Apollo

Apollo was the Greek god of prophecy, music, archery, and healing.

Depiction
Apollo was typically depicted as a youthful man with long hair.

Abode
Apollo was a god with a plethora of abodes, including prophecy and oracles, music and song, plague and disease, archery, healing, and poetry. He was also a protector of the young and protector of flocks and cattle.

As the god of archery, Apollo is known as a god who punishes evil doers. He punishes those who do bad things with his bow and arrows. He is said to never miss when he uses his bow and arrows. In Ancient Greece, sudden deaths were attributed as punishment by Apollo for doing something bad.

As the god of plagues and disease, Apollo had the power to cure diseases as well as cause them.

Occasionally, Apollo is also said to be the god of light or of the sun. However, this is usually given to Helios.

Attributes
His most common attributes include a wreath, a laurel branch, a bow and arrows, a raven, a swan, and a lyre. His less notable attributes include a larkspur and cypress.

The number seven is sacred to Apollo.

Birth
Since Leto had become pregnant by Zeus, Zeus' jealous wife Hera prevented Leto from finding a resting place to give birth to Apollo and his twin sister Artemis. Hera did so by demanding that all lands shun Leto. However, Leto traveled to the island of Delos which was a new land and, thus, not yet attached to the sea floor and technically not land. It was on this island that she was allowed to rest and give birth.

Python
Four days after his birth, Apollo traveled to Mount Parnassus and slayed Python, a serpent that had been born from the mud following the Great Deluge. His reasoning behind wanting to slay the serpent was that it had pursued Leto during her search to find a place to give birth.

After slaying Python, Apollo took the Oracle of Delphi under his control which was previously being guarded by the serpent.

Hermes and the Lyre
Shortly after the birth of Hermes, the infant snuck away from his mother and led the cattle of Apollo back to his mother's cave. Once there, he killed some of the cattle and created a lyre using a tortoise shell and strings of their organs. Angered at the thievery and death of his cattle, Apollo agreed to not punish Hermes if he gave him the lyre that he had created. Hermes agreed and ever since the lyre had been sacred to Apollo.

Gigantomachy
During the Gigantomachy when the Gigantes waged war upon the gods, Apollo and Heracles killed the giant Ephialtes by piercing him in the eyes with arrows.

Trojan War
During the Trojan War, Apollo sided with the Trojans and used his power of plague to send a plague over the Greeks.

Other Names

 * Apollon
 * Phoebus