo, as the sun god, also protected agriculture. In Attica there were festivals dedicated to him in summer and autumn. However, Apollo was not as important as the god of agriculture as the god of war. Apollo's divine light - the sun's ray - was seen as a golden arrow that could hurt people from a distance. Ancient people believed that people died suddenly because they were shot by Apollo's arrows. Since wars were mostly a matter for the nobles, Apollo was particularly famous among the nobles.

The center of Apollo belief was the island of Delos, where an athletic conference was held every four years, with representatives from all Greek city-states participating. Through the Greek colonies in Italy, worship of Apollo was also introduced to Rome.

In 31 BC, the Temple of Apollo was built in Rome. Emperor Augustus declared Apollo his patron saint and stipulated that athletic competitions be held in his honor. Tributes to Apollo were laurel and palm. Apollo's fetishes are wolves, dolphins, eagles, rats, lizards, etc. In the oldest plastic arts, Apollo is a tall, upright, long-haired, beardless youth. His symbols are harp, bow, and aegis.

In the Hellenistic period, Apollo was portrayed as a naked young man playing a harp and sitting. Only copies of the Apollo statues carved by Scopas, Leocares, Praxiteles and others have been handed down.

Helios, the sun god, son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia, brother of the moon goddess Selene and the dawn goddess Eos, father of Phaethon and Heliodes .

In Homer's writings, in addition to the three gods who are in charge of the sky (Zeus), the earth (Hades) and the water (Poseidon), there is also a fourth great god He who has insight into everything. Leos.

In the classical era, Helios was the god of sunlight. He could restore sight to the blind and make sighted people blind.

Since the 5th century BC, Helios and Apollo were together. According to myth, Helios rises from the east every morning, rides on the sun chariot pulled by four divine horses that breathe fire from their mouths, travels across the sky, falls into the western ocean at night, and then returns in a small boat overnight East.

On the island of Trinacia in Sicily, Helios's daughters Fetusa and Lampetia raised his cattle and sheep.

According to legend, Helios's horses were raised on the island of Blessed, where a kind of grass grew specifically for raising magical horses.

There are temples of Helios in Corinthus, Argos, Elis and other places, but the main place where Helios is worshiped is Rhodes.

Helios is called Thor in Roman mythology. His sacrifices included rams, bulls, lambs, honey, white horses, and bears. In plastic art Helios is shown riding in a chariot with rays of light shining above his head.

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