| “ | Green grass breaks through snow, Artemis pleads for my help, I am so cool. | ” |
–Apollo | ||
| Titles: | God of Music, Art, Poetry, and Oracless God of Archery, Plague, Medicine, Sun, and Light God of Knowledge and Civic order |
| Gender: | Male |
| Status: | Immortal |
| Species: | God |
| Affiliation: | Olympians |
| Weapon: | Golden Bow |
| Home: | Olympus |
| Roman Form: | Apollo |
| Appearance: | Varies |
| Father: | Zeus |
| Mother: | Leto |
| Spouse(s): | Never Married |
| Sibling(s): | Artemis (Twin) |
| Demigod Children: | Apollo's Cabin |
| Immortal Children: | Asclepius (Varies by Myth) |
| Lover(s): | Cassandra ; Daphne ; Calliope |
| Other: | Orpheus (Mortal Child) |
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APOLLON (or Apollo) was the great Olympian god of prophecy and oracles, healing, plague and disease, music, song and poetry, archery, and the protection of the young. He was depicted as a handsome, beardless youth with long hair and various attributes including:--a wreath and branch of laurel; bow and quiver; raven; and lyre.
Some of the more famous myths featuring the godinclude:
- His birth on the island of Delos;
- The slaying of the serpent Python which guarded the oracular shrine of Delphoi;
- The slaying of the giant Tityos who attempted to carry off the god's mother Leto;
- The destruction of the Niobides whose mother had offended Leto with her boasts;
- His music contest with the satyr Marsyas who lost and was flayed alive;
- His love for the youth Hyakinthos who was killed by a discus throw and transformed into a flower;
- His love for the nymph Daphne who fled from him and was transformed into a laurel tree;
- His love for Koronis who was slain by Artemis for her infidelity;
- The murder of the Kyklopes who had forged the lightning bolt used to destroy his son Asklepios;
- His service as bondsman to the mortal Admetos;
- His struggle with Herakles for the Delphic tripod;
- The Trojan War in which he brought plague to the Greeks and helped Paris slay Akhilleus.
In Greek mythology, Apollo is the God of Music and Art among other things.
When Leto was pregnant, Hera was furious with Zeus' infidelity and forbade his concubine from giving birth on either the islands or mainlands. Fortunately, the floating isle of Delos gave sanctuary to Leto who gave birth to Artemis and Apollo. Hera then sent the dragon serpent, Python to hound Leto. A three-year-old Apollo petitioned Hephaestus for a golden bow and a set of arrows which he used to kill Python. After his defeat of Python, Apollo was placed in charge of the Oracle of Delphi.
Apollo is the Indo-European word for strength. This god had many cults around Ancient Greece and Rome and had a large number of followers. Apollo had many priests who worshiped in his name, these priests would be gifted in the art of healing and some lucky ones had the gift of Prophecy. Because his shrines granted health and wisdom there were many all around Greece and Rome. The main ones where located at Argolis, Attika, Megaris, Aigina, Korinthi and Sikyonia. His main temple was located at Delphi where people would come and ask favour from the god. There was also a famous temple located in Pompeii before it's destruction.
In Roman mythology Apollo is the god of music and art.
During the Trojan War, Apollo shot arrows of plague into the Greek encampment as retribution for Agamemnon's insult to his priest. He demanded her return and the Greeks complied, indirectly.
When Diomedes injured Aeneas during a battle, Apollo rescued him after Aphrodite was wounded by Diomedes as well, trying to save her son. He transported the Trojan to Pergamos where his wound was tended by his mother and sister. Apollo also aided Paris in slaying Achilles by guiding the arrow of his bow into Achilles' heel.
A famous myth about Apollo is for his love of the mortal Hyakintrhos. It's a famous myth about the rivalry between Zephyrus and Apollo for the love of Hyakinthos. One day Zephyrus spied on the pair playing a game of quoits in a meadow, and in a jealous rage, struck the disc with a gust of wind, causing it to veer off course and strike the boy in the head, killing him instantly. Apollo, in his grief, then transformed the dying boy into a larkspur flower.
Apollo has been obsessed with haikus ever since he visited Japan and also over other kinds of poems, depending on where he visits. Although he considers himself a great poet, he is actually really terrible at poetry. Zoë Nightshade briefly mentions that after Apollo visited Ireland, he obsessed over limericks for a time. He loves his 'little' sister Artemis, even though they often clash, as he is the more laid back, less serious twin; he is always hitting on her Hunters as well. He is also shown to have good relations with his demigod relatives---such as Percy, illegally helping him during his quest and offering to teach him archery. Apollo is described as arrogant, self-centered, and cocky. Apollo is also a major flirt, as he often flirts with Artemis' hunters, even though she has forbidden it; however, the huntresses refuse to be charmed by Apollo due to their oath. There is also a darker side to Apollo, and he is shown to be capable of cruelty, shown when he placed a terrible curse on his son Halcyon Green, just because the latter tried to go against fate. Apollo is also very protective of his mother Leto, shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, when he killed all seven of Nioba's sons after she insulted Leto.
Apollo normally appears as a handsome young man in his late teens, around seventeen or eighteen, sandy hair, a bright cocky smile, and outdoorsy good looks. When Percy meets him for the first time, he was wearing a white, sleeveless T-shirt, blue jeans, and loafers. Percy describes Apollo as looking like Luke, but being taller, without the jagged scar on the cheek and with a much brighter smile that is blinding enough without the sun car as Percy says. However, he can appear as anyone, as he is a god. He is often seen driving the Sun Chariot.
Apollo is known to be Zeus's most powerful son, since Zeus trusted Apollo with more significant powers than any of his other children. Therefore, Apollo is an extremely powerful god, surpassed only by the Big Three and the Elder Olympian goddesses.
- Fighting Prowess: Apollo has great superhuman strength and fighting skills, as the Homeric hymns describe that no ropes can bind him. He also wrestled and nearly killed Hercules before Zeus threw his thunderbolt between the two when Hercules tried to steal his Oracle's tripod. Apollo also defeated Ares in boxing during the very first Olympic games, which were for the gods.
- Archery: As the god of archery, he excels in archery as well as other target-shooting-based activities, such as basketball. According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Apollo's arrows can invisibly strike a person, no matter how far away he is.
- Swordsmanship: Apollo is also an expert swordsman, as Homer describes him as 'Apollo of the Golden Sword'. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, it is revealed that Apollo once had an extremely sharp sword made of adamantium and Imperial Gold, but rarely used it, and later gave it to his younger brother Hermes in exchange for the flute.
- Musical Ability: As the god of music, he is an expert musician, and can play any musical instrument perfectly, though he is most often seen with his lyre. Apollo also has four golden celedons accompanying him in his musical performances, as well as being the leader of the Muses.
- Photokinesis: As the god of light, he has absolute control and divine authority over light.
- Create illusions/hallucinations.
- Create light shields/force fields.
- Project healing energies (different from Vitakinesis).
- Blast of light to impale or blind enemies for some time or maybe forever.
- Create a ball or shape of light to blast.
- Pyrokinesis: As the god of the sun, he has absolute control over the flames of his Sun Chariot.
- Supernatural Sight: As the god of light and the sun, he can see anything and anywhere during the day.
- Vitakinesis: As the god of healing and medicine, he can manipulate and modify a person's anatomy.
- He can instantly heal almost any wounds at a quicker rate than even other Olympians.
- Disease Manipulation: If angered, Apollo can cause several diseases, mainly plague. During the Trojan War, when Agamemnon offended him, Apollo infected the latter's army with plague. As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Apollo uses special arrows for this, which explode and disseminate various horrible diseases.
- Prophecy: As the god of prophecy and foresight, he is able to see into the future. However, he is unable to tell anyone future events, except through his Oracles, as then the information would become meaningless. This is a dangerous ability, and his only child known to have inherited it is Halcyon Green.
- Divine Wisdom: Apollo is the god of knowledge and is extemely intelligent, although Athena and Zeus surpass him.
- Truth: He is also the god of truth and was known to never tell a lie.
- Apollo gave Midas donkey ears after he declared Pan the winner in a music contest between the two gods.
- Artemis calls him big-headed and many other names siblings often call one another. In fact, when Nico pointed out that the sun was just a big fiery ball of gas, Apollo said that Artemis had called him a big fiery ball of gas once, which led humans to believe that was indeed what the sun was.
- He slayed Marsyas, a mortal musician because he dared to challenge the god of music, but it was Apollo who won.
- He likes to make Haikus (Japanese poems) which probably mirrors the fact that Japan is referred as the 'Land of the rising sun' and Apollo is the sun god.
- Apollo is the only Olympian to share his name with his Roman aspect because "Perfection can't be improved."
- Apollo was equated with the Egyptian god Horus during the Hellenistic era, which was after Alexander's conquest of Egypt.
- Apollo is the only male Olympian that is described as having blond hair, the female one being his aunt Demeter.
- Apollo's incognito name 'Fred' may have been taken from the author of The Face of Apollo, by Fred Saberhagen.
- Apollo told Thalia that "I hate it when pretty girls turn in to trees." This is a reference Apollo's first love, Daphne. She was a nymph who became a laurel tree to escape him.
- Apollo is the one who informs Thalia of her age, which was previously unknown because of her transformation into a pine tree.
- NASA`s spaceflight program that landed the first human on the moon was called the "Apollo Program"
- As shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Poseidon and Apollo are the only two major Olympians who have temporarily lost their divinity and godly powers.
