Giving birth to two gods The delivery of Artemis was painless but the birth of Apollo lasted for nine whole days and nights because HeraHḗrā; Ἥρη, Hḗrē in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Olympus, sister and wife of Zeus, and daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › HeraLetoIn ancient Greek mythology and religion, Leto (/ˈliːtoʊ/; Greek: Λητώ pronounced [lɛːtɔ̌ː], Lētṓ, or Λατώ pronounced [laːtɔ̌ː], Lātṓ in Doric Greek) is a goddess and the mother of Apollo, the god of music, and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Leto
Birth of Apollo
Hera placed a curse on Leto that prevented her from having her babies (she was pregnant with twins) anywhere on the earth. Leto eventually found the secret floating island of Delos, where she had the twins Artemis and Apollo.
Apollo was the god of practically everything – including but not limited to music, poetry, art, prophecy, truth, archery, plague, healing, sun and light (although the god is always associated with the sun, the original sun god was the titan Helios, but everyone forgot about him).
Immediately after his birth, Apollo was fed with ambrosia and nectar by Themis, and no sooner had he tasted the divine food, than he sprang up and demanded a lyre and a bow, and declared, that henceforth he would declare to men the will of Zeus. Delos exulted with joy, and covered herself with golden flowers.
One day Apollo saw Coronis and became enamoured of her. He lay with her in her home, and consequently she became pregnant.
(4) MORTAL LOVES (MEN)
HYAKINTHOS (Hyacinthus) A prince of Lakedaimonia (southern Greece) who was loved by the gods Apollon and Zephryos. He was accidentally slain by Apollon in a game of quoits and transformed into a flower.
At just four days old, Apollo went on a hunt to avenge the Python who had tormented his pregnant mother. With his handy bow and arrow, he hit the Python and killed it instantly, while the nymphs of Delphi cheered him on. The Python's mother Gaea, meanwhile, was deeply angered.
Muses, the nine goddesses of arts, poetry, and song were all his lovers.
Here Leto gave birth to Artemis and then nine days later to Artemis' twin brother, Apollo. All the gods, except Hera, were present for Apollo's birth under a palm tree on the inhabitable island.
Apollo's love for Daphne was so strong that the god of prophecy was unable to foretell his future but still, his emotions were uncontrollable. He approached the nymph whom he now saw more beautiful and virtuous than she actually was.
The sharp, gold-tipped arrow pierced the heart of Apollo inflaming his love for Daphne, a beautiful nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus, while the blunt, lead-tipped arrow struck the nymph creating an intense aversion for love in the her heart.
Apollo angered his father Zeus and ended up being sent to Earth and is in the body of a 16 year-old boy named Lester Papadopolous. Zeus punishes Apollo for the role that he played in the battle between the gods in Gaea. Apollo is of course upset about this and is wondering how soon he can get back to god status.
March 4th: Happy Birthday Apollo!
Impregnation by Zeus
Nonnus classifies Zeus's affair with Semele as one in a set of twelve, the other eleven women on whom he begot children being Io, Europa, Plouto, Danaë, Aigina, Antiope, Leda, Dia, Alcmene, Laodameia, the mother of Sarpedon, and Olympias.
Apollo bragged to Cupid that his bow was bigger than Cupid's. Angered by the insult, Cupid shot him with a golden love arrow causing Apollo to fall in love with the first person he saw. Cupid then shot Daphne with a lead-tipped arrow causing her to be impervious to love.
Apollo's Women
Marpessa: daughter of Euenos. Their offspring was Kleopatra, wife of Meleager, although her father may have been Idas. Chione: daughter of Daedalion. Their son was Philammon, sometimes said to be the son of Philonis.
According to Aeschylus, Cassandra promised Apollo favors, but, after receiving the gift, went back on her word and refused Apollo. Since the enraged Apollo could not revoke a divine power, he added a curse that nobody would believe Cassandra's prophecies.
The Divine Twins Apollo & Artemis
Apollo and Artemis were often in opposition, and yet they sometimes came together in unison. Together they represent the impossibility of having one side of something without the other. Without the light, there would be no moon.
Hyacinth is a god who slept with Apollo and sided with Zeus during the Pantheon's civil war. Poseidon is Zeus and Hades' brother, with dominion over the ocean. After Hera offered the giants the sea if they sided with her, he chose to side with Zeus during the gods' civil war.
Daphne, in her effort to escape him, was changed into a laurel, his sacred tree; Coronis was shot by Apollo's twin, Artemis, when she proved unfaithful; and Cassandra rejected his advances and was punished by being made to utter true prophecies that no one believed.
As with the other major divinities, Apollo had many children; perhaps the most famous are Orpheus (who inherited his father's musical skills and became a virtuoso with the lyre or kithara), Asclepius (to whom he gave his knowledge of healing and medicine) and, according to the 5th-century BCE tragedian Euripides, the ...
In case you were wondering, Apollo Nida and fiancée Sherien Almufti are still very much happily together.