APOLLO (uh-POL-oh; Roman name
Apollo) was the god of prophesy,
music and healing.
Like most of his fellow
Olympians, Apollo did not hesitate
to intervene in human affairs. It
was he who brought about the
demise of the mighty Achilles. Of
all the heroes besieging the city
of Troy in the Trojan War, Achilles
was the best fighter by far. He
had easily defeated the Trojan
captain Hector in single combat.
But Apollo helped Hector's
brother Paris slay Achilles with
an arrow.
When someone died suddenly, he
was said to have been struck
down by one of Apollo's arrows.
Homer's epic of the Trojan War
begins with the god causing a
plague by raining arrows down
upon the Greek camp.
As god of music, Apollo is often
depicted playing the lyre. He did
not invent this instrument,
however, but was given it by
Hermes in compensation for
cattle theft. Some say that Apollo
did invent the lute, although he
was best known for his skill on
the lyre.
He won several musical contests
by playing this instrument. In one
case he bested Pan, who
competed on his own invention,
the shepherd's pipe. On this
occasion, King Midas had the bad
sense to say that he preferred
Pan's music, which caused Apollo
to turn his ears into those of an
ass.
