The Characteristics Of Apollo In The Story Of Greek Mythology

1075 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Relationship of greek gods and humans

In the world of Greek Mythology, Gods are blessed with incredible appearances and have fantastic abilities. Apollo is a god that is a perfect personification of every expectation most people have of Greek Gods. The gift of beauty is a gift that Apollo has in abundance, and he is also a very generous god. This characteristic of Apollo is shown in the story of Apollo 's birth. Gods were also prone to having an incredible amount of sexual drive, and Apollo is a god with a list of partners miles long. The most interesting aspect of Apollo is the fact that even though Apollo is a god, he is still very human. He is someone that does contradictory actions by lashing out at others with intensity of vigor, but also champions restraint and self …show more content…

Apollo is the child of Zeus and Leto, and is the twin brother of the god Artemis. Apollo was born second, because Leto was not welcome in most cities or nations. This is because Hera was angry with Zeus for having an extramarital affair, so most of these places were afraid to take her in and having to risk the wrath of Athena. It wasn 't until Leto came across the small, decrepit island of Delos that she found the birthplace of Apollo. Leto offered for Apollo to make his temple on the island of Delos, and Delos gladly agreed. This is evidenced when Morford, Lenardon, and Sham write, "Leto, most renowned daughter of great Coeus, I should receive your son..." (Morford, Lenardon, and Sham 226). After this Apollo was born, and the island of Delos became Delphi, and was incredibly prosperous and the island housed the Oracle of Delphi, the main messenger of Apollo. This story about Apollo is incredibly interesting, because one would not expect this much struggle for a God to be born. This story is one that exemplifies the human nature of Apollo, and shows that if one waits long enough, good things will come of patience. Apollo 's birth story is not only extraordinary because he is a God, but also because his story is one that includes struggle that all people can relate

Show More
Related

  • Apollo Character Traits In Odysseus

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Apollo Character Traits First Character Trait: Selfishness. Throughout the book, Apollo only wanted to gain his powers as a god again and go back to Mount. Olympus, cared for only his own troubles, and cared for only himself (only in the beginning though). This all proves The main reason for Apollo wanting to finish his quest, which requires Apollo to find and restore the other four oracles, is to regain his position in the Olympian Council and earn his godly powers and privileges back. The apartment that Apollo arrived in “ had no grand throne room, no colonnades,no terraces or banquet halls or even a thermal room..

    Read More

  • Apollo research

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The birth of Apollo and Artemis’ was on the floating island of Delos. The myth is told when Leto was pregnant with the two twins Hera, (The Goddess of all gods, Zeus’ wife), was jealous of Leto so wherever Leto went Hera was close to follow to ensure the babies would not be born, until Leto had found the floating island of Delos which served as a refuge and the birth place for Apollo and Artemis.” (3)

    Read More

  • Heroes Gods And Monsters Of The Greek Myths Analysis

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    What ancient religion contains infidelity, incest, and life-time long punishments of which were almost, if not, are unbearable? Welcome to Greek Mythology! The Ancient Greeks envisioned higher powers, such as titans, gods and many other mystical wonders to account for every unexplainable thing they saw. As a result, a series of tales of betrayal, humiliation and entrancements sprouted from the imagination of the Ancient Greeks. The international bestseller, Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, by Bernard Evslin, engages it’s readers, while telling the narratives of the Greek Gods.

    Read More

  • How the Greek Revered Their Gods

    3757 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Greek gods were portrayed as humans, which meant that they were not perfect. That is, the gods made mistakes, felt pain (e.g. Aphrodite in love with the mortal Adonis), and succumbed to anger and their tempers (e.g.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Apollo The Sun God

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    On the island of Tucsonia in the southern Aegean Sea, numerous ancient Greek pilgrims and other observers come together in this little island to celebrate Apollo and his significance to the mortal world. Apollo the sun god was the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of Artemis. He was known for being the most “Greek” of all gods and was known for his young physical attributes. Apollo was also the god of sailors, colonizers, and prophecy. Although he had such important tasks as a god, his remarkable skills for music, predominantly identified with the lyre, was also acknowledged. One of Apollo’s most important daily tasks was to harness his four-horse chariot across the sky in order to move the sun. Thus, the festivities begin during the

    Read More

  • Greek Mythology: The Representation Of Women In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    Adultery and other sexual acts are often in greek mythology. The Gods sometimes sleep with many women, have many wives, have illegitimate children or all of the above. However, the women are often subordinate to their husbands or the males in their life. Greek mythology is very patriarchal in the sense that the men can do what they please while the women do not have that same freedom. The representation of women in greek mythology suggests that an ancient greek view on female sexuality was that women should not be promiscuous or express/act on their sexual desires, but simply fulfill the desires of men.

    Read More

  • The Relationship between Gods and Mortals in Mythology

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    The relationship between gods and mortals in mythology has long been a complicated topic. The gods can be generous and supportive, and also devastating and destructive to any group of humans. Mortals must respect the powers above them that cannot be controlled. The gods rule over destiny, nature, and justice, and need to be recognized and worshipped for the powerful beings as they are. Regardless of one's actions, intentions, and thoughts, the gods in Greek myth have ultimate power and the final decision of justice over nature, mortals, and even each other.

    Read More

  • Athena Goddess Of Wisdom

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    The story of Athena’s birth is a very interesting one, as her birth like most from older pathos is not a normal birth story like todays births. Most of Athena’s birth stories state that she had no mother and only a father, Zeus. The story starts with two people, a God and a titan; we know them as Zeus and Metis.

    Read More

  • Zeus

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    Even though Zeus is the god of morality, law and order, he shows very little restraint for his carnal instincts. This weakness for his pure carnal needs is evidently shown in the myths about his extramarital affairs with mortals, nymphs and even other goddesses. One of his extramarital ...

    Read More

  • The Gods of Greek Mythology

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Greek myths in particular convey to us that Greek Gods and Goddesses looked and acted like humans, that they possessed astonishing powers, and that they interacted with humans mainly for personal purposes and sometimes to aid heroes. Firstly, Greek gods and goddesses were viewed as being to a great extent similar to men and women. To start, it is very interesting that the ancient Greeks created their Gods and Goddesses to have physical features which are exactly identical to a regular mortal; they had a head, two arms, legs, and retained the form of a human body. The proper term for this is called “anthropomorphism”, which means “in the form of a human”. Yet the gods were visualized as more gallant in physique, exceptional in beauty and proportion, and much more authoritative than humans.

    Read More

  • Explanation And Character Analysis: Poseidon/Jupiter

    2516 Words  | 6 Pages

    When treated justly, an “Apollo” is a great friend to have; however, when treated with rejection or scorn, he can be wrathful and revengeful. In addition, this character can be protective and takes pleasure in civility.

    Read More

  • Narcissus: The Most Well-Known Greek Myth

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    The myth of Narcissus is one of the most well-known Greek Myths. It is unique because it strongly suggests the idea of the fundamental solitude of the human being. We can find two versions of this myth: the first is the Greek version as narrated by Conon the Greek mythographer:

    Read More

  • Oedipus The King: Role Of Gods

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Gods can be evil sometimes.” In the play “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles defamed the gods’ reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. It is known that all gods should be perfect and infallible, and should represent justice and equity, but with Oedipus, the gods decided to destroy him and his family for no reason. It might be hard to believe that gods can have humanistic traits, but in fact they do. The gods, especially Apollo, are considered evil by the reader because they destroyed an innocent man’s life and his family. They destroyed Oedipus by controlling his fate, granting people the power of prophecy, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of Apollo, and finally afflicting the people of Thebes with a dreadful plague. Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his family.

    Read More

  • The Differences of Greek Gods and Goddesses and the Christian God

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    From what can be seen, the Greek gods and goddesses are very human-like and ungodly in many ways. Of the few things that even separated them from humans was their immortality and unnatural powers. Otherwise, their many emotions very much relate them to humans. Among these emotions are lust (Zeus), jealousy (Hera and Aphrodite), vanity (Narcissus and Aphrodite), disloyalty (Zeus and Prometheus), and their ability to feel pain (Prometheus and Demeter). Ironically, Zeus shows the majority of these human traits. He, the chief god, seems to be the least god-like out of them all. This is how the Greek gods and goddesses differ from the Christian God.

    Read More

  • The Human-like Gods

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    To begin with, the ancient Greeks explained the creation of the universe, in particular the Earth and its elements, by a system of anthropomorphism in which their gods are human-like and are representatives of these elements. For example, Zeus is the god of heaven while Hades is the underworld lord (Hesiod, p.145). Unlike the Christians’ god who is “flawless”, the ancient Greeks’ divinities are portrayed as humans and are far from perfect. Their gods behave like ordinary people except they are immortal and have supernatural powers. Like any human being, the Greeks’ gods have love, jealousy, sadness, etc. For instance, in Euripides’ Bacchae, Zeus falls in love with Semele, which makes Hera becomes jealous and tries to kill Semele and Dionysus (Euripides, p.209). The Greeks even have a physically imperfect god, Hephaestus. This is to say that the gods’ attitude toward mortals is affected by how people treat them as the Greeks’ gods have emotions like humans.

    Read More

More about The Characteristics Of Apollo In The Story Of Greek Mythology

Open Document