1. A Biography of the of the sun, music, and poetry god

2. Facts Hi my name is Apollo. My roman name is Apollo too. A title that people usually say before my name is Phoebus, it means bright one. My parents are Zeus and Leto. I have a twin sister named Artimis. She is the goddess of the moon. My symbols are the Lyre, bow and arrow, and wealth.

3. Early Life I was born to Leto on the island of Delos. Hera, who was my fathers wife tried to kill my mother while she was pregnant with me. After a while when I grew up I went to a mountain called Parnassus. I went into a cave and built my temple inside it. I then got people from Crete to be Priests and Priestesses. My temple was complete.

4. How I Became a god Helios was the god of the sun at this time. He is very old. My father told him to retire. Then he needed someone to be in charge of the sun, so he told me to. Now I am in charge of getting the sun across the sky daily.

5. Trojan War The Trojans and the Greeks were at war and the gods were taking sides. I sided with the Trojans. While the battle was going on, I aided Hector and his army by shooting flaming arrows from the sky down at the Greeks. Then as Aeneas was hurt, I picked him up on a cloud and brought him to safety. Also I helped Paris kill Achilles by leading the arrow into his heel.

6. Myth Once there was a creature with the body of a snake which was living on Mount Parnassus in central Greece. Wherever it went, it would send obnoxious smell into the air and spread mischief and death. Python was once sent out by Zeus’ wife Hera to chase Leto, Zeus lover, when she became pregnant from him, so that she couldn’t settle anywhere to give birth. By the time Apollo was only 4 days old, he decided to take revenge and went to the creature’s cave Python to find him. At the moment the creature faced Apollo, it started boiling with rage and lunged at Apollo to devour him. But Apollo was faster and managed to throw an arrow to Python, piercing him right on its forehead. Python cried of terror and his screaming could be heard all over the land. It struggled hard to survive but in the end it surrendered to death. This filled Apollo with joy and he happily took his lyre and started playing a song of victory, giving joy to people all around. This was the moment Apollo became the god of the Music. Right after he finished his song, Apollo took the creature and buried it under the slopes of Mount Parnassusl; on its surface he built the oracle of Delphi, also known as the Pythia. However, Apollo had committed a crime and according to the laws of Mount Olympus he had to be purified. So Zeus ordered from Apollo to institute the Pythian Games at Delphi so that host athletical and musical competitions could be hosted. So Apollo did and took part himself in the games; from then on, the Pythian Games were being held every four years in Apollo’s honor.

7. Phaethon One of my sons names is Phaethon. He is a demi-god. His mother is Clymene who is a mortal that I fell in love with. One day he came to me and asked to ride the golden chariot through the sky for one day. I encouraged him not to but he still wanted to. He went up too high, got dizzy, and lost control and crashed into the Earth. He died because he didn’t listen to me.

8. Family

9. Festivals One festival in honor of me was the Pythian Games which took place ever four years in Delphi. This first began about two centuries after the first Olympic game. The winner is crowned with a wreath of bay leaves. The Contestants would compete in games like the Olympics.

10. Strengths I am very creative, handsome, and good at making music. I play the lyre the best. Like most gods, I am a skilled marksman at shooting bows and arrows.

11. Apollo 11 I had a space mission named after me. This mission landed the first humans on the moon. It was a great milestone for mankind. Neil Armstrong was the commander.

12. Why Sunlight Matters I am the god of the sun so I work in the sky. I ride the golden chariot through the air around the world to light up the land and give the plants nutrients. Most types of plants need sunlight to survive. Plants need sunlight for photosynthesis.

13. The Oracle at Delphi In my Temple in Delphi, there is a women that is called the oracle and she asks me about the future. What happens is that gasses from the Earth seep through the ground and help her talk to me. People come to her and ask what will happen in their future. I tell the women and she tells the person.

14. You can hit me up on facebook for any other questions. Just type in Apollo Olympian and send me a request.

15. Sources http://gogreece.about.com/cs/mythology/a/mythapollo.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythian_Games http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythia http://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/introduction.htm http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Apollon.html