Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; ,
grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=

Arcadocypriot Greek Arcadocypriot, or southern Achaean, was an ancient Greek dialect spoken in Arcadia in the central Peloponnese and in Cyprus. Its resemblance to Mycenaean Greek, as it is known from the Linear B corpus, suggests that Arcadocypriot is its desc ...

, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun,
la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label=genitive, , ; , is one of the

Olympian deities Olympian or Olympians may refer to: Religion * Twelve Olympians, the principal gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion * Olympian spirits, spirits mentioned in books of ceremonial magic Fiction * ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'', fiction ...

classical Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

and

Roman religion Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...

and

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

and

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

. The national divinity of the Greeks, Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

and light, poetry, and more. One of the most important and complex of the Greek gods, he is the son of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

and

Leto In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Leto (; grc-gre, Λητώ , ''Lētṓ'', or , ''Lātṓ'' in Ancient Greek dialects#Provenance, Doric Greek) is a goddess and the mother of Apollo, the god of music, and Artemis ...

, and the twin brother of

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

, goddess of the hunt. Seen as the most beautiful god and the ideal of the ''

kouros kouros ( grc, κοῦρος, , plural kouroi) is the modern term given to free-standing Ancient Greek sculptures that depict nude male youths. They first appear in the Archaic period in Greece and are prominent in Attica and Boeotia, with a less ...

'' (ephebe, or a beardless, athletic youth), Apollo is considered to be the most Greek of all the gods. Apollo is known in Greek-influenced

Etruscan mythology Etruscan religion comprises a set of stories, beliefs, and religious practices of the Etruscan civilization, heavily influenced by the mythology of ancient Greece, and sharing similarities with concurrent Roman mythology and religion. As the Et ...

as ''Apulu''. As the patron deity of

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...

(''Apollo Pythios''), Apollo is an

oracular An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word ''or ...

god—the prophetic

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

of the

Delphic Oracle Pythia (; grc, Πυθία ) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as the Pythoness ...

. Apollo is the god who affords help and wards off evil; various epithets call him the "averter of evil". Medicine and healing are associated with Apollo, whether through the god himself or mediated through his son

Asclepius Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of ...

. Apollo delivered people from epidemics, yet he is also a god who could bring ill-health and deadly

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

with his arrows. The invention of archery itself is credited to Apollo and his sister Artemis. Apollo is usually described as carrying a silver or golden bow and a quiver of silver or golden arrows. Apollo's capacity to make youths grow is one of the best attested facets of his panhellenic cult persona. As a protector of the young (), Apollo is concerned with the health and education of children. He presided over their passage into adulthood. Long hair, which was the prerogative of boys, was cut at the coming of age () and dedicated to Apollo. Apollo is an important pastoral deity, and was the patron of herdsmen and shepherds. Protection of herds, flocks and crops from diseases, pests and predators were his primary duties. On the other hand, Apollo also encouraged founding new towns and establishment of civil constitution. He is associated with dominion over colonists. He was the giver of laws, and his oracles were consulted before setting laws in a city. As the god of ''mousike'', Apollo presides over all music, songs, dance and poetry. He is the inventor of string-music, and the frequent companion of the Muses, functioning as their chorus leader in celebrations. The lyre is a common attribute of Apollo. In Hellenistic times, especially during the 5th century BCE, as ''Apollo Helios'' he became identified among Greeks with

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; grc, , , Sun; Homeric Greek: ) is the deity, god and personification of the Sun (Solar deity). His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyper ...

, the personification of the Sun. In Latin texts, however, there was no

conflation Conflation is the merging of two or more sets of information, texts, ideas, opinions, etc., into one, often in error. Conflation is often misunderstood. It originally meant to fuse or blend, but has since come to mean the same as equate, treati ...

of Apollo with Sol among the classical Latin poets until 1st century CE. Apollo and Helios/Sol remained separate beings in literary and mythological texts until the 5th century CE.

Etymology

Apollo (

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

, Ionic, and

Homeric Greek Homeric Greek is the form of the Greek language that was used by Homer in the ''Iliad'', ''Odyssey'', and Homeric Hymns. It is a literary dialect of Ancient Greek consisting mainly of Ionic, with some Aeolic forms, a few from Arcadocypriot, and ...

: , ( );

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

: , ; Arcadocypriot: , ;

Aeolic In linguistics, Aeolic Greek (), also known as Aeolian (), Lesbian or Lesbic dialect, is the set of dialects of Ancient Greek spoken mainly in Boeotia; in Thessaly; in the Aegean island of Lesbos; and in the Greek colonies of Aeolis in Anatolia ...

: , ; la, Apollō) The name ''Apollo''—unlike the related older name ''

Paean A paean () is a song or lyric poem expressing triumph or thanksgiving. In classical antiquity, it is usually performed by a chorus, but some examples seem intended for an individual voice (monody). It comes from the Greek παιάν (also πα� ...

''—is generally not found in the

Linear B Linear B was a syllabic script used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest attested form of Greek. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries. The oldest Mycenaean writing dates to about 1400 BC. It is descended from ...

(

Mycenean Greek Mycenaean Greek is the most ancient attested form of the Greek language, on the Greek mainland and Crete in Mycenaean Greece (16th to 12th centuries BC), before the hypothesised Dorian invasion, often cited as the ''terminus ad quem'' for the ...

) texts, although there is a possible attestation in the lacunose form '']pe-rjo- ' (Linear B: KN_E_842_tablet,_though_it_has_also_been_suggested_that_the_name_might_actually_read_"Hyperion_(Titan).html" ;"title="Knossos.html" ;"title=" on the Knossos">KN E 842 tablet, though it has also been suggested that the name might actually read "Hyperion (Titan)">Hyperion" ([u]-pe-rjo-[ne]). The etymology of the name is uncertain. The spelling ( in Attic Greek, Classical Attic) had almost superseded all other forms by the beginning of the common era, but the [

form, (), is more archaic, as it is derived from an earlier . It probably is a cognate to the Doric month ''Apellaios'' (), and the offerings () at the initiation of the young men during the family-festival (). According to some scholars, the words are derived from the Doric word (), which originally meant "wall," "fence for animals" and later "assembly within the limits of the square."The word usually appears in plural: Hesychius: (), ("folds"), ("assemblies"), ("elections"): Nilsson, Vol. I, p. 556 Apella () is the name of the popular assembly in Sparta, corresponding to the (). R. S. P. Beekes rejected the connection of the theonym with the noun and suggested a

Pre-Greek The Pre-Greek substrate (or Pre-Greek substratum) consists of the unknown pre-Indo-European language(s) spoken in prehistoric Greece before the coming of the Proto-Greek language in the Greek peninsula during the Bronze Age. It is possible that ...

proto-form *''Apal^yun''. Several instances of

popular etymology A false etymology (fake etymology, popular etymology, etymythology, pseudo-etymology, or par(a)etymology) is a popular but false belief about the origin or derivation of a specific word. It is sometimes called a folk etymology, but this is also a ...

are attested from ancient authors. Thus, the Greeks most often associated Apollo's name with the Greek verb (), "to destroy".

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

in ''

Cratylus Cratylus ( ; grc, Κρατύλος, ''Kratylos'') was an ancient Athenian philosopher from the mid-late 5th century BCE, known mostly through his portrayal in Plato's dialogue '' Cratylus''. He was a radical proponent of Heraclitean philosophy ...

'' connects the name with (), "redemption", with (''apolousis''), "purification", and with (), "simple", in particular in reference to the Thessalian form of the name, , and finally with (), "ever-shooting". Hesychius connects the name Apollo with the Doric (), which means "assembly", so that Apollo would be the god of political life, and he also gives the explanation (), "fold", in which case Apollo would be the god of flocks and herds. In the ancient Macedonian language () means "stone," and some

toponyms Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

may be derived from this word: (

Pella Pella ( el, Πέλλα) is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It is best-known for serving as the capital city of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon, and was the birthplace of Alexander the Great. On site of the ancient cit ...

, the capital of

ancient Macedonia Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...

) and (''Pellēnē''/''

Pellene Pellene (; grc, Πελλήνη; grc-x-doric, Πελλάνα or Πελλίνα) was a city and polis (city-state) of ancient Achaea, the most easterly of the twelve Achaean cities (the Achaean League). Its territory bordered upon that of Sicyon o ...

''). The Hittite form ''

Apaliunas Apaliunas ( Hittite: 𒀀𒀊𒉺𒇷𒌋𒈾𒀸 ''Āppaliunāš'') is the name of a god, attested in a Hittite language treaty as a protective deity of Wilusa. Apaliunas is considered to be the Hittite reflex of ''*Apeljōn'', an early form of t ...

'' (''^d'') is attested in the

Manapa-Tarhunta letter The Manapa-Tarhunta letter ( CTH 191; KUB 19.5 + KBo 19.79) is a tablet in Luwian/Hittite language from the thirteenth century BC, which has come down to us in a fairly good state of conservation. It was discovered in the 1980s. It was written by ...

. The Hittite testimony reflects an early form ', which may also be surmised from comparison of Cypriot with Doric . The name of the Lydian god ''Qλdãns'' /kʷʎðãns/ may reflect an earlier /kʷalyán-/ before palatalization, syncope, and the pre-Lydian sound change *y ''>'' d. Note the labiovelar in place of the labial /p/ found in pre-Doric ''Ἀπέλjων'' and Hittite ''Apaliunas''. A

Luwian The Luwians were a group of Anatolian peoples who lived in central, western, and southern Anatolia, in present-day Turkey, during the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. They spoke the Luwian language, an Indo-European language of the Anatolian sub-fa ...

etymology suggested for ''Apaliunas'' makes Apollo "The One of Entrapment", perhaps in the sense of "Hunter".

Greco-Roman epithets

Apollo's chief

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

was Phoebus ( ; , ''Phoibos'' ), literally "bright". It was very commonly used by both the Greeks and Romans for Apollo's role as the god of light. Like other Greek deities, he had a number of others applied to him, reflecting the variety of roles, duties, and aspects ascribed to the god. However, while Apollo has a great number of appellations in Greek myth, only a few occur in

Latin literature Latin literature includes the essays, histories, poems, plays, and other writings written in the Latin language. The beginning of formal Latin literature dates to 240 BC, when the first stage play in Latin was performed in Rome. Latin literature ...

Sun

*Aegletes ( ; Αἰγλήτης, ''Aiglētēs''), from , "light of the sun" *Helius ( ; , ''

''), literally "sun" *

Lyceus The Apollo Lyceus ( el, Ἀπόλλων Λύκειος, ''Apollōn Lukeios'') type, also known as Lycean Apollo, originating with Praxiteles and known from many full-size statue and figurine copies as well as from 1st century BCE Athenian coinage ...

( ; , ''Lykeios'', from

Proto-Greek The Proto-Greek language (also known as Proto-Hellenic) is the Indo-European language which was the last common ancestor of all varieties of Greek, including Mycenaean Greek, the subsequent ancient Greek dialects (i.e., Attic, Ionic, Ae ...

*), "light". The meaning of the epithet "Lyceus" later became associated with Apollo's mother

, who was the patron goddess of

Lycia Lycia (Lycian language, Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; el, Λυκία, ; tr, Likya) was a state or nationality that flourished in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean ...

() and who was identified with the wolf (). *Phanaeus ( ; , ''Phanaios''), literally "giving or bringing light" *Phoebus ( ; , ''Phoibos''), literally "bright", his most commonly used epithet by both the Greeks and Romans * Sol (Roman) (), "sun" in Latin

Wolf

*Lycegenes ( ; , ''Lukēgenēs''), literally "born of a wolf" or "born of Lycia" *Lycoctonus ( ; , ''Lykoktonos''), from , "wolf", and , "to kill"

Origin and birth

Apollo's birthplace was

Mount Cynthus Mount Cynthus (, ''Kýnthos'') is located on the isle of Delos, part of the Greek Cyclades. Mythology In Greek mythology, Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis on this island, having been shunned by Zeus' wife Hera who was extremely jealous of ...

on the island of

Delos The island of Delos (; el, Δήλος ; Attic: , Doric: ), near Mykonos, near the centre of the Cyclades archipelago, is one of the most important mythological, historical, and archaeological sites in Greece. The excavations in the island are ...

. *Cynthius ( ; , ''Kunthios''), literally "Cynthian" *Cynthogenes ( ; , ''Kynthogenēs''), literally "born of Cynthus" *Delius ( ; Δήλιος, ''Delios''), literally "Delian" *Didymaeus ( ; , ''Didymaios'') from δίδυμος, "twin", as the twin of

Place of worship

and

Actium Actium or Aktion ( grc, Ἄκτιον) was a town on a promontory in ancient Acarnania at the entrance of the Ambraciot Gulf, off which Octavian gained his celebrated victory, the Battle of Actium, over Antony and Cleopatra, on September 2, 31& ...

were his primary places of worship. *Acraephius ( ; , ''Akraiphios'', literally "Acraephian") or Acraephiaeus ( ; , ''Akraiphiaios''), "Acraephian", from the

Boeotia Boeotia ( ), sometimes Latinized as Boiotia or Beotia ( el, Βοιωτία; modern: ; ancient: ), formerly known as Cadmeis, is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Central Greece. Its capital is Livadeia, and its lar ...

n town of

Acraephia ''Acraephia'' is a genus of planthoppers in the family Fulgoridae The family Fulgoridae is a large group of hemipteran insects, especially abundant and diverse in the tropics, containing over 125 genera worldwide. They are mostly of moderate ...

(), reputedly founded by his son

Acraepheus Acraepheus (Ancient Greek: Ἀκραιφεύς) was, in Greek mythology, a son of Apollo to whom the foundation of the town of Acraephnium, a Boeotian town on the lake Copais, was ascribed. In Acraephnium, Apollo was attached with the epithet Acra ...

. *Actiacus ( ; , ''Aktiakos''), literally "Actian", after Actium () *Delphinius ( ; , ''Delphinios''), literally "Delphic", after Delphi (Δελφοί). An

etiology Etiology (pronounced ; alternatively: aetiology or ætiology) is the study of causation or origination. The word is derived from the Greek (''aitiología'') "giving a reason for" (, ''aitía'', "cause"); and ('' -logía''). More completely, e ...

in the ''

Homeric Hymns The ''Homeric Hymns'' () are a collection of thirty-three anonymous ancient Greek hymns celebrating individual gods. The hymns are "Homeric" in the sense that they employ the same epic meter—dactylic hexameter—as the ''Iliad'' and ''Odyssey'', ...

'' associated this with dolphins. *

Epactaeus In Greek mythology, Epactaeus, Epactius, Epaktaios or Epaktios – that is, the god worshipped on the coast – was used as a surname of Poseidon in Samos, and of Apollo.Orph. Argon. 1296; Apollon. Rhod. i. 404. (cited by Schmitz) Notes Referen ...

, meaning "god worshipped on the coast", in

Samos Samos (, also ; el, Σάμος ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the -wide Mycale Strait. It is also a separate ...

. *Pythius ( ; , ''Puthios'', from Πυθώ, ''Pythō''), from the region around Delphi * Smintheus ( ; , ''Smintheus''), "Sminthian"—that is, "of the town of Sminthos or Sminthe". near the

Troad The Troad ( or ; el, Τρωάδα, ''Troáda'') or Troas (; grc, Τρῳάς, ''Trōiás'' or , ''Trōïás'') is a historical region in northwestern Anatolia. It corresponds with the Biga Peninsula ( Turkish: ''Biga Yarımadası'') in the Ç ...

town of

Hamaxitus Hamaxitus ( grc, Ἁμαξιτός, Hamaxitos) was an ancient Greek city in the south-west of the Troad region of Anatolia which was considered to mark the boundary between the Troad and Aeolis. Its surrounding territory was known in Greek as ( ...

*Napaian Apollo (Ἀπόλλων Ναπαῖος), from the city of

Nape The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is also called the nucha (from the Medieval Latin rendering of the Arabic , "spinal marrow"). The corresponding adjective is ''nuchal'', as in the term ''nu ...

at the island of

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Anatolia, Asia Minor ...

Healing and disease

*Acesius ( ; , ''Akesios''), from , "healing". Acesius was the epithet of Apollo worshipped in

Elis Elis or Ilia ( el, Ηλεία, ''Ileia'') is a historic region in the western part of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. It is administered as a regional unit of the modern region of Western Greece. Its capital is Pyrgos. Until 2011 it was ...

, where he had a temple in the

agora The agora (; grc, ἀγορά, romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state's response to accommodate the social and political order of t ...

. At the Perseus Project. *

Acestor Acestor (Ancient Greek: ), meaning "healer" or "saviour", was the name of several figures in Classical mythology and history: ''Mythological'' *Apollo Acestor, an epithet of the god Apollo in his role as healer or averter of evil. *Acestor, son of ...

( ; , ''Akestōr''), literally "healer" *Culicarius (Roman) ( ), from Latin ''culicārius'', "of midges" *Iatrus ( ; , ''Iātros''), literally "physician" *Medicus (Roman) ( ), "physician" in Latin. A

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

was dedicated to ''Apollo Medicus'' at Rome, probably next to the temple of

Bellona Bellona may refer to: Places *Bellona, Campania, a ''comune'' in the Province of Caserta, Italy *Bellona Reef, a reef in New Caledonia *Bellona Island, an island in Rennell and Bellona Province, Solomon Islands Ships * HMS ''Bellona'' (1760), a 74 ...

. *

( ; , ''Paiān''), physician, healer *Parnopius ( ; , ''Parnopios''), from , "locust"

Founder and protector

* Agyieus ( ; , ''Aguīeus''), from , "street", for his role in protecting roads and homes *

Alexicacus Alexikakos (Ancient Greek: ), the "averter of evil", was an epithet given by the ancient Greeks to several deities such as Zeus and Apollo, who was worshipped under this name by the Athenians, because he was believed to have stopped the plague whi ...

( ; , ''Alexikakos''), literally "warding off evil" *Apotropaeus ( ; , ''Apotropaios''), from , "to avert" *

Archegetes Archegetes ( grc, Ἀρχηγέτης) is a Greek word that meant, effectively, "leader" or "founder". It could refer to a number of different things in classical antiquity. General Primarily, it was a title for Greek gods and heroes that typically ...

( ; , ''Arkhēgetēs''), literally "founder" *Averruncus (Roman) ( ; from Latin ''āverruncare''), "to avert" *Clarius ( ; , ''Klārios''), from

, "allotted lot" *Epicurius ( ; , ''Epikourios''), from , "to aid" *Genetor ( ; , ''Genetōr''), literally "ancestor" *Nomius ( ; , ''Nomios''), literally "pastoral" *Nymphegetes ( ; , ''Numphēgetēs''), from , "Nymph", and , "leader", for his role as a protector of shepherds and pastoral life *Patroos from , "related to one's father," for his role as father of

Ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...

and founder of the

Ionians The Ionians (; el, Ἴωνες, ''Íōnes'', singular , ''Íōn'') were one of the four major tribes that the Greeks considered themselves to be divided into during the ancient period; the other three being the Dorians, Aeolians, and Achae ...

, as worshipped at the

Temple of Apollo Patroos The Temple of Apollo Patroos (meaning "from the fathers") is a small ruined temple of Ionic order built in 340–320 BCE. It is 10 m wide and 16.5 m long, and is located north-west of the Ancient Agora of Athens, near the Stoa of Zeus. Apollo was ...

in Athens * Sauroctunos, "lizard killer", possibly a reference to his killing of

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (pro ...

Prophecy and truth

*Coelispex (Roman) ( ), from Latin ''coelum'', "sky", and ''specere'' "to look at" *Iatromantis ( ; , ''Iātromantis'',) from , "physician", and , "prophet", referring to his role as a god both of healing and of prophecy *Leschenorius ( ; , ''Leskhēnorios''), from , "converser" *Loxias ( ; , ''Loxias''), from , "to say", historically associated with , "ambiguous" *Manticus ( ; , ''Mantikos''), literally "prophetic" *Proopsios (), meaning "foreseer" or "first seen"

Music and arts

*Musagetes ( ;

, ''Mousāgetās''), from , "

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

", and "leader" *Musegetes ( ; , ''Mousēgetēs''), as the preceding

Archery

*Aphetor ( ; , ''Aphētōr''), from , "to let loose" *Aphetorus ( ; , ''Aphētoros''), as the preceding *Arcitenens (Roman) ( ), literally "bow-carrying" *Argyrotoxus ( ; , ''Argyrotoxos''), literally "with silver bow" *Clytotoxus ( ; , ''Klytótoxos''), "he who is famous for his bow", the renowned archer. *Hecaërgus ( ; , ''Hekaergos''), literally "far-shooting" *Hecebolus ( ; , ''Hekēbolos''), "far-shooting" *Ismenius ( ; , ''Ismēnios''), literally "of Ismenus", after Ismenus, the son of

Amphion There are several characters named Amphion in Greek mythology: * Amphion, son of Zeus and Antiope, and twin brother of Zethus (see Amphion and Zethus). Together, they are famous for building Thebes. Pausanias recounts an Egyptian legend accor ...

and

Niobe In Greek mythology, Niobe (; grc-gre, Νιόβη ) was a daughter of Tantalus and of either Dione, the most frequently cited, or of Eurythemista or Euryanassa, the wife of Amphion and the sister of Pelops and Broteas. Her father was the ru ...

, whom he struck with an arrow

Appearance

* Acersecomes (, ''Akersekómēs''), "he who has unshorn hair", the eternal ephebe. * Chrysocomes ( ; , ''Khrusokómēs''), literally "he who has golden hair."

Amazons

Amazonius Apollo Amazonius ( Gr. ) was a cultic epithet of the Greek god Apollo, under which he was worshiped, and had a temple at Pyrrhichus in Laconia. The name was derived either from the belief that the mythological Amazons had penetrated into the Pel ...

(),

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

at the

Description of Greece Pausanias ( /pɔːˈseɪniəs/; grc-gre, Παυσανίας; c. 110 – c. 180) was a Greek traveler and geographer of the second century AD. He is famous for his ''Description of Greece'' (, ), a lengthy work that describes ancient Greece ...

writes that near

Pyrrhichus Pyrrhichus or Pyrrhichos ( grc, Πύρριχος) was a town of ancient Laconia, situated about the centre of the promontory ending in Cape Taenarum, and distant 40 ''stadia'' from the river Scyras. According to some it derived its name from Pyrrh ...

there was a sanctuary of Apollo, called Amazonius ( grc, Ἀμαζόνιος) with image of the god said to have been dedicated by the

Amazons In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες ''Amazónes'', singular Ἀμαζών ''Amazōn'', via Latin ''Amāzon, -ŏnis'') are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, ...

Other

*Patroos (Πατρώος, ancestral), there is the

at the

Ancient Agora of Athens The ancient Agora of Athens (also called the Classical Agora) is the best-known example of an ancient Greek agora, located to the northwest of the Acropolis and bounded on the south by the hill of the Areopagus and on the west by the hill kn ...

Celtic epithets and cult titles

Apollo was worshipped throughout the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

. In the traditionally

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

lands, he was most often seen as a healing and sun god. He was often equated with

Celtic gods The gods and goddesses of the pre-Christian Celtic peoples are known from a variety of sources, including ancient places of worship, statues, engravings, cult objects and place or personal names. The ancient Celts appear to have had a pantheo ...

of similar character. *

Apollo Atepomarus Atepomarus in Celtic Gaul was a healing god. Mauvières (Indre), Apollo was associated with this god in the form Apollo Atepomarus. At some of Apollo's healing sanctuaries (as at Sainte-Sabine, Burgundy) small figurines of horses were associated ...

("the great horseman" or "possessing a great horse"). Apollo was worshipped at

Mauvières Mauvières () is a commune in the Indre department in central France. Geography The commune is located in the parc naturel régional de la Brenne. The river Anglin forms most of the commune's western border. Population See also *Communes o ...

(

Indre Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...

). Horses were, in the Celtic world, closely linked to the sun. *

Apollo Belenus Belenus (Gaulish: ''Belenos'', ''Belinos'') is an ancient Celtic healing god. The cult of Belenus stretched from the Italian Peninsula to the British Isles, with a main sanctuary located at Aquileia, on the Adriatic coast. Through ''interpreta ...

("bright" or "brilliant"). This epithet was given to Apollo in parts of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

, Northern Italy and

Noricum Noricum () is the Latin name for the Celts, Celtic kingdom or federation of tribes that included most of modern Austria and part of Slovenia. In the first century AD, it became a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire. Its borders were th ...

(part of modern Austria). Apollo Belenus was a healing and sun god. *

Apollo Cunomaglus Cunomaglus ("Hound Lord") is the epithet of a Celtic god identified with Apollo. A temple at Nettleton Shrub in Wiltshire was dedicated to Apollo Cunomaglus, existing shortly after 69 AD. In the 3rd Century BC it developed into a major cult centre ...

("hound lord"). A title given to Apollo at a shrine at Nettleton Shrub,

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. May have been a god of healing. Cunomaglus himself may originally have been an independent healing god. *

Apollo Grannus Grannus (also ''Granus'', '' Mogounus,'' and ''Amarcolitanus'') was a Celtic deity of classical antiquity. He was regularly identified with Apollo as Apollo Grannus and frequently worshipped in conjunction with Sirona, and sometimes with Mars and o ...

. Grannus was a healing spring god, later equated with Apollo.Divinites et sanctuaires de la Gaule, E. Thevonat, 1968, ParisLa religion des Celtes, J. de Vries, 1963, Paris * Apollo Maponus. A god known from inscriptions in Britain. This may be a local fusion of Apollo and

Maponus In Celtic polytheism, ancient Celtic religion, Maponos or Maponus ("Great Son") is a god of youth known mainly in northern Roman conquest of Britain, Britain but also in Gaul. In Roman Britain, he was equated with Apollo. The Welsh mythology, Wel ...

. * Apollo Moritasgus ("masses of sea water"). An epithet for Apollo at Alesia, where he was worshipped as god of healing and, possibly, of physicians. *

Apollo Vindonnus Belenus (Gaulish: ''Belenos'', ''Belinos'') is an ancient Celtic healing god. The cult of Belenus stretched from the Italian Peninsula to the British Isles, with a main sanctuary located at Aquileia, on the Adriatic coast. Through ''interpreta ...

("clear light"). Apollo Vindonnus had a temple at

Essarois Essarois () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte-d'Or department of France. The communes coope ...

, near

Châtillon-sur-Seine Châtillon-sur-Seine (, ) is a commune of the Côte-d'Or department, eastern France. The Musée du Pays Châtillonnais is housed in old abbey of Notre-Dame de Châtillon, within the town, known for its collection of pre-Roman and Roman relics ...

in present-day

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

. He was a god of healing, especially of the eyes. *

Apollo Virotutis Virotutis is a Celtic epithet of the god Apollo. The epithet has been interpreted as meaning "Benefactor of humanity". Apollo Virotutis was worshipped at, among other places, Fins d'Annecy (Haute-Savoie) and at Jublains Jublains () is a commune ...

("benefactor of mankind"). Apollo Virotutis was worshipped, among other places, at Fins d'Annecy (

Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, bordering both Switzerland and Italy. Its prefecture is ...

) and at

Jublains Jublains () is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. History Jublains, formerly spelled Jubleins, is the site of ancient Noeodunum (also spelled Noiodunum or Noviodunum), the capital of the ancient Gallic tribe of the ...

(

Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-e ...

Origins

The cult centers of Apollo in Greece,

and

, date from the 8th century BCE. The Delos sanctuary was primarily dedicated to

, Apollo's twin sister. At Delphi, Apollo was venerated as the slayer of the monstrous serpent

. For the Greeks, Apollo was the most Greek of all the gods, and through the centuries he acquired different functions. In

Archaic Greece Archaic Greece was the period in Greek history lasting from circa 800 BC to the second Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BC, following the Greek Dark Ages and succeeded by the Classical period. In the archaic period, Greeks settled across the ...

he was the

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

, the oracular god who in older times was connected with "healing". In

Classical Greece Classical Greece was a period of around 200 years (the 5th and 4th centuries BC) in Ancient Greece,The "Classical Age" is "the modern designation of the period from about 500 B.C. to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C." ( Thomas R. Marti ...

he was the god of light and of music, but in popular religion he had a strong function to keep away evil.

Walter Burkert Walter Burkert (; 2 February 1931 – 11 March 2015) was a German scholar of Greek mythology and cult. A professor of classics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, he taught in the UK and the US. He has influenced generations of studen ...

discerned three components in the prehistory of Apollo worship, which he termed "a Dorian-northwest Greek component, a Cretan-Minoan component, and a Syro-Hittite component."

Healer and god-protector from evil

In classical times, his major function in popular religion was to keep away evil, and he was therefore called "apotropaios" (, "averting evil") and "alexikakos" ( "keeping off ill"; from v. + n. ). Apollo also had many epithets relating to his function as a healer. Some commonly-used examples are "paion" ( literally "healer" or "helper") "epikourios" (, "succouring"), "oulios" (, "healer, baleful") and "loimios" (, "of the plague"). In later writers, the word, "paion", usually spelled "Paean", becomes a mere epithet of Apollo in his capacity as a god of

healing With physical trauma or disease suffered by an organism, healing involves the repairing of damaged tissue(s), organs and the biological system as a whole and resumption of (normal) functioning. Medicine includes the process by which the cells i ...

. Apollo in his aspect of "healer" has a connection to the primitive god

(), who did not have a cult of his own. Paean serves as the healer of the gods in the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...

'', and seems to have originated in a pre-Greek religion. It is suggested, though unconfirmed, that he is connected to the Mycenaean figure ''pa-ja-wo-ne'' (Linear B: ). At Google Books. Paean was the personification of holy songs sung by "seer-doctors" (), which were supposed to cure disease. Homer illustrated Paeon the god and the song both of

apotropaic Apotropaic magic (from Greek "to ward off") or protective magic is a type of magic intended to turn away harm or evil influences, as in deflecting misfortune or averting the evil eye. Apotropaic observances may also be practiced out of superst ...

thanksgiving or triumph. Such songs were originally addressed to Apollo and afterwards to other gods: to

Dionysus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...

, to Apollo

, to Apollo's son

the healer. About the 4th century BCE, 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. It was in this way that Apollo had become recognized as the god of music. Apollo's role as the slayer of the

led to his association with battle and victory; hence it became the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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. In the ''Iliad'', Apollo is the healer under the gods, but he is also the bringer of disease and death with his arrows, similar to the function of the

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

god of disease

Rudra Rudra (; sa, रुद्र) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. Rud ...

."The conception that the diseases come from invisible shots sent by magicians or supernatural beings is common in primitive people and also in European folklore. In North-Europe they speak of the "

Elf-shot In English folklore, elf-arrows, elf-bolts and pixie arrows were names given to discovered arrowheads of flint, used in hunting and war by the Pre-Indo-Europeans of the British Isles and of Europe generally. The name derives from the folklore be ...

s". In Sweden where the Lapps were called magicians, they speak of the "Lappen-shots". Martin Nilsson (1967). Vol I, p. 541 He sends a plague () to the Achaeans. Knowing that Apollo can prevent a recurrence of the plague he sent, they purify themselves in a ritual and offer him a large sacrifice of cows, called a

hecatomb In ancient Greece, a hecatomb (; ; grc, ἑκατόμβη ''hekatómbē'') was a sacrifice of 100 cattle (''hekaton'' = one hundred, ''bous'' = bull) to the Greek gods. In practice, as few as 12 could make up a hecatomb. Although originally the ...

Dorian origin

The '' Homeric Hymn to Apollo'' depicts Apollo as an intruder from the north. The connection with the northern-dwelling

Dorians The Dorians (; el, Δωριεῖς, ''Dōrieîs'', singular , ''Dōrieús'') were one of the four major ethnic groups into which the Hellenes (or Greeks) of Classical Greece divided themselves (along with the Aeolians, Achaeans, and Ionians) ...

and their initiation festival ''

apellai Apellai ( grc-gre, ἀπέλλαι), was a three-day family-festival of the Northwest Greeks similar with the Ionic Apaturia, which was dedicated to Apollo ( Doric form:).Walter Burkert (1985) ''Greek Religion''. Harvard University Press. p. 255 T ...

'' is reinforced by the month ''Apellaios'' in northwest Greek calendars. The family-festival was dedicated to Apollo ( Doric_Doric_may_refer_to: *_Doric,_of_or_relating_to_the_Dorians_of_ancient_Greece **__Doric_Greek,_the_dialects_of_the_Dorians *_Doric_order,_a_style_of_ancient_Greek_architecture *_Doric_mode,_a_synonym_of_Dorian_mode *_Doric_dialect_(Scotland) *_Doric_...