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The ancient Greeks had a strict set of beliefs that guided them through life and helped them navigate the world around them. They believed in a multitude of gods and goddesses and each one stood for a different purpose, and the ancient Greeks would also worship these different gods and goddesses for specific reasons.
The ancient Greek religion was based on the belief that there were 12 gods and goddesses that ruled the human realm from Mount Olympus in Greece.
Apollo is mostly known for being the God of The Sun and Light. But he is also the god of poetry, healing, music, plagues, knowledge, order, prophecy, beauty, agriculture, and archery! Apollo was designed to be the perfect blend of superiority, moral virtue, harmony, moderation, and reason personified. Despite this, Apollo is an extremely complex god, and he appears in art and literature almost as often as Zeus himself! Apollo is also one of the only major gods who has the same name in both Greek and Roman mythology.
The name Apollo is still not properly understood, it’s likely that it means "destroyer" - at least that is what the Greeks take it to mean. But it could also stand for "purifier," "assembler," or "redeemer." Most scholars disagree with all of that and think the name Apollo originates from the Greek word "Apella" which means "A Sheepfold." This may suggest that Apollo was originally a sheep farmer who protected his herd!
Apollo became one of the most adored gods in Greek mythology. In works of art, he is often pictured nude, posing with a laurel crown on his head and either a bow and arrow, lyre, or plectrum in his hands. Apollo has also been linked to several animals such as deer, swans, mice, pythons, wolves, and dolphins.
Apollo was one of the twelve gods that sat atop Mount Olympus. Although there are numerous immortals that live on Mount Olympus, these twelve Gods are considered to be the most powerful and important. Apollo, like most Gods, has the power of eternal youth, meaning that he cannot grow old. He also had the power to be completely immune to any earthly disease. Even if Apollo was brutally wounded in battle, he still would not perish, as another of his powers was that he could heal himself with super speed. Apollo also possessed superhuman strength, so he could overcome any of his enemies!
Apollo is depicted in Greek mythology as one of the most powerful gods ever to have existed. Among his other powers, he was also known for his supreme skills as an archer. When Apollo was first born he drank something known as Ambrosia, which is an immortality drink from Greek mythology, and after his first sip, Apollo turned into a beautiful man just four days after his birth! He then embarked on a quest and killed the serpent Python by waiting in its lair, and then piercing it through the forehead with one of his arrows. Another memorable kill for Apollo was the slaying of two giants named Otus and Ephialtes, who were also executed by his bow and arrow.
Apollo was the God of many things, including prophecy this meant that Apollo had the power to divine the future with a high level of accuracy. Apollo would use his ability to see into the future through Oracles, which were thought to be portals where the gods would speak directly to people.
Apollo also had the power to shape-shift.This is a power all gods have, according to Greek mythology, gods were able to transform themselves into others, animals, creatures, or objects at will. According to myth, Apollo once transformed himself into a dolphin to hijack a passing merchants ship!
The god of sun and light also had the power to heal people and bring disease! Being the god of music as well, he often chose to heal people through the power of music or through his arrows. On the other hand, he could also use his bow and arrow to rain down plagues and illness down into the mortal realm, causing death and destruction!
He also ability to bless and curse mortals, both of these abilities can be seen in the myth featuring Cassandra, daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. Apollo fell in love with the beautiful Cassandra, and she promised to return his affections if Apollo imbued her with the ability to see into the future. Blinded by love, Apollo blessed her so that she would have the gift of prophecy. But Cassandra had lied and broken Apollo's heart! Because he had imbued her with a divine power this could not be reversed so in a fit of rage Apollo cursed Cassandra so that she still had the power of prophecy, but no one would ever believe her!
Now we have taken a look at Apollo's many strengths and powers, it will surprise you to know that Apollo does have one weakness, and it’s love!
From nymphs to Humans, to goddesses, poor Apollo seems to fall head over heels for just about any beautiful woman that happens to be walking by. Many of his romantic conquests failed because they simply did not return his affections, but the other woman in his romantic life that did love him back left because Apollo was quick to anger and could lose his temper at a moment's notice.
The god of sun and light, Apollo was one of the only children Zeus trusted amongst the Olympian Gods. Apollo was treated as an Oracle to the gods, and Zeus often trusted Apollo to convey his word to the other gods, so it’s hard to believe that Zeus would ever punish his most trusted son.
As mentioned earlier, Apollo killed the serpentine named Python, who was the child of the primordial god, Gaia. Python was ordered by Hera to kill Leto, Apollo’s mother, for Zeus’ act of adultery against her. Because of this, Zeus had no choice but to punish Apollo to purify him.
Even though Zeus loved Apollo and all his other children, as the god of justice he could not show bias to ensure that order is kept under his rule. So even his own children were ordinary when it came to justice.
So Apollo was sent down to Greece to serve as a slave for nine years before he was able to repent for his sins. After the god of the sun and light had served his nine-year sentence he traveled to the Vale of Tempe, where he bathed in the waters of Peneus and Zeus was able to purify him through a purification rite.
After Apollo had been purified he was escorted to Delphi by his sister Artemis, then handed the Oracular shrine by the Primordial god herself, Gaia. Thereafter, Apollo would be known as the god who purified himself from his sins and made men realize their sins to help purify them too.
All of the above earned Apollo, Zeus’ respect, and a seat by his side on Mount Olympus. Zeus also gifted Apollo the city of Delphi, a golden tripod, a golden bow and arrow, and a chariot which would become his signature as a god since then.
Apollo's golden chariot.
From the very first day of Apollo’s birth, his life was filled with adventure. He was an illegitimate child, with his father being Zeus and his mother Zeus’ mistress Titaness, Leto. When Zeus’ wife Hera found out about the pregnancy, she flew into a rage and forbade the mistress Leto to give birth on land and sent the deadly Python to chase her away.
Leto managed to escape and found refuge on the floating island of Ortygia. Hera again found out about this and forced the goddess of childbirth Eileithyia to prolong Leto’s labor for an agonizing nine days.
Eventually, Leto was allowed to give birth, she had twins, Artemis, and her twin brother Apollo, and it is said that Apollo the greek god was born into the world fully grown and carrying a golden sword. The island around him was said to burst into life around him, filled with beautiful music, fragrant flowers, and lush plants.
One of Apollo the Greek god’s best-known sons is Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing. Asclepius was conceived during an affair between Apollo and Princess Coronis. Apollo sent a white crow to keep watch over Coronis while she was carrying his child. But unfortunately, Apollo found out through a crow that Coronis was having an affair with another man.
Apollo was so angry that he told his sister Artemis to kill Coronis and burn the crow on her funeral fire. Just as the flames crept over her dead body, Apollo managed to rescue his unborn son Asclepius from the flames. Meanwhile, the crow’s feathers were permanently blackened by the fire for all eternity.
Apollo, the Greek god, played a very important role in the Trojan War, fighting alongside the Trojans. During the war, Achilles brutally murdered one of Apollo’s sons named Troilus. And to add insult to injury, Achilles took Troilus’ life on the altar of Apollo’s temple.
Apollo was both enraged and deeply grieved, so he set about working on a plan to avenge his son. When Paris fired an arrow at Achilles, Apollo saw his chance. Using his amazing archery skills, he aimed an arrow straight into Achilles’s weak tendon in his heel, famously ending Achilles’s life.
The famed wooden horse from the myth of the Trojan War.
Pan, the Greek god of shepherds, was a great musician who was known for his invention of the syrinx or more commonly known as the Greek pan flute. Believing himself to be greater than Apollo, Pan challenged the Greek god to a musical duel. Tmolus, the mountain god, was chosen to be the referee of the musical contest because of his age-old wisdom.
The followers of the two gods came to witness the contest, including a particularly devout mortal follower of Pan named Midas. Pan blew on his reed pipes and produced a rustic melody that made all manner of animals come out of their habitats and the trees swayed along to the music. Apollo then struck the strings of his lyre and produced spell-binding tunes. The creatures of the wood crouched still as stone, the trees kept every leaf from rustling and the gentle air was as silent as a dream. The complete opposite of Pan's tune.
When the music stopped, all listeners - animals and humans - had a feeling of great grief, as though they had just buried their own mothers and fathers. When the spell of Apollo’s music was broken, the audience fell at Apollo’s feet, and Tmolus immediately proclaimed him the winner. Everyone was satisfied with the judgment, but Midas dissented and questioned the justice of the award. Bemused and angered, Apollo touched the ears of Midas and turned them into the long, furry, dark ears of a donkey!
Why not check out some of our other Teaching Wiki's all about ancient Greece?
Why not take a look at our Twinkl original teaching video all about Greek mythology for kids? You can even use it for a classroom or home presentation!
There are lots of awesome teaching resources that you can use here at Twinkl, here are a few of our personal favorites that are popular amongst teachers and parents alike!
All of these amazing resources are easy to download and yours to use time and time again just with a few clicks. Take a look below:
Support student understanding of myths using this Mythology Map. Students will list the characters, provide a summary, and analyze the lesson learned from the myth. Great for stations, as a partner project, or as an individual assessment.
It can be quite difficult to keep up with all the different gods, goddesses, and demigods on Mount Olympus. That's why we've gone and made this handy poster to put up in your classroom, home, or learning space!
Your students will learn key facts about the most famous Greek gods and goddesses after using our Information Cards. Each card includes the Greek god or goddess’s name and illustration as well as what they represent, their relationship to other Greek gods and goddesses, their symbols, and their roman name.
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