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Apollo

Apollo · God of Sun, Music, Prophecy, and Healing

Greek god of the sun, music, poetry, prophecy, and medicine. Son of Zeus and Leto, twin of Artemis. He embodies beauty and reason — the most quintessentially Greek of gods. Master of the Delphic oracle, his arrows could send plague or stay it.

Origin

Born on Delos to Leto, who fled Hera's wrath, alongside his twin Artemis. As a child he slew the great serpent Python and founded the Delphic oracle on its lair.

Features

Youthful, beardless god of beauty
Lyre and golden bow with arrows
Laurel crown and the chariot of the sun
Raven, dolphin, and swan as sacred animals

Stories

Invoked for prophecy at Delphi, patron of music and poetry contests, prayed to for relief from plague and for healing. Emperors claimed his sanction; artists sought his inspiration.