Apollo

Abraham Lincoln Silhouette

The Story of Apollo from Ancient Mythology
Read about gods, goddesses and mythical creatures in the myth story of Apollo

Myth about Apollo
The short mythical story of Apollo is one of the famous legends that feature in the mythology of ancient civilizations. Discover the myths about the ancient gods, goddesses, demigods and heroes and the terrifying monsters and creatures they encountered on their perilous journeys and quests. The amazing story of Apollo really is easy reading for kids and children who are learning about the history, myths and legends of the ancients.
Additional facts and information about the mythology and legends of individual gods and goddesses of these ancient civilizations can be accessed via the following links:

Gods and Deities

Famous Myth Stories

Apollo the god of the sun

Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses

 

 

Apollo
The mythical story of Apollo
by Emma M. Firth

The Myth of Apollo
Long ago, on the rocky island of Delos, a little baby opened his blue eyes to the light of day. It was so joyful an event that the birds sang, flowers sprang from the ground in full bloom, and the little wood-nymphs danced merrily. A great joy came into the hearts of men, and the earth was full of gladness. Apollo, the beautiful, was born.

He it was who brought health and prosperity to men, and who caused the flowers to bloom and the grains to ripen, until the fields lay smiling in warmth and gladness, and the shepherds upon the hillsides broke forth into songs of joy. A beautiful goddess, Themis, gave Apollo a bow, and a quiver full of shining arrows, and better than these, a lyre. Then she gave the little Apollo some of the nectar and ambrosia which is the food of the gods. No sooner had ho eaten it than he began to grow taller and taller, until he had become a handsome youth. How strong, and noble, and brave he was!

Taking his bow and his lyre, he said, "These shall be my friends. I will teach the will of my father Zeus to men. I will teach them the songs of nature, and they shall sing more sweetly than the birds. I will teach them to see new beauty in the hills and fields. I will foretell to them the future, and they shall become wise like the gods."

The Greek god Apollo playing the lyre

Picture of the Greek god Apollo playing the lyre

So Apollo started forth to do this noble work for men. They began to grow wiser and better. The people honored him by making beautiful temples, and by growing skilful in the arts of poetry and music. Apollo was well loved by the gods; but he once offended Zeus, and the anger of the greatest of the gods was intense. Apollo's dear friend, Aesculapius, the god of medicine, had been killed bv the thunder bolts of the giant Cyclops. Apollo killed the giant, and Zeus had no one to forge his thunderbolts. For this offence, Zeus sent Apollo to Thessaly, and, taking away his power, made him a servant to Admetus, the king of that country.

So Apollo became a simple shepherd. But even on the hills, dressed in rough skins, the god lost none of his beauty. He played on his lyre so skilfully that the king called him to his palace, to play for his beautiful wife, Alcestis. Apollo and Admetus became firm friends. Apollo loved the king so dearly that he could not bear to think of the time when Admetus should grow old and die. He begged the Fates to make him immortal, so that he would never die. " He shall be like thee, immortal Apollo, but some one must die in his stead," they said.

One day Admetus grew ill; and Alcestis, bending over him, said, " Thou shalt not die, Admetus, I will die for thee. ' Life is sweet and thou shalt live to enjoy its sweetness." So the noble Alcestis died, and the home of Admetus was full of mourning. When Heracles, the strong, came to visit Admetus, he found a sad state of affairs. In spite of his grief, Admetus tried to make his guest feel welcome. After hearing the sad story, Heracles went away. He soon returned, bringing a lady whose face Admetus could not see. "Wilt thou care for this noble lady, Admetus? " said Heracles. At first Admetus thought that it was a stranger; but when he found that it was his own dear wife, his joy was as great as his grief had been. Heracles had brought Alcestis back after he had fought with and c conquered the messenger of Aides. While Apollo was caring for the flocks of Admetus, his lyre was seldom silent; and so well did he play that the tall reeds and grasses trembled with pleasure, and softly echoed the sweet strains.

The Legend and Myth about Apollo

The Myth of Apollo
The story of Apollo is featured in the book entitled Stories of Old Greece by Emma M. Firth first published 1895.

Apollo - A Myth with a Moral
Many of the ancient Myth Stories, like the legend of Apollo, incorporate tales with morals that provided the old story-tellers with short examples of exciting tales for kids and children of how to act and behave and reflected important life lessons. The characters of the heroes in this type of fable demonstrated the virtues of courage, love, loyalty, strength, perseverance, leadership and self reliance. Whereas the villains demonstrated all of the vices and were killed or punished by the gods. The old, famous myth story and fable, like Apollo, were designed to entertain, thrill and inspire their young listeners...

The Myth of Apollo - the Magical World of Myth & Legend
The story of Apollo is one of the fantastic stories featured in ancient mythology and legends. Such stories serve as a doorway to enter the world of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The names of so many of the heroes and characters are known today through movies and games but the actual story about such characters are unknown. Reading a myth story such as Apollo is the easy way to learn about the stories of the classics.

Satyr

The Magical World of Myth and Legend

The Short Story and Myth of Apollo
The myth about Apollo is featured in the book entitled Stories of Old Greece by Emma M. Firth first published 1895. Learn about the exciting adventures and dangerous quests undertaken by the mythical characters that feature in the hero myths, fables and stories about the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome that are available on this website.

Myths and Stories about gods and goddesses - Apollo riding his golden chariot

Apollo riding his golden chariot

Apollo

Apollo

  • Short story of Apollo
  • A Myth Story of the Ancient World
  • The gods, goddesses of the ancient Myth Stories & Legends
  • The monsters and beasts of classical Mythology
  • The story of Apollo by Emma M. Firth
  • A famous Myth Story and fable of the Ancient World for schools and kids
 

 
© 2017 Siteseen Ltd.Cookies PolicyBy Linda AlchinPrivacy Statement
Apollo - Myth - Picture - Fable - Short - Interesting - Picture - Simple - Tale - Picture Story - Mythological - Greece - Rome - Greeks - Romans - Mythology - Mythical - Legend - History - Creature - Monster - Greek - Children - Kids - Short - Example - Scary - Ancient - Popular - Classic - Old - Famous - Online - Made Up - Animal - Gods - Goddesses - Classic - Classical – Free - Apollo