*Please note, this is somewhat a unique chapter as it gives information about the god, rather than being a story like all the previous chapters*
Apollo is one of the most renowned and revered gods in Greek mythology, he is the son of Zeus with the goddess Leto-the goddess of motherhood, and he is also the twin brother of Artemis-the goddess of hunting. Apollo and his twin sister were born on the legendary floating island called Delos, after being fixed to the bottom of the ocean, the island became a sacred place. Apollo is usually represented with his lyre-a musical instrument, or his famous bow. Apollo is always described as a figure of unparalleled beauty, and he is said to symbolize the Greek ideal of male beauty.
Apollo is young in appearance, tall, handsome, strong and charming and these are just some of the ways he's constantly described. However, despite having all these charming qualities, he was unlucky when it came to love as many of his relationships ended in tragedy and in other cases his love was not reciprocated, and in the case of Daphne and Cassandra, they both rejected Apollo. The nymph-nature spirit called Daphne in-order to escape the onslaught of the gods was turned into a laurel-an evergreen shrub or small tree, and so the laurel plant eventually became associated with Apollo and the laurel wreath became one of his symbols.
In turn, Cassandra, who had the power to predict the future was cursed for rejecting the god and although she was able to see the future, her power of persuasion was taken away, so even though her prophecies were true, no-one believed in them.
Apollo is a god with several attributes; He is considered the god of light after succeeding Helios-the god of the sun, which is a whole story of its own, he is also considered as the god of prophecy, the god of medicine, the god of arts, the one he's more famous for; the god of archers and these are just some among other designations, he is also the god of music with his inseparable lyre produced by Hermes, and with it, Apollo enchanted the muses while playing his instrument on mount Helicon. Apollo had a son with his muse called Calliope and his son's name was Orpheus who inherited much of his father's talent for music.
A cult was created in the name of the god Apollo called the cult of Apollo, and this cult spread rapidly throughout Greece and so the god of light greatly increased his importance and became identified as a solar god and he thus conquered the position that initially since the ancient times belonged to Helios. Apollo is famously known as an exceptional archer and when he reached maturity, he set out to find vengeance against a mighty and large serpent python which had persecuted his mother at a time when the god and his twin sister were only babies. So, Apollo faced the terrible beast and eventually conquered it, in the place where the beast fell, that's where the famous temple of Apollo in Delphi was built and there the priestesses of Apollo performed their prophetic rituals under the influence of the power of Apollo, the god of Prophecy.
And so, Delphi became a place of pilgrimage as many wanted to ask the Oracle of Delphi, the Oracle of Apollo for advice. The Pythian games which is similar to the modern-day Olympic games also took place in Delphi in dedication to the god Apollo.
Apollo is also a deity associated with medicine; his son Asclepius became such a skillful healer that through his healing arts was even able to cheat Death. Do not be deceived however, because Apollo just like most other powerful gods has a sinister side, and because of the things he has done over the course of history, he is associated with pests and epidemics. During the trojan war, he cast a pestilence upon the Greeks due to the fact that they had disrespected one of his priests who just wanted to pay the ransom for his captured daughter.
In the Trojan war, Apollo supported the Trojans, and it is simply because of this singular fact that enabled the Arrow that was shot by Paris to find its way accurately to Achilles's heel which was the single and only weak point on his entire body. In Rome, Apollo is known as Phoebus, usually called Phoebus the brilliant and he was also greatly worshipped.
Apollo as the god of prophecy is said to use his powers as a link between the gods and men through his numerous oracles who he could reveal things to and they would pass it on to the dwellers of the realm of men, Apollo through his oracles revealed the will of Zeus and other gods when he had to. The radiance of Apollo, when he would cast his light on something, any lie would be undone, revealing only the purest truth as Apollo associated himself with the search for truth and Rationality and for this reason he was honored by many ancient philosophers.
Due to the importance and relevance of the god Apollo in so many different aspects, it made the cult that was created in his honor last for centuries, it even continued after the adoption of Christianity by the Roman empire which had taken over Greece and converted the Greek gods into roman gods with different names but ultimately being the same and having the same myths. And although Apollo is no longer worshipped, Apollo till date continues to be referenced by painters, sculptors and poets who pay their respect to the god because he is considered to be the patron of the arts. He who is even considered to be the most Greek out of all the other gods. He who is known as the averter of Evil, the god who affords help and wards off evil, He who is the patron of seafarers, foreigners and the protector of fugitives and refugees, The healer and cause of many diseases. That is Apollo.