Apollo (Roman Phoebus)
Alternatively Phoebus or Phoibos.
In Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto and twin brother of Artemis (Diana); the Romans named him Phoebus, but also used his Greek name as well.
Apollo was one of the greatest of the Olympian gods, and sometimes identified with Helios the sun-god. He was the god of the intellect, of the arts, of prophecy, of healing, and of light. His plant was the laurel and he is represented as the perfection of youthful manhood. His greatest shrine was that of the famous oracle at Delphi, which he had gained by killing the Python, a dragon which had formerly guarded the place.
Of Apollo's loves, noteworthy is that for Coronis, the mother of Aesculapius; of Daphne, whom he turned into a laurel; of Cassandra, to whom he gave the gift of prophecy — which he could not recall but which, when she denied him her love, he nullified by decreeing that, although she could foretell the future, no one would ever believe her.
A somewhat similar legend concerned the Cumaean Sibyl. She asked to live as many years as she could hold grains of sand in her hands and he granted her wish, but when she denied him her favors he refused to attach eternal youth to her eternal years and she grew incredibly shriveled and longed for death.
Another legend concerning Apollo is the one about Hermes' birth. Hermes was a mischievous rascal, and the day that he was born he stole Apollo's herd of cows. Apollo forgave him when Hermes gave him the Lyre, a small harp, which he had invented and made out of a tortoise shell.
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See Artemis, Troy, Zeus, Delphi, Olympians, Greeks, Hermes, Hera, Hades, Bacchus, Centaurs, Cerberus, Daedalus, Dionysus, Vulcan, Mars, Oracle, Tarpeian Rock, Tartarus, Telegonus, Telemachus, Harsh Spinners, Delphi, Mystic Gifts and Charms - New Age Gift Shop & Wicca and Pagan Supplies, Love Spells -- Use these powerful love spells to help you find and keep your true love, The Chakra Store, The Tarot Store, The Chakra Store, Divination & Scrying Tools and Supplies, Unique Amulets, Talismans, Good Luck Charms, and Love Tokens, Powerful Witch Doctor Spell Kits, Powerful Spells - Cast by Andreika the Witch, Webmasters Make $$$, AzureGreen - Celebrating All Paths to the Divine, ISIS - Tools for Your Soul's Journey, and The Pyramid Collection - Myth, Magick, Fantasy and Romance.
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Sources: (1) Cooper, J.C. (Editor), Brewer's Book of Myth and Legend, Cassell Academic Publishing; (2) Evans, Bergen, Dictionary of Mythology, Dell Publishing Co., Inc.; (3) Dixon-Kennedy, Mike, Encyclopedia of Greco-Roman Mythology, ABC-Clio Inc. Publishers; (4) Ayto, John, Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, Collins Reference Publishing.
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