Witchcraft~APOLLO STATUE Greek Roman God 10.5" APOLLON Healing Music Poetry Archery, More

'In the first hours after (Hermes') birth, he escaped from his cradle, went to Pieiria, made off with his half-brother Apollo's cattle, making them walk backwards to look as if they had gone in the opposite direction, wove himself sandals of tamarisk and myrtle twigs and leaves to disguise his footprints, invented the lyre and plectrum, fire-sticks and fire, sacrificed two of the cows, and finally swaddled himself back up again like an innocent babe.
For all his ingenuity, Apollo caught him the next day.
"Apollon laughed softly and said to him : `O rogue, deceiver, crafty in heart, you talk so innocently that I most surely believe that you have broken into many a well-built house and stripped more than one poor wretch bare this night..."
Finally Hermes avoided the wrath of Apollo with music, and traded him the lyre for the cattle. Later Hermes invented the shepherd's pipe, which he traded to Apollo for his golden staff and proficiency in the art of prophecy.' The lyre became one of Apollo’s most famous attributes, and he its most celebrated master. However, Apollo’s virtuosity would be challenged on at least three different occasions. The first one to dare do such a thing was the least fortunate one, the satyr Marsyas. He was very good at playing the aulos (the double flute), even equaling Apollo’s skill. However, he ultimately lost the contest, since, unlike Apollo, he couldn’t sing while playing. As punishment, Marsyas was hanged inside a cave and subsequently flayed alive. 

Apollo is the Olympian god of the sun and light, music and poetry, healing and plagues, prophecy and knowledge, order and beauty, archery and agriculture. An embodiment of the Hellenic ideal of kalokagathia, he is harmony, reason and moderation personified, a perfect blend of physical superiority and moral virtue. He was adored all over Greece as the perfectly developed classical male nude, the kouros. Beardless and athletically built, he is often depicted with a laurel crown on his head and either a bow and arrow or a lyre and plectrum in his hands. The sacrificial tripod – representing his prophetic powers – was another common attribute of Apollo. Animals linked with the god include the wolf, dolphin, mouse, deer, swan.

     When he was adopted by the Romans, they kept his name but worshipped him mainly as the god of healing and prophecy.  As a sun god, he was called “Phoebus,” or “bright.” As a prophet, the Greeks called him “Loxias,” or “The One Who Speaks Crookedly.” As the god of music, he was known as the “Leader of the Muses.” Finally, the places of Apollo’s birth and worship adorned him with three other appellations: “Delian,” “Delphic,” and “Pythian.” 
 
    Apollo is the son of Zeus and the Titan, Leto. As one of the numerous Zeus’s lovers, his mother incurred the wrath of Hera, who sent the great serpent Python, child of Gaea and guardian of Delphi, to pursue Leto throughout all lands and forbade her to give birth anywhere on solid earth. Nobody would accept the pregnant Titan, except for the island of Delos, where Leto first delivered Artemis while balancing her body on an olive branch. Afterward, Artemis helped her mother deliver Apollo as well.

     Fed exclusively with nectar and ambrosia, in merely four days Apollo grew strong and hungry for revenge. So, he went straight away to Parnassus where Python lived, and wounded the monster with his arrows. Python managed to escape and shelter itself at Gaea’s ancient sanctuary in Delphi. Apollo was so enraged that he dared to violate the sanctity of the site by staining it with Python’s blood. Zeus ordered Apollo to cleanse himself, after which he returned to Delphi and claimed the shrine to his name. After these events, Delos and Delphi became sacred sites for the worship of Zeus, Leto, Artemis, and, especially, Apollo. The high priestess Pythia presided over the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, serving as its enigmatic oracle.

      The god Pan survived unscathed after challenging Apollo and almost unanimously losing the contest. Midas, however – the only judge who deemed that Pan was the better player – was rewarded with asses’ ears, since he obviously lacked human ears for music in the first place.

     Cinyras, the King of Cyprus and a great flute player, didn’t learn anything from these two episodes. After losing his contest against Apollo, he was either killed by the god or committed suicide.

     Apollo was loved by both gods and humans, women and men; and, more often than not, he loved them back as well. His most famous love interest was Daphne, a nymph who had once vowed to Artemis to remain forever virgin. To escape him, she asked her father, the river god Peneus, to be transformed into something else. Just as Apollo was about to embrace her, she became a laurel tree. Ever since, he wears a laurel wreath as a token of his unhappy love. 

    Coronis was already pregnant with Apollo’s son Asclepius, when she fell in love with Ischys. A white crow informed Apollo of this affair which enraged Apollo so much that he ordered Artemis to kill Coronis and burned the feathers of the crow. Crows have been black ever since.
     Later Apollo fell in love with Marpessa,  whose lover Idas had already gone through hell to get her, risking his own life while abducting her. He didn’t back down even when Apollo faced him with bow raised. Zeus stopped this fight and gave Marpessa her choice. She chose Idas – since she feared that Apollo would stop loving her after she grew old.

     Cassandra was loved by the god Apollo, who promised her the power of prophecy if she would comply with his desires. Cassandra accepted the proposal, received the gift, and then refused the god her favors. Apollo revenged himself by ordaining that her prophecies should never be believed.

    Hyacinthus was a handsome young Spartan prince loved by Apollo. In one version of the myth, Apollo and Hyacinthus were playing with a discus when it accidentally struck the youth in the head, killing him. For all his powers, he could not save him. The grieving Apollo transformed the dying youth into a larkspur flower (hyakinthos in Greek) which he inscribed with the wail of mourning "AI, AI."