Romances Of Apollo

One of the most interesting and multi-faceted of the Olympian gods, is Apollo. The son of Leto and Zeus, and the twin brother of Artemis, Apollo was seen by the ancient Greeks as a deity of several different domains. The most common being, him as the charioteer of the sun, or more commonly the sun itself. The chariot is pulled by four horses: Pyroeis, Eous, Ethon, and Phlegon. Apollo is also the god of music and poetry and is often depicted with the lyre; a gift he is said to have received from Hermes (Homer Homeric Hymns, Hymn to Hermes 496-502). An ironic aspect of Apollo is that he is not only the bringer of plagues and contagious diseases, but also the god of medicine and healing. In this character he is introduced by Homer in the first book of the Iliad causing a plague amongst the Greeks. Lastly, Apollo is supposed to have instructed mankind in the art if foretelling future events and giving mortals the gift of prophecy; as with the daughter of Cassandra seen in the Aeneid and Aeschylus' Agamemnon (William Godwin Ancient History of the Gods of Greece and Rome 55).

Apollo was always represented by the Greeks under the most beautiful figure; young, unbearded, fair, and very animated. In many sculptures he his depicted with a bow and quiver of arrows and crowned with a wreath of laurel on his head. The wreath of laurel parallels with the story of Apollo and his ill-fated attraction to Daphne.

Apollo's infatuation with the daughter of Peneus, a river god, was not by chance but rather the mischief of Cupid. Apollo, after having slain the Python, sees Cupid and begins to taunt him about his bow, "That's a cute toy-not unlike my own. The difference comes from the shoulder it sits in and the arm that draws it back. I have killed great beasts, game of the forest, and now the amazing Pythin, that animate plague that sprawled across the whole fields and mountainsides, and all of its length was a-sprout with numberless arrows, for mine is the greatest bow. You, sir, merely trifle with yours as an icon or clever symbol (Ovid Metamorphoses 1.448-465)." As a result, Cupid took flight and drew from his quiver two arrows of opposite magic, one having a gold tip causing attraction and kindling love; and the other tipped with lead causing extreme distaste. The lead one he shot into the heart of Daphne, and the golden one pierced into Apollo.

Daphne sought refuge living in solitude as a devotee of Diana; suitors presented themselves, but she fled from them and the thought of love. She convinces her father to allow her to stay a maiden, but it is too late, for Apollo sees her and immediately falls in love. He is overcome with lust and must possess her, therefore seeks her out and a great chase begins. Apollo crazed with love for Daphne, he chases her through the countryside, calling out to her to slow down and be with him. Daphne prays to be saved and is instantly turned into a laurel tree. Apollo, his love still not daunted, speaks to her filled with grief, "You would not be my wife; yet you shall be my tree. My hair, my lyre, and my quiver shall always bear the laurel, which shall be my emblem and sign.... Because I am immortal and my hair cannot turn gray, you shall be like me, with foliage ever green (Ovid Metamorphoses 1.557-562)."

Ovid tells us yet another story of Apollo and misguided love. In Thessaly, lived a beautiful young woman named Coronis, whom Apollo adored and truly loved. Apollo's bird, the raven, kept watched over her and catches her with another man. On his way to report the news to his master, the raven is warned by a crow to not deliver such bad news; yet dismisses this warning and continues on. Recounting the story to his master, Apollo grew pale, and "the laurel fell from his brow, and the lyre pick from his hand, and after the first moment of shock had passed, he reached for his deadly bow of horn, strung it, fitted an arrow onto the bowstring and fired an unerring shot to strike the bosom he'd loved to fondle and press to his own (Ovid Metamorphoses 2.597-600)." Before she dies, Coronis states that she deserves her fate, but reveals that she was pregnant with Apollo's child. With that, she dies and Apollo's rage turns to remorse and hatred towards himself for listening to the raven. Before the burial rites; however; Apollo slashes open the womb of Coronis and delivers his unborn child, and gives it to Chiron, the centaur, for safekeeping. As for the raven, Apollo punishes it by turning it from white to the ominous color it now bears today, black.

Apollo's romances were not only limited to heterosexual relationships, but there are also examples of homosexual ones as well. In Metamorphoses, Orpheus sings of two romances, the first about a boy named Cyparissus, whom Apollo loved. On the island of Cos, there once was a tame stag who wandered into the homes of those he knew and permitted strangers to pet his neck and shoulders. The friend who admired him the most; however, was Cyparissus, who came every day to lead the stag to food and water. Tragedy struck one day when Cyparissus went out hunting, he failed to distinguish his pet from the rest and threw his javelin which mortally wounded his beloved stag. So filled with anguish and hate for himself, Cyparissus wished to die along with his friend the stag. Apollo tried to comfort him, but the young man could not be consoled and begged to be allowed to mourn forever and be excused from the changing of moods. Therefore, he dissolved from human form and was turned into a cypress tree, Apollo then spoke saying, "I shall mourn your loss, and you will mourn for others, for you will attend at the funerals of men to condole with all those who grieve (Ovid Metamorphoses 10.139-141)."

The last favored love of Apollo was a young man by the name of Hyacinthus. They spent their days together wandering through Sparta's meadows, groves, and hillsides, and Apollo served as an adoring attendant and friend. The more time he spent with Hyacinthus, the more deeply his love for him grew. One day they decided to try an athletic contest, and stripped down, oiled their bodies, and readied themselves for discus throws. Apollo went first and hurled the disc sending is off through the clouds until it hit the earth. Hyacinthus ran to retrieve it, but the earth threw it back and the disc smashed the young man in the face. Apollo desperately tried to revive the boy, but his fate was already sealed and he died. Apollo so filled with grief over his loss, turned Hyacinthus into a flower and inscribed on every petal the "Ai" of his deep sorrow, so that generations of men could read it there forever.

The romances of Apollo seem more like tragedies, than love stories, they all end with the death of Apollo's object of affection. One could conclude that it is more of a curse than a blessing to receive the affection of a god or goddess since it usually ends in the demise of a mortal. Whether they be turned into a tree or a flower, it still signifies the end of their lives. For the ancients, it would be better to respect a god or goddess from afar, rather then get involved with one, for that can only lead to trouble.