Hymn to Apollo_ Summary

Part 1: Hymn to Delian Apollo

Zeus mated with LETO who conceived the twin gods ARTEMIS [ar'te-mis] (DIANA) and
APOLLO [a-pol'loh]. The lengthy Hymn to Apollo tells in its first part (“To Delian Apollo”) of
Apollo’s birth; no mention is made of Artemis.
Leto roamed far and wide in her search for a refuge where she might give birth, but the many
places she approached were afraid to receive her. Finally the island of Delos accepted her, but
only after she assured the island (which is personified in the Hymn) with a great oath that a
sacred precinct of Apollo would be built there and that it would become a place of prosperity,
wealth, and prestige.
When Leto had endured nine days and nights of labor, Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, was
summoned by Iris from Olympus to help in the delivery. Goddesses present at the birth attended
to the newborn child, and as soon as Apollo had been nursed on nectar and ambrosia, he
miraculously became a mighty god who declared that the curved bow and the lyre were his and
that he would prophesy to mortals the unerring will of Zeus. Leto was delighted with her son,
and all of Delos blossomed with joy.
In the conclusion of this part of the hymn, the poet (sometimes erroneously believed to be
Homer) describes the great festival of Apollo at Delos with its famous chorus of maidens who
can sing in all dialects and identifies himself as a blind man from Chios, “whose songs are the
best forevermore.” Bards, who are archetypally blind, see the Muses’ truth.

Part 2: Hymn to Pythain Apollo

The second part of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo (“To Pythian Apollo”) tells how Apollo
travelled in Greece until he found the proper place for the foundation of his oracle, Crisa, under
Mt. PARNASSOS, where he laid out his temple. Then he slew a dragon named PYTHO or
PYTHON. the speaker describes how Apollo kills a terrible Snake, who is guarding the monster
Typhon (also spelled Typhaon). Hera, Zeus's wife, bore Typhon in revenge for Zeus's having
fathered Athena from his own head, without Hera. Hephaestus (also spelled Hephaistos), the
child Zeus and Hera bore together, was born lame, and Hera is perennially jealous that Zeus has
sired so many beautiful children with mortal women and minor goddesses. Hera gives Typhon to
the Snake, to raise the monster child. The Snake welcomes Typhon as one of her own evil kind.
Then the serpent helps Typhon wreak much evil among humanity. Apollo, who is as talented
with a bow as he is with the lyre, shoots the Snake and leaves her to rot. The speaker mentions
that after the Snake's death, the spot where she died is called Pytho.

Thus the site was called Pytho, Apollo was given the epithet PYTHIAN [pith'ee-an], and a
prophetess of Apollo received the name of PYTHIA Originally at this site there had probably
been an oracle of the great mother-goddess Gaia, and the slaying of the dragon may symbolize
conquest by the Hellenes and their god Apollo, who thus becomes yet another to add to our list
of dragon slayers.
The OMPHALOS, “navel,” an archaic stone shaped like an egg with two birds perched on either
side, was thought to designate the location of the sanctuary at the center of the world. According
to legend, Zeus released two eagles from opposite ends of the earth and they met exactly at the
spot of Apollo's sanctuary, which came to be known universally by the name of DELPHI, or
DELPHOI, for the following reason.
After Apollo had established his sanctuary, he needed to recruit attendants. He spotted a ship
sailing from Crete and he sprang aboard in the form of a dolphin. The crew was awed into
submission and followed a course that led the ship to Crisa. Here Apollo revealed himself as a
god and initiated them to his service, with directions to pray to him as Apollo DELPHINIUS
[del-fin'ee-us], or DELPHINOS, a word meaning “dolphin,” from which Crisa or Pytho received
its new name of Delphi.

The Panhellenic sanctuary at Delphi was the most important oracle in the Greek world. People in
general and representatives of states in particular came from all over the Greek world and
beyond to ask Apollo questions of every sort. The Pythia, the prophetess of Apollo, uttered the
responses of the god as she sat on a tripod. Her answers came in incoherent ravings, which were
transcribed by a nearby priest into intelligible prose or verse. In Plato’s Apology we are told that
Socrates learned from the Delphic oracle that he was the wisest of men, a response that this great
philosopher took very seriously.

Analysis
Next to Zeus, Apollo is the most important of the 12 major gods. Even so, his birth and early
years seem to include more adventures than most of the other gods are given in this collection.
The long hymn seems to pull in different directions. It has two different but equally important
settings: Delos, where Apollo is born, and Delphi, where he sets up his oracle. Scholars
sometimes call the first half of the poem the "Hymn to Delian Apollo" and the second half the
"Hymn to Pythian Apollo."

The Delos section opens in the realm of the gods and ends on earth, among humans. The
immortal and mortal worlds enhance each other. As the scholar John D. Niles notes, this section
"begins with the assembly of the gods in the house of Zeus; it ends with the festival of Ionians
among the houses of the gods on Delos." Niles adds that the section opens with a greeting to
Leto and ends with a greeting to Apollo's and Artemis's servants. Further, it begins with a
question about Apollo—"How shall I sing thee?"—and ends with a discussion of the hymn's
speaker—"Among all singers, who is the sweetest?" Whereas most of the hymns in the collection
create a sharp boundary between humans and immortals, highlighting that humans are lower and
that they die, Hymn 2 blurs the boundaries. Apollo's benevolence seems to radiate and spill over
upon the mortals, lighting them up, at least for the duration of the hymn, with a borrowed
divinity.

As a rule, the gods in this collection are born without too much stress or pain. Zeus suffers a
cruel headache when Athena is ready to emerge from his skull, but the birth is rapid. Hermes has
already been born by the time the hymn's listeners are introduced to him. Aphrodite floats to land
on the ocean waves, carried by the wind. But Apollo's mother suffers greatly in this hymn,
roaming for hundreds of miles before she can find a place to deliver her son. Once Delos agrees
to allow Apollo's birth, Leto labors for nine days, "pierced by pangs that offered no hope," before
the goddesses find a way to smuggle Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth, onto the island. Hera has
frightened the physical world into refusing Leto a lodging. She has also tricked a fellow goddess
to make Leto suffer. The hymn shows the kindness of the gods and goddesses as well as their
propensity for cruelty. The hymn may reflect—through Leto's story particularly—the paradox of
humanity's inherent suffering amidst life's pleasures. It also celebrates the marvels of childbirth.
Leto's struggles are naturally affecting, but it's worth noting that Hera, too, suffers in this hymn.
"Every most excellent goddess" is with Leto except for Hera, who sits alone inside Zeus's halls.
She's also alone—and wretchedly angry—when she conceives the monstrous Typhon as revenge
for Zeus's having fathered Apollo. Leto, seemingly the more sympathetic character, is given no
lines when she's in labor. Hera, whom listeners know to be jealous and vengeful, is given a long
and touching speech to explain her wrath. While both goddesses are to be pitied here, Leto ends
up giving birth to two magnificent children. Hera's offspring are a son whose lameness is
unacceptable to her, and a monster—whom Apollo kills.

Apollo establishes shrines at both Delos and Delphi. The sanctuary at Delphi is much more
important. Delphi was, in fact, the most important Apollonian shrine in ancient Greece. It is
usually referred to as the Delphi oracle, and not only did travelers from all over the ancient world
consult the oracle for advice, it also is mentioned in numerous literary works dating from the 7th
to the 4th centuries BCE. Ancient Greece had fewer words than modern English, and the Greek
word oracle has a triple meaning. An oracle can be the person who makes the predictions, the
priest or priestess who interprets the predictions, or the shrine where the priest provides their
interpretation. Hymn 3 is further complicated by the fact that the words Delos and Delphi are
occasionally personified. Each can mean the place where the oracle is located or the oracle itself.
Readers must choose the words' meanings based on context. Apollo kidnaps the Cretan sailors so
he can stock his shrine at Delphi with caretakers—and the sailors willingly follow him. For the
gods, the most important human activity is paying homage to the gods.

THE NATURE OF APOLLO

Apollo is a very complex deity. As a god of shepherds, he was associated with music and was a
protector of flocks. He was also god of medicine, and he replaced Hyperion and Helius as a god
of the sun. He is often called PHOEBUS, or PHOIBOS, Apollo, an epithet that means “bright.”
There is a moving, tragic humanity to many of his stories. Yet he is subject to many moods and
passions, not least of all his terrifying anger, however just.
Yet this same god was worshiped as the epitome of classical restraint—handsome, strong, and
intelligent, preaching the Greek maxims of “Know thyself” and “Nothing too much.” He can
bring enlightenment, atonement, truth, and a new civic order of justice.