Apollo Flashcards
Birth?
On (Asteria) Delos, the floating island. Result of Hera’s curse, which said Leto could not give birth on land. Apollo tells his mom to stop thier pre-birth. Immediatley proclaims his nature. Plant life on Delos
Nature?
God of poetry, music, prophecy, disease
Iconography?
Bow, lyre, laurel
Iconography of Demeter
-Wheat-sheaf
-Red poppy (enthroned or with staff)
-Cornucopia (symbol of abundance)
-Often seen veiled
-Sometimes has a crown
Alt. name: Deo (used specifically in terms of her religion)
Who is Demeter? What is she the goddess of?
-Sister of Zeus
-Daughter of Rhea and Cronus
-Goddess of grain and harvest, fertility, cycle of life and death in nature and humanity
Persephone
-Iconography
-Collecting flowers in the field
-As Queen of the Dead, often enthroned
-Daughter of Demeter of Zeus (shares mom’s iconography)
-Married to Hades
What is Delphi?
Religious centre of Greece, on Mt. Parnassos
Contains temple,s cities, stadiums and theatres
Site of Pythian games - celebrated every 4 years
Apollo slays Python
Pythia?
Sat on tripod stool
Earthquake activity - inhaling fumes?
Priestesses who communicated prophecies of Apollo, often unintelligible, translated by priests
Eleusinian Mysteries
-Eleusis: town where the religion and ceremony that developed in honor of Demeter and her daughter had its center
-Eleusinian Mysteries
-A “mystery cult” where devotees were sworn to secrecy and could faced extreme punishments if they revealed their rites
-Open to all; male and female, free and slave, who spoke Greek and had not committed murder
-Lesser Mysteries: purified initiates and prepared them for the Greater Mysteries, held annually in the spring
–> Involved sacrifice, prayer, fasting, and cleansing by water - not much else known
Rites in honor of Demeter at Eleusis
-From Bronze Age through CE
-Visitors from all over the world
-Secret initiation
-Hierophant: highest position of priesthood, could reveal to worshipers the Hiera, the sacred objects
Homeric Hymn to Demeter
-Abduction of Persephone by Hades
-Demeter’s anguish which led her to Eleusis
-Reunion of Demeter and Persephone
Apollo Delphinius
Recruiting priests for site at Crisa, transforms into dolphin, goes to merchant ship, convinces them to worship him, lead them to sanctuary.
Etymology for Delphi
Sibyl
if she gives Apollo virginity, lives forever.
Sibyl asks for as many years as a handful of sand, but not for youth also.
Cassandra
Denies Apollo’s advances
He spits in her mouth, curses her to give prophecy but no one will believe her
Daughter of Priam of Troy, Raped by Ajax the Lesser
- Athena sends a storm on Greek way home
Daphne
Huntress. Leucippos sneaks into the Huntresses of Artemis, Apollo is jealous, sways the Huntresses to bathe, Leucippos is revealed. Daphne wants to be turned into a tree - laurel
OR, Apollo couldn’t keep it in his pants, she got freaked out, Cupid hits Apollo with gold arrow, Daphne with lead
