Apollo — Ancient Greek God

Apollo, God of Healing, Light, Truth, Medicine, and Music
Roman name: Apollo

Apollo was the son of Zeus (king of all the gods.) His mother was the gentle Leta. Apollo had a twin sister, Artemis, the huntress,a little brother Hermes, and several half brothers and sisters. Apollo loved his family - all of them, except perhaps Mars (god of war.)
Apollo had lots of jobs in the ancient Greek god world. He was the god of healing, the god of light, the god of truth, the god of medicine, and the god of music and musicians. One of his most important jobs was to bring up the sun every day. Like his sister, he was a great archer, and often carried a silver bow.
Apollo was reliable and easy going, but he could lose his temper if provoked.

Apollo's Name
The origin of the name Apollo is still not properly understood. Many Greeks seem to have supposed that it stands for “destroyer,” but this was only one of the many suggestions (“redemptory,” “purifier,” “assembler,” “stony”). Modern scholars disagree with most of them, with the majority linking Apollo’s name to the Greek word apella which means “a sheepfold,” and which may suggest that Apollo was originally merely a protector of the flocks and herds.

Apollo's Birth
Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. As one of the numerous Zeus’s lovers, his mother incurred the wrath of Hera, who sent the dragon Python to pursue Leto throughout all lands and forbade her to give birth anywhere on solid earth. Nobody would accept the pregnant Titaness, except for the island of Delos, where Leto first delivered Artemis while balancing her body on an olive branch. Afterward, Artemis helped her mother deliver Apollo as well.

Apollo and Music
The day he was born, Hermes invented the lyre and stole Apollo’s cattle. So as to appease his older brother after he found out what happened, Hermes offered Apollo his new invention. Ever since then, the lyre became one of Apollo’s most famous attributes, and its most celebrated master.

Apollo’s Ill-Fated Love Affairs
Apollo was loved by both gods and humans, women and men; and, more often than not, he loved them back as well. However, as it often happens, the most famous of his love affairs are the ones which didn’t end well.