Talk:Apollo

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[edit] Comments

What about Apollo bars on Lost? I forgot about Helios. When was Apollo equated with Helios? --Larry Sanger

In standard mythology, Apollo and Dionysius are not brothers; they are half-brothers, but then so are Apollo and Ares, Apollo and Hermes, Apollo and almost half the gods out there. The idea that the two are complementary is not in the mainstream of mythology, and so probably stems from one of the mystery cults, in which case the source should be attributed, since there are often considerable differences in these (e.g. Dionysius and the Titans). Nothing I have ever seen suggests Dionysius has anything to do with Delphi, so that probably should be attributed as well. Besides, I'm interested to know!

The tomb of Dionysius was acually inside the adyton of the Apollo temple at Delphi. Clea, Priestess to Apollo, lead the secret Dionysian rites from Delphi to the Korykian cave, 7 miles up the slope of Mount Parnassos, in the winter months when Apollo was said to be absent from Delphi. Men were not allowed to witness these women's rites, altough some are thought to have been chosen for the role of satyrs.
Nietzsche in "The Birth of Tragedy" traced the genius of Greek culture to the tension between these two divinities.
Regards John D. Croft 19:09, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Disambiguation

Why is it necessary to parenthetically disambiguate the god when all the other uses of the term "Apollo" have natural disambiguators? The god doesn't have a natural disambuguator so I say the article on the god should be at Apollo and at the top of that article there should be a disambiguation block. Unless somebody gives me a good reason not to I will do this myself. --mav

Hmmm, you're right, I hadn't seen that (fixed all links now). However, it was apparently decided earlier that none of the Apollos has preference over the others. In that case, non of the article "deserves" to be here, and we need parens to disambiguate the god as well. We could change all that of course... Jeronimo
The links you changed aren't that important -- they can as-is for now. BTW, finding natural disambiguators shouldn't cloud judgement -- the previous decision on what to do with this page was made before the idea of disambiguation blocks was developed. Now this page can be both and article and a disambiguation page (the planets are really the only poster children of full disambiguation -- there is no way to naturally disambiguate the gods from the planets and this results in Mars being a full disambiguation page). --mav
I agree that this page should really be about the god. The space program is never simply called "Apollo" (shouldn't it be Apollo Program, BTW?) while the asteroids are not important enough, let alone the fact that the Greeks called Mercury Apollo and Hermes (of which the latter is Mercury, of course). BTW, we have left out the mars bar at Mars :-) Jeronimo

From [1]:

"The pre-Homeric name of Apollo was Apellon and was related to the institution of annual assemblies called appeles. He was a god representing the vigour of youth and was honored as: Archegetes, Epicourios, Lyceios, Delphinios, Pythios and Musagetes."

What's the "good" spelling: 'Archegetes' or 'Archigetes', 'Lukeios' or 'Lyceios'? Should we mention 'Pythian Apollo' or 'Apollo Pythios'? -- looxix 00:35 Mar 25, 2003 (UTC)


The correct in english is how are written in english...i.e Archegetes, Lycios etc

While this isn't particularly helpful, it helped me make up my mind and, despite my poor Greek, I'm going to change Lukeios with Lyceios. After all, if anyone is sure about the right way (with diacritics etc), it would always be the best if the Greek version would be added in brackets. (I'm still doubtful about Archegetes, as most people talk about Archimedes, not Archemedes.) --Oop 22:45, Sep 22, 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Origin

There is a whole section missing on Apollo's origins

For example it appears that both Greek and Etruscan Apollo's came during the archaic period (from 1,100 BCE till 800 BCE) from Anatolian. Homer has him on the side of the Trojans and he has close affiliations with Luwian Apaliuna, who in turn seems to have travelled west from further east. Late Bronze Age (from 1,700 - 1,200 BCE) Hittite and Hurrian "Aplu", like Homeric Apollo, was a God of the Plague, and resembles the mouse God Apollo Smitheus. Here we have a case where a God originally of the Plague was invoked to end illness, merging over time through fusion with the Mycenaean "doctor" God Paieon, PA-JA-WO in Linear B. Paean, in Homer, was the Greek physician of the gods. In other writers the word is a mere epithet of Apollo in his capacity as a god of healing, but it is now known from Linear B that Paean was originally a separate Deity who over time became merely an aspect of Apollo.

Homer left the question unanswered, whilst Hesiod separated the two, and in later poetry Paean was invoked independently as a health god. It is equally difficult to discover the relation between Paean or Paeon in the sense of "healer" and Paean in the sense of "song." It was believed to refer to the ancient association between the healing craft and the singing of spells, but here we see a shift from the concerns to the original sense of "healer" gradually giving way to that of "hymn," from the phrase Ιή Παιάν.

Such songs were originally addressed to Apollo, and afterwards to other gods, Dionysus, Helios, Asclepius. About the 4th century the paean became merely a formula of adulation; its object was either to implore protection against disease and misfortune, or to offer thanks after such protection had been rendered. Its connection with Apollo as the slayer of the Python led to its association with battle and victory; hence it became the custom for a paean to be sung by an army on the march and before entering into battle, when a fleet left the harbour, and also after a victory had been won.

Hurrian Aplu itself seems derived from the Babylonian "Aplu" meaning a "son of" - a title that was given to the Babylonian plague God, Nergal (son of Enlil)! Apollo's links with Oracles again seem to be associated with wishing to know the outcome of a personal illness. Looking at the ancient oracular shrines to Apollo from the oldest to the youngest we find

  • In Didyma, an oracle on the Asiatic Coast of Anatolia, South West of Lydian (Luwian) Sardis the Branchidae priests drank from a healing spring located in the temple
  • In Hieropolis, Asia Minor, priests breathed in vapours that for small animals were highly poisonous. They used to throw small animals and birds into the Plutonium, named after Pluto - the god of death and the underworld.
  • In Delos, there was an oracle to the Delian Apollo.
  • In Corinth, from the town of Tenea, from prisonners supposedly taken in the Trojan War
  • In Bassae in the Peloponnese
  • In Abae, near Delphi, all had Apollonian oracles
  • In Delphi, the Pythia became filled with the pneuma of Apollo, said to come from a spring inside the Adyton.
  • At Claros, on the west coast of Greece, like Delphi had a holy spring which gave of a pneuma, from which the priests drank.
  • In Segesta in Sicily, the latest of the series, was another oracle of Apollo, seized originally from Gaia.

Oracles were also given supposedly by sons of Apollo

  • In Oropus, north of Athens, the oracle Amphiaraus, was said to be the son of Apollo
  • in Labadea, 20 miles east of Delphi, Trophonius, another son of Apollo, killed his brother and fled to the cave where he was also consulted as an oracle.

[edit] Prophecies

This stuff is boring! I was wondering: does anyone know the answer to this question:

"What significance does Apollo play in prophecies?"

thanks, because my mind just cant and wont concentrate on this stuff!

<3 - 24.24.128.106 22:49, Sep 20, 2004

What significance does apollo play in prophecies?

please help my asap

Were you unable to find your answer in the article? It's been a while since I've studied Greek mythology, but here's a paragraph that might help:
"As a young man, Apollo killed the vicious dragon Python, which lived in Delphi beside the Castalian Spring, according to some because Python had attempted to rape Leto while she was pregnant with Apollo and Artemis. This was the spring which emitted vapors that caused the Oracle at Delphi to give her prophesies. Apollo killed Python but had to be punished for it, since Python was a child of Gaia."
- MattTM 03:17, Sep 21, 2004 (UTC)

Why are there paragraphs describing Apollo's relationships and then a list at the end. Shouldn't the consorts/children be integrated into the paragraphs, and then the list removed? Mat334 19:34, 22 Oct 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Suggest 20 possible wiki links and 9 possible backlinks for Apollo.

An automated Wikipedia link suggester has some possible wiki link suggestions for the Apollo article:

  • Can link god of the sun: ...imes he became in part confused or equated with [[Helios]], god of the sun, and his sister similarly equated with [[Selene]], goddess ...
  • Can link goddess of the moon: ... the sun, and his sister similarly equated with [[Selene]], goddess of the moon in religious contexts. But Apollo and Helios/Sol remained q...
  • Can link intellectualism: ...archery]], [[poetry]], [[prophecy]], [[dance]], [[reason]], intellectualism and as the patron defender of herds and flocks. Apollo had... (link to section)
  • Can link bows and arrows: ...tributes include: [[swan]]s, [[wolf|wolves]], [[dolphin]]s, bows and arrows, a [[laurel tree|laurel]] crown, the cithara (or [[lyre]]) ... (link to section)
  • Can link floating island: ...rma", or the mainland, or any island at sea. She found the floating island of [[Delos]], which was neither mainland nor a real island,... (link to section)
  • Can link four pillars: ...y swans. As a gesture of gratitude, Delos was secured with four pillars. The island later became sacred to Apollo. Alternatively,... (link to section)
  • Can link wild animals: ... Admetus rode a chariot pulled by lions and boars and other wild animals. Apollo helped Admetus accomplish this, and the pair wed. ... (link to section)
  • Can link to die for: ...ir wed. When time came for Admetus to die, Alcestis agreed to die for him. [[Heracles]] intervened and both of the pair were all... (link to section)
  • Can link Oracle at Delphi: ...d his cult in Delphi. He also blessed the priestess of the Oracle at Delphi, making it one of the most famous and accurate oracles in G... (link to section)
  • Can link the gods themselves: ...ied the Niobids until the ninth day after their death, when the gods themselves entombed them.Apollo is also to have been said to have aide... (link to section)
  • Can link buried alive: ...onfidence in her. Enraged, Orchamus ordered Leucothea to be buried alive. Apollo refused to forgive Clytia for betraying his beloved... (link to section)
  • Can link fruit trees: ...n named [[Aristaeus]], who became the patron god of cattle, fruit trees, hunting, husbandry and bee-keeping. He was also a culture-...
  • Can link bee-keeping: ...e patron god of cattle, fruit trees, hunting, husbandry and bee-keeping. He was also a culture-hero and taught humanity dairy skill...
  • Can link culture-hero: ...it trees, hunting, husbandry and bee-keeping. He was also a culture-hero and taught humanity dairy skills and the use of nets and tr...
  • Can link half-sister: ... [[Cassandra]], daughter of Hecuba and Priam, and Troilius' half-sister. He promised Cassandra the gift of prophecy to seduce her,... (link to section)
  • Can link Greek gods: ...eardless youth himself, had the most male lovers of all the Greek gods, as could be expected from a god who was god of the [[pales... (link to section)
  • Can link secret affair: ..., [[Maia]], had been secretly impregnated by [[Zeus]], in a secret affair. Maia wrapped the infant in blankets but Hermes escaped whi... (link to section)
  • Can link cave in: ...infant Hermes stole a number of his cows and took them to a cave in the woods near [[Pylos]], covering their tracks. In the cav... (link to section)
  • Can link book series: ...r. *Apollo appeared in [[K._A._Applegate|K.A. Applegate's]] book series, [[Everworld]].... (link to section)
  • Can link sea monster: ...ring the winter months. Apollo turned [[Cephissus]] into a sea monster.... (link to section)

Additionally, there are some other articles which may be able to linked to this one (also known as "backlinks"):

  • In Agis, can backlink temple of Apollo: ...s and the deposition of Cleombrotus, who took refuge at the temple of Apollo at [[Taenarum]] and escaped death only at the entreaty of h...
  • In Galatia, can backlink temple of Apollo: ...and was turned back in the nick of time from plundering the temple of Apollo at Delphi. At the same time, another Gaulish group were mig...
  • In Monte Cassino, can backlink temple of Apollo: ...ns, the monastery was constructed on an older pagan site, a temple of Apollo that crowned the hill, enclosed by a fortifying wall above ...
  • In Corinthian order, can backlink Temple of Apollo: ... The oldest known example of a Corinthian column is in the Temple of Apollo Epicurius at [[Bassae]] in Arcadia, ''ca'' [[450 BCE|450]]&...
  • In HMCS Toronto (FFH 333), can backlink APOLLO: ...sible nuclear, biological, and chemical threats. *Operation APOLLO, 2002 - TORONTO re-deploys to the northern Arabian Sea to c...
  • In Juno Reactor, can backlink APOLLO: ...AN HOLWECK he became ELECROTETE, releasing 'I LOVE YOU' for APOLLO, the off-shoot of seminal Belgian label R&S Records. The PS...
  • In Mount Ida, can backlink temple of Apollo: ...ted to the Hellespontine [[Sibyl]] and was preserved in the temple of Apollo at Gergis. From Gergis the collection passed to Erythrae, w...
  • In Denizli, can backlink Temple of Apollo: ...atues depicting mythological figures. The excavation of the Temple of Apollo has revealed that a huge temple was constructed for Apollo ...
  • In Apache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation, can backlink APOLLO: ...ache Point Observatory Lunar Laser-ranging Operation''', or APOLLO, is a project at the [[Apache Point Observatory]] in [[New ...

Notes: The article text has not been changed in any way; Some of these suggestions may be wrong, some may be right.
Feedback: I like it, I hate it, Please don't link to — LinkBot 11:27, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Project Apollo

Someone should edit this to include a link to Project Apollo, the 1960's US space program.

Why do we need the info about Appolo space program inserted in the article when there exists a very good article at Project_Apollo. pamri 11:49, Feb 18, 2005 (UTC)

[edit] names

His name is often followed by a second one. Like Musagetes, Archegetes, Delphinios. I think the article could list some of these names, with meanings. It would be useful i think.

I see it already does. Forget what I said :D

[edit] 1911 article (moved from the main article)

In Homer Apollo appears only as the god of prophecy, the sender of plagues, and sometimes as a warrior, but elsewhere as exercising the most varied functions. He is the god of agriculture, specially connected with Aristaeus, which, originally a mere epithet, became an independent personality (see, however, Farnell, Cults of the Greek States, iv. 123). This side of his character is clearly expressed in the titles Sitalcas ("protector of corn"); Erythibius ("preventer of blight"); Parnopius ("destroyer of locusts"); Smintheus ("destroyer of mice"), in which, however, some modern inquirers see a totemistic significance (e.g. A. Lang, "Apollo and the Mouse," in Custom and Myth, p. 101; against this, W. W. Fowler, in Classical Review, November 1892); Erithius ("god of reapers"); and Pasparius ("god of meal"). He is further the god of vegetation generally--Nomios, "god of pastures" (explained, however, by Cicero, as "god of law"), Hersos, "sender of the fertilizing dew." Valleys and groves are under his protection, unless the epithets Napaeus and Hylates belong to a more primitive aspect of the god as supporting himself by the chase, and roaming the glades and forests in pursuit of prey. Certain trees and plants, especially the laurel, were sacred to him. As the god of agriculture and vegetation he is naturally connected with the course of the year and the arrangement of the seasons, so important in farming operations, and becomes the orderer of time (Horomedon, "ruler of the seasons"), and frequently appears on monuments in company with the Horae.

Apollo is also the protector of cattle and herds, hence Poimnius ("god of flocks"), Tragius ("of goats"), Kereatas ("of horned animals"). Carneius (probably "horned") is considered by some to be a pre-Dorian god of cattle, also connected with harvest operations, whose cult was grafted on to that of Apollo; by others, to have been originally an epithet of Apollo, afterwards detached as a separate personality (Farnell, Cults, iv. p. 131). The epithet Maleatas, which, as the quantity of the first vowel (ă) shows, (The authority for the quantity is Isyllus.) cannot mean god of "sheep" or "the apple-tree," is probably a local adjective derived from Malea (perhaps Cape Malea), and may refer to an originally distinct personality, subsequently merged in that of Apollo (see below). Apollo himself is spoken of as a keeper of flocks, and the legends of his service as a herdsman with Laomedon and Admetus point in the same direction. Here probably also is to be referred the epithet Lyceius, which, formerly connected with λυκ- ("shine") and used to support the conception of Apollo as a light-god, is now generally referred to λυκος ("wolf") and explained as he who keeps away the wolves from the flock (cf. λυκοεργος, λυκοκτονος). In accordance with this, the epithet λυκηγενης will not mean "born of" or "begetting light," but rather "born from the she-wolf," in which form Leto herself was said to have been conducted by wolves to Delos. The consecration of the wolf to Apollo is probably the relic of an ancient totemistic religion (Farnell, Cults, i. 41; W. Robertson Smith, Religion of the Semites, new ed., 1894, p. 226).

With the care of the fruits of the earth and the lower animals is associated that of the highest animal, man, especially the youth on his passage to manhood. As such Apollo is κουροτροφος ("rearer of boys") and patron of the palaestra. In many places gymnastic contests form a feature of his festivals, and he himself is proficient in athletic exercises (εναγωνιος). Thus he was supposed to be the first victor at the Olympic games; he overcomes Hermes in the foot-race, and Ares in boxing.

The transition is easy to Apollo as a warlike god; in fact, the earlier legends represent him as engaged in strife with Python, Tityus, the Cyclopes and the Aloidae. He is Boëdromios ("the helper"), Eleleus ("god of the war-cry"), and the Paean was said to have been originally a song of triumph composed by him after his victory over Python. In Homer he frequently appears on the field, like Ares and Athene, bearing the aegis to frighten the foe. This aspect is confirmed by the epithets Argyrotoxos ("god of the silver bow"), Hecatebolos ("the shooter from afar"), Chrysaoros ("wearer of the golden sword"), and his statues are often equipped with the accoutrements of war. (Hence some have derived "Apollo" from απomicron;λλυναι, "to destroy.")

The fame of the Pythian oracle at Delphi, connected with the slaying of Python by the god immediately after his birth, gave especial prominence to the idea of Apollo as a god of prophecy. Python, always represented in the form of a snake, sometimes nameless, is the symbol of the old chthonian divinity whose home was the place of "enquiry" (πυθεσθαι). When Apollo Delphinius with his worshippers from Crete took possession of the earth-oracle Python, he received in consequence the name Pythius. That Python was no fearful monster, symbolizing the darkness of winter which is scattered by the advent of spring, is shown by the fact that Apollo was considered to have been guilty of murder in slaying it, and compelled to wander for a term of years and expiate his crime by servitude and purification. Possibly at Delphi and other places there was an old serpent-worship ousted by that of Apollo, which may account for expiation for the slaying of Python being considered necessary. In the solar explanation, the serpent is the darkness driven away by the rays of the sun. (On the Delphian cult of Apollo and its political significance, see Amphictyony, Delphi, Oracle; and Farnell, Cults, iv. pp. 179-218.) Oracular responses were also given at Claros near Colophon in Ionia by means of the wdter of a spring which inspired those who drank of it; at Patara in Lycia; and at Didyma near Miletus through the priestly family of the Branchidae. Apollo's oracles, which he did not deliver on his own initiative but as the mouthpiece of Zeus, were infallible, but the human mind was not always able to grasp their meaning; hence he is called Loxias ("crooked," "ambiguous"). To certain favoured mortals he communicated the gift of prophecy (Cassandra, the Cumaean sibyl, Helenus, Melampus and Epimenides). Although his favourite method was by word of mouth, yet signs were sometimes used; thus Calchas interpreted the flight of birds; burning offerings, sacrificial barley, the arrow of the god, dreams and the lot, all played their part in communicating the will of the gods.

Closely connected with the god of oracles was the god of the healing art, the oracle being frequently consulted in cases of sickness. These two functions are indicated by the titles Iatromantis ("physician and seer") and Oulios, probably meaning "health-giving" (so Suidas) rather than "destructive." This side of Apollo's character does not appear in Homer, where Paieon is mentioned as the physician of the gods. Here again, as in the case of Aristaeus and Carneius, the question arises whether Paean (or Paeon) was originally an epithet of Apollo, subsequently developed into an independent personality, or an independent deity merged in the later arrival (Farnell, Cults, iv. p. 234). According to Wilamowitz-Möllendorff in his edition of Isyllus, the epithet Maleatas alluded to above is also connected with the functions of the healing god, imported into Athens in the 4th century B.C. with other well-known health divinities. In this connexion, it is said to mean the "gentle one," who gave his name to the rock Malion or Maleas (O. Gruppe, Griechische Mythologie, ii. 1442) on the Gortynian coast. Apollo is further supposed to be the father of Asclepius (Aesculapius), whose ritual is closely modelled upon his. The healing god could also prevent disease and misfortune of all kinds: hence he is αλεξικακος ("averter of evil") and αποτροπαιος. Further, he is able to purify the guilty and to cleanse from sin (here some refer the epithet ιατρομαντις, in the sense of "physician of the soul"). Such a task can be fitly undertaken by Apollo, since he himself underwent purification after slaying Python. According to the Delphic legend, this took place in the laurel grove of Tempe, and after nine years of penance the god returned, as was represented in the festival called Stepterion or Septerion (see A. Mommsen, Delphika, 1878). Thus the old law of blood for blood, which only perpetuated the crime from generation to generation, gave way to the milder idea of the expiatory power of atonement for murder (cf. the court called τ&omicron επι Δελφινιω at Athens, which retained jurisdiction in cases where justifiable homicide was pleaded).

The same element of enthusiasm that affects the priestess of the oracle at Delphi produces song and music. The close connexion between prophecy and song is indicated in Homer (Odyssey, viii. 488), where Odysseus suggests that the lay of the fall of Troy by Demodocus was inspired by Apollo or the Muse. The metrical form of the oracular responses at Delphi, the important part played by the paean and the Pythian nomos in his ritual, contributed to make Apollo a god of song and music, friend and leader of the Muses (μουσαγετης). He plays the lyre at the banquets of the gods, and causes Marsyas to be flayed alive because he had boasted of his superior skill in playing the flute, and the ears of Midas to grow long because he had declared in favour of Pan, who contended that the flute was a better instrument than Apollo's favourite, the lyre.

A less important aspect of Apollo is that of a marine deity, due to the spread of his cult to the Greek colonies and islands. As such, his commonest name is Delphinius, the "dolphin god," in whose honour the festival Delphinia was celebrated in Attica. This cult probably originated in Crete, whence the god in the form of a dolphin led his Cretan worshippers to the Delphian shore, where he bade them erect an altar in his honour. He is Epibaterius and Apobaterius ("embarker" and "disembarker"), Nasiotas ("the islander"), Euryalus ("god of the broad sea"). Like Poseidon, he looks forth over his watery kingdom from lofty cliffs and promontories (ακταιος, and perhaps ακριτας).

These maritime cults of Apollo are probably due to his importance as the god of colonization, who accompanied emigrants on their voyage. As such he is αγητωρ ("leader"), οικιστης ("founder"), δωματιτης ("god of the home"). As Agyieus ("god of streets and ways"), in the form of a stone pillar with painted head, placed before the doors of houses, he let in the good and kept out the evil (see Farnell, Cults, iv. p. 150, who takes Agyieus to mean "leader"); on the epithet Prostaterius, he who "stands before the house," hence "protector," see G. M. Hirst in Journal of Hellenic Studies, xxii. (1902). Lastly, as the originator and protector of civil order, Apollo was regarded as the founder of cities and legislation. Thus, at Athens, Apollo Patroös was known as the protector of the lonians, and the Spartans referred the institutions of Lycurgus to the Delphic oracle.

It has been mentioned above that W. H. Roscher, in the article "Apollo" in his Lexikon der Mythologie, derives all the aspects and functions of Apollo from the conception of an original light- and sun-god. The chief objections to this are the following. It cannot be shown that on Greek soil Apollo originally had the meaning of a sun-god; in Homer, Aeschylus and Plato, the sun-god Helios is distinctly separated from Phoebus Apollo; the constant epithet Φοιβος, usually explained as the brightness of the sun, may equally well refer to his physical beauty or moral purity; λυκηγενης has already been noticed. It is not until the beginning of the 5th century B.C. that the identification makes its appearance. The first literary evidence is a fragment of Euripides (Phaëthon), in which it is especially characterized as an innovation. The idea was taken up by the Stoics, and in the Roman period generally accepted. But the fact of the gradual development of Apollo as a god of light and heaven, and his identification with foreign sun-gods, is no proof of an original Greek solar conception of him. Apollo-Helios must be regarded as "a late by-product of Greek religion" (Farnell, Cults, iv. p. 136; Wernicke in Pauly-Wissowa's Realencydopädie). For the manner in which the solar theory is developed, reference must be made to Roscher's article, but one legend may here be mentioned, since it helps to trace the spread of the cult of the god. It was said that Apollo soon after his birth spent a year amongst the Hyperboreans, who dwelt in a land of perpetual sunshine, before his return to Delphi. This return is explained as the second birth of the god and his victory over the powers of winter; the name Hyperboreans is explained as the "dwellers beyond the north wind." This interpretation is now, however, generally rejected in favour of that of H. L. Ahrens,--that Hyperborei is identical with the Perphereës ("the carriers"), who are described as the servants of Apollo, carriers of cereal offerings from one community to another (Herodotus iv. 33). This would point to the fact that certain settlements of Apolline worship along the northernmost border of Greece (Illyria, Thrace, Macedonia) were in the habit of sending offerings to the god to a centre of his worship farther south (probably Delphi), advancing by the route from Tempe through Thessaly, Pherae and Doris to Delphi; while others adopted the route through Illyria, Epirus, Dodona, the Malian gulf, Carystus in Euboea, and Tenos to Delos (Farnell, Cults, iv. p. 100).

Apollo was represented more frequently than any other deity in ancient art. As Apollo Agyieus he was shown by a simple conic pillar; the Apollo of Amyclae was a pillar of bronze surmounted by a helmeted head, with extended arms carrying lance and bow. There were also rude idols of him in wood (xoana), in which the human form was scarcely recognizable. In the 6th century, his statues of stone were naked, stiff and rigid in attitude, shoulders square, limbs strong and broad, hair falling down the back. In the riper period of art the type is softer, and Apollo appears in a form which seeks to combine manhood and eternal youth. His long hair is usually tied in a large knot above his forehead. The most famous statue of him is the Apollo Belvidere in the Vatican (found at Frascati, 1455), an imitation belonging to the early imperial period of a bronze statue representing him, with aegis in his left hand, driving back the Gauls from his temple at Delphi (279 B.C.), or, according to another view, fighting with the Pythian dragon. In the Apollo Citharoedus or Musagetes in the Vatican, he is crowned with laurel and wears the long, flowing robe of the Ionic bard, and his form is almost feminine in its fulness; in a statue at Rome of the older and more vigorous type he is naked and holds a lyre in his left hand; his right arm rests upon his head, and a griffin is seated at his side. The Apollo Sauroctonus (after Praxiteles), copied in bronze at the Villa Albani in Rome and in marble at Paris, is a naked, youthful, almost boyish figure, leaning against a tree, waiting to strike a lizard climbing up the trunk. The gigantic statue of Helios (the sun-god), "the colossus of Rhodes," by Chares of Lindus, celebrated.as one of the seven wonders of the world, is unknown to us. Bas-reliefs and painted vases reproduce the contests of Apollo with Tityus, Marsyas, and Heracles, the slaughter of the daughters of Niobe, and other incidents in his life.

[edit] Apollyon

Apollyon was the name of the destroyer unleashed at the Tribulation. Some have seen links to this name and Apollon (supposedly, the pit was an allusian to a ritual which involved digging into the Earth to uncover the fallen Sun, which Apollo is supposed to represent). Can somebody give some feedback on this and determined if this and any subsequnt information is worth mention in the article? -- IdeArchos 17:36, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

Do all superheroes appear in each other's comicbooks? The two names are simply variants of "destroyer"— so is the Terminator. The question is, did the author of the apocalyptic poem of the 2nd century AD attributed to "John" know of Apollo? Yes he did. There is no deep connection. --Wetman 05:15, 7 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Acesius

I just cleaned up Acesius which had this information about Apollo. Really Apollo should be discussed here rather than there. I think putting the info at the end of attribution was the best I could do, but an Apollo expert might want to clean it up, cut any duplication, and integrate it better if it is worth keeping. -- cmh 02:43, 23 March 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Myth section

For this to be a good article, someone needs to work through the myth section, reporting sources and bringing the concise accounts into line with the texts. The "Origins of the cult of Apollo" needs some sourcing too: whose conclusions are being summarized? --Wetman 23:34, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

[edit] GA Re-Review and In-line citations

Note: This article has a very small number of in-line citations for an article of its size and currently would not pass criteria 2b.
Members of the Wikipedia:WikiProject Good articles are in the process of doing a re-review of current Good Article listings to ensure compliance with the standards of the Good Article Criteria. (Discussion of the changes and re-review can be found here). A significant change to the GA criteria is the mandatory use of some sort of in-line citation (In accordance to WP:CITE) to be used in order for an article to pass the verification and reference criteria. It is recommended that the article's editors take a look at the inclusion of in-line citations as well as how the article stacks up against the rest of the Good Article criteria. GA reviewers will give you at least a week's time from the date of this notice to work on the in-line citations before doing a full re-review and deciding if the article still merits being considered a Good Article or would need to be de-listed. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us on the Good Article project talk page or you may contact me personally. On behalf of the Good Articles Project, I want to thank you for all the time and effort that you have put into working on this article and improving the overall quality of the Wikipedia project. Agne 22:55, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Bogus

How should we have recognized the following snippet, intruded by User:76.16.246.114, 3 February 2007, as bogus?

"It is also said that Apollo played a magical string made of the finest silk. It is said that it was given to him by Hermes on the Mountain of Tomoluese. This magical string created melodic tunes that were so powerful that anyone who heard it would fall into a trance."

By the unsourced "it is said", by "played a string" rather than his cithara, by the false note of "silk" which is Chinese and unknown in Greece, let alone myth, and by the second-hand echo of Orpheus applied to Apollo. Let's pay closer critical attention.--Wetman 10:59, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Celtic Epithet Reference

I've added the reference to my source at the end of the introductory paragraph, and I've listed the book under modern references at the end of the article. Please let me know if I need to do anything else T@nn 08:38, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

T@nn, thanks for supplying the reference. If your source has any more information about these epithets/titles, it would be great to put it in the article. For instance, take the statement "Apollo Virotutis was worshipped, among other places, at Fins d'Annecy (Haute-Savoire) and at Jublains (Maine-et-Loire)". How do we know these things? Is there a passage in an ancient author that says this? If so, we should be told who. Or does this information come from an inscription? In that case, the article should be precise about the inscription.
However, if you don't have convenient access to more precise information, I wouldn't worry about it too much--it's not as if the rest of the article is very precise about its sourcing. --Akhilleus (talk) 16:05, 27 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] References

The book does, in fact, list a bibliography. I'll add the sources later. T@nn 04:53, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Undeteched vadalism

Not sure if I've removed all of it, but I came across some serious vadalism on this page that had been written into the normal text, stuff including "niggers", "whores", how Apollo likes to (I quote) "f**k men with a mice up the arse" etc (appalling English, by the way!). The rest of you keep an eye out for anything else and any further trouble. 80.47.191.181 01:20, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

OMG, you serious? (comment left by 68.162.98.168 at 02:03, 11 July 2007)

first, please sign your comments. you can do this by typing a series of four tildes (~~~~). second, why is that so shocking to you? that sort of vandalism is so common as to be boring. Whateley23 04:37, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Delian and Pythian Apollo

These were certainly separate cults; but the claim that they had separate shrines in the same place is unsupported by Burkert. p.43 [143] does indeed discuss shrines, but Mycenaean ones.

The chief problem with this is the implication that the two had many shrines. These two may well be exceptions, but many Greek cults had one shrine each; here, in Delphi and on Delos. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 17:24, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

I added the correct page number. --Akhilleus (talk) 17:29, 19 May 2007 (UTC)
Thanks. And edit conflicted with me as I was going to fix it. Better indices would be nice. Septentrionalis PMAnderson 17:33, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Popular culture

Apollo Creed ("Rocky" movies) in popular culture.

[edit] Apollon musagète (Stravinsky)

I put a reference to Apollon musagète (Stravinsky) in the popular culture section, but I think that it does not really belong there. It could be part of Apollo in Art, but that section refers exclusively to pictorial representation of Apollo.--Atavi 12:00, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] tone flag

It's not the place of a Wikipedia article to provide original analysis of how a given story may or may not illustrate the standards of its culture, or what Apollo is a "perfect example" of, without citing a source. I'm going to be going through the article and altering some of the original interpreatation into neutral, factual language.

Of course if there are notable sources for the judgments in the article, that is all to the good.

Dybryd 03:36, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Thus it is an added, but necessary requirement for responsible and dedicated Wikipedia editors to find appropriate published statements and quote them verbatim, giving full bibliographical footnotes, in order to avoid alterations by self-appointed correctors. --Wetman (talk) 03:30, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Oracular shrines

About Hierapolis, a contributor wrote : "Prophecy was by movements of an archaic aniconic wooden xoanon of Apollo.". I cannot find any reference to this xoanon in Hierapolis, but I can find one to Hierapolis Bambyce , an ancient town in Syria (see : Hierapolis). There may have been a confusion between the two towns. JoJan 15:09, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

I think you're right. Most of that paragraph of the article is referring to Hierapolis in modern Turkey (see the Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites on the "Plutonium", etc.) The work De Dea Syria ascribed to Lucian mentions divination by a moving image of Apollo (not an "aniconic ... xoanon") in Hierapolis Bambyce in modern Syria (chapters 35–37). EALacey 14:46, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Chatty intro

I've removed a breezy, chatty unsourced, un-wikified introduction recently added to the head of this article: see diff here. In it the reader was given a synthetic account of Apollo, ignoring the historical changes in perception of the god, who was "not very lucky when it came to love," though " Apollo was always very much loved on Mount Olympus and Zeus gave him the power of knowing the future." The merging of Phoibos and Apollo "has created some confusion."

"When he was a child, he may have killed the monstrous Python, who was torturing his mother on Hera's command;" " one of his sacrificial animals was the wolf, enemy of all shepherds;" "Apollo was very proud of his musical talents;" "Apollo's romances often had bad ends:" Daphne "had herself changed into a laurel" and more of the same, reporting at third-hand childish versions of material that has been carefully assembled into an article that this editor is apparently unaware of. I couldn't find any statement that was an improvement on the corresponding statement already in the article.--Wetman (talk) 16:36, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Protection

This article really needs some sort of protection - it seems to have attracted an unusually high amount of vandalism of late, as I'm sure plenty of other users here have noticed. I'm actually surprised it isn't protected already - there isn't some sort reason for that which I'm oblivious to, is there? I would see to it myself but I'm not sure how to go about it, unfortunately. Does anyone else agree with me? Knyght27 (talk) 13:04, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

I agree. No idea why this article is so popular among vandals, but it should be protected. --Andrews Palop (talk) 21:13, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Part of the reason may be that people only want to consider Hellenic Polytheism in a historical context but not in a modern context as well -- this causes people to denigrate what they feel is an opposing view to theirs.KyriaAnne (talk) 07:35, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] GA Sweeps (on hold)

This article has been reviewed as part of Wikipedia:WikiProject Good articles/Project quality task force in an effort to ensure all listed Good articles continue to meet the Good article criteria. In reviewing the article, I have found there are some issues that may need to be addressed. There are large numbers of {{fact}} tags, which if not remedied are a reason to boldly delist the article (they would be in violation of the quick-fail criteria of GA standards). There are also many instances of poor structure, with single sentence paragraphs abound. These stand-alone sentences should be consolidated into larger paragraphs, a paragraph being generally a minimum of three sentences in standard English usage. Also, if Celtic epithets and cult titles is a list, then it needs numbers or bullets. Otherwise it too must be consolidated in to paragraphs. I gave an example of the type of paragraph copyediting desired in the lead work I completed. I will check back in no less than seven days. If progress is being made and issues are addressed, the article will remain listed as a Good article. Otherwise, it may be delisted (such a decision may be challenged through WP:GAR). If improved after it has been delisted, it may be nominated at WP:GAN. Feel free to drop a message on my talk page if you have any questions, and many thanks for all the hard work that has gone into this article thus far. VanTucky talk 20:28, 6 December 2007 (UTC)

As none of the issues above have been addressed, I will now boldly delist the article from GA. VanTucky talk 16:50, 14 December 2007 (UTC)
Excellent! --Wetman (talk) 19:56, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Strange content

{{editprotected}} can we please remove the "Bold text" from the end of this article (see last diff). Note: I am an RC patroller. If there is good reason for this to be there, I don't realize it. --Thinboy00 @220, i.e. 04:16, 25 January 2008 (UTC)

Y Done I removed it.
Gonzo fan2007 talk ♦ contribs 08:10, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Apollonism

Saw this term in a NatGeo show on competitor religions to Christianity and was surprised to not see it on Wikipedia. Searches find some references to it about Nietzsche's works and by a few Christian writers. It seems not to refer to the heart of the worship to Apollo and having missed the section of the show discussing this and how it relates to early Christianity it would be nice to read about it on Wikipedia. This article doesn't have a clear section on the worshipers, forms of worship, holidays, worshiper dress code, etc. Maybe an article entitled Apollo Mysteries or Apollo Worship? Religion project is not my forte so I'm just tossing up ideas. Any takers? (Not signed in. I'm alatari) 71.86.153.106 (talk) 09:44, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

Alright, I figured out they were referring to Apollonius of Tyana when discussing Apollonism but it would still be interesting to read about how Apollo was worshiped. The different festivals hold the most details of his worship on Wiki but I'm looking more for daily worship. Those festivals articles are so short it seems an Apollo Festivals article could be created and maintained more easily. 71.86.153.106 (talk) 10:00, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
The word Apollonism sets up some expectations that aren't borne out by the cultus of Apollo either; have a look at Walter Burkert, Greek Religion. There's no -ism in "paganism". --Wetman (talk) 07:06, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Apollo with the griffin?

Am I just out of my mind? I would normally figure that the caption "Apollo with the griffin" was vandalism, but it's on the WikiCommons page and it was put there by the person who put the photo there (Ricardofrantz, 01:47, 22 July 2007).

Citharoedus means "singer"/"musician"/"one who plays the kithara". Anyone know what this is about? Ricardo? rmagill (talk) 18:22, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

I've emended the caption and included a link to the page Apollo Citharoedus. Deor (talk) 21:19, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

u people r gay for pooting nearley naked pichers of a gor on this web sight's —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.175.223.10 (talk) 18:26, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] There is no referance to modern worshippers of this Greek God both in Greece and other locations

There are several groups in the United States and Greece devoted to the worship of the Greek Gods including Apollo. The failure to mention this promotes the misconception that there are no modern worshippers in existance. I realize that existance of these groups is something that may have been removed in error and feel that this does need to be included to provide for balance between both ancient and modern worship as well as how they both are similar and differ.

Among the groups in the US are Hellenion, Neokoroi and ThiasosApollo -- all of which have discussion fora on Yahoo!Groups. There is also the umbrella organization called the YSEE in Greece that promotes the worship of the Greek Gods including Apollo.

KyriaAnne (talk) 07:32, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

ZoeMcMac (talk)ZoeMcMac: I concur there should be reference to modern worshippers of this Greek god, just as the wiki for "Krishna" lists a history of his worship into the modern era, and contains many links to organizations that further the god's worship. Why are the Hindu gods being handled in a different manner than the Hellenic ones? Hellenion.org is a recognized by the government as being a "real" religion in America. —Preceding comment was added at 05:24, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

Can you recommend any reliable published sources that could be the basis for a section on modern worshippers? EALacey (talk) 17:05, 30 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] No reference to Apollo being the patron god of TKE

Apollo is the Greek patron of the US fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon I think some reference to this should be provided. Alman148 (talk) 23:04, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

I don't. The place for a mention is in Tau Kappa Epsilon, where it already exists. Deor (talk) 03:19, 21 May 2008 (UTC)