Apollo Powers and Symbols

1. the god who punishes and destroys (oulios) the wicked and overbearing His arrows are swift to kill men out of both punishment and reward. Apollo guides the arrow that kills Achilles. Arrows also known to carry plagues with them when shot into camps. He is often petitioned to either ward off plagues or to send them onto an enemy.

2. The god of prophecy Power granted to him by Jupiter Often uses this power to fulfill first power by warning people or disaster or telling them how to advert curses or plagues. Often communicates through oracles. Two of the most famous being the Sybil at Cumae and the Sybil of Delphi.

3. The god of song and music Some stories say he invented the flute and the lyre. (some attribule Hermes with inventing the lyre)

4. The god who delights in the foundation of towns and the establishment of civil constitutions. He helped build the walls of Troy. (by playing a lyre?) This aspect of his godhood is also supported by the belief that no Greek town was founded until Apollo was consulted.

His birth place--Delos Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis on the Island of Delos. Story goes that Juno harassed her, forcing her to move from place to place until she arrive at Delos. She was in labor nine days (ugggg) When Apollo was born myth goes that the island became fastened to the roots of the earth, as before it floated across the waves of the sea. Apparently he was born seven month old, and so all his festival dates relate to the number seven.

The Laurel leaf Apollo loved a nymph named Daphne. He pursued her, and she unwilling to be pursued, cried out to Gaia, who then turned her into a laurel tree. So, the laurel tree/leaf became a symbol of Apollo because of his great love for her.

Tripodes Most famous Delphi tripod was where Sybil would sit to deliver oracles from Apollo. A circular slab was placed on top of the tripod, on which the branch of a laurel rested when it was empty. Because of this association tripods became sacred to Apollo.

Methods of telling the future Birds-augury Stars-astrology