APOLLO
Fresco Wall, Wall Artwork located in Pompeii depicting the Greek god Apollo, 62-68 A.D, UC San Diego and Pompeii wall.
Iris Zhou
The Fresco Wall Art from Pompeii shows significant milestones of the Greek Apollo. Ancient Greek culture walls, sculpture, frescos, and pottery art emphasized important Greek myths and accomplishments of the human being. Art preserves information through time and often time portrays power, pride, and honor. These art were symbolic of Greek culture and over time Greek art has spread and influenced various art forms, cultures, and movements in history after the Greek empire, honoring the gods. Apollo was the god of practically everything, a life filled with complexity and importance to Greek myth and Zeus - Apollo was not one to be quiet and wanted the world to know his presence. He is most known for killing Python (the bottom second sculpture with the bow and arrow alongside the snake python) and playing the lyre (the bottom fourth sculpture).
The birth of Apollo was considered a threat since he is the product of the Zeus and Leto affair, but this was common in Greek Myth. Hera, Zeus' wife wanted to get rid of Apollo, making it difficult for Leto to find a place of birth, and luckily Delos accepted Leto. According to the Homeric Hymn on the island of Delos, Leto searched for a place to give birth, being rejected by many places because of their fear that Apollo would be a powerful and dangerous god who might scorn his birthplace [19–48]. They all trembled and were very much afraid; and not one of them, even the rich, dared to receive the god Phoebus until Lady Leto came to Delos [45–60] (Morford et al.247). And Hera kept her there on the heights of Olympus because she was jealous that Leto of the beautiful hair was about to bear a strong and noble son [89–101] (Morford et al. 247). Despite all the interference, Apollo was born successfully and went for revenge. In Greek mythology, a python was killed by Apollo at Delphi, which myth presents two versions. One the python would not let him find his oracle, being custom to giving its oracles, and two the python has persecuted his mother, during Leto pregnancy. Before Apollo's arrival, Python was the traditional child of Gaea with an oracle at Delphi. But after Python's defeat, Delphi became a place to celebrate Apollo’s victory. There were many legends about Apollo fighting with Python, but they share similar cultures and symbols, which is part of Greek mythology where there isn’t an answer recalling lecture 2 in CLAS 430 (La Fond).
Delphi was built in the 8th century B.C. It was home to the Oracle of Delphi and the priestess Pythia, who was famed throughout the ancient world for divining the future. The sanctuary later was dedicated to the Greek god Apollo where he found his oracle. This was a place for religious centers and a symbol of unity of the ancient Greek world (UNESCO). In Apollo and Delphi, recited as a song to Pythian Apollo, the god of Delphi. “Filled with a wealth of mythological information, it tells how Apollo descended … finally discovering the proper spot for the foundation of his oracle among humankind at Crisa under snow-capped Parnassus.” (Morford 248). In Greek myth, divine, true form, and mortals, et. were important to the gods which connect to mother nature, supernatural powers, and eternity. And the Pythian Games (which is the Apollo games - Apolo is referred to as Pythian because of the deed of killing python). are held at Delphi to honor Apollo, and apart from sports and athletics, the games also include music and poetry. Music was significant to Apollo as he is always seen playing the lyre. The lyre was a gift from or exchange depending on the myth from Hermes for cattle, which become symbolic pieces to Apollo. He fell in love with the beautiful sound of the instrument. There are two attributes seen around Apollo: his lyre and bow, the bow symbolized distance, death, terror, and awe, and the lyre more gently proclaimed the joy of communion with Olympus through music, poetry, and dance.
Art has been a form where Apollo presents his divine, from the instruments he carries, tales, and traditions he leaves for in Greek history. The creation of Greek art was meant to honor the gods, but those gods were created in the image of humans, through beliefs and legends through generations. The mystery that surrounds Greek gods left many masterpieces left behind for descent, including the fresco art shown above. And it has continued to influence art and tales throughout history. This leads to a question on how art is power as history has shown different empires utilized sculpture and architecture to solidify religion and worship. And Greek gods were portrayed to be immortal and to hold special powers.
Citation
Morford, Mark, et al. Classical Mythology. Available from: University Bookstore Bookshelf, (12th Edition). Oxford University Press Academic US, 2023.
Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. “Archaeological Site of Delphi.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/393/.
La Fond, Marie. CLAS 430 A Su 23 Greek And Roman Mythology “ Laying the Foundation, Setting the Scene: Creation Myth “lesson-2-video-lectures?module_item_id=18539192”
UC San Diego. Fresco Wall “https://library-artstor-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/#/
Kiera Nguyen
The Fresco Wall depicted many Greek gods and goddesses; our main focal point will center on Apollo, who is greatly known as the god of the sun, music, archery, and prophecy. This particular painting was a form of mural painting where earth pigments were directly painted on the plaster. This unique style of painting bound the pigment and plaster together, making humid weather the ideal condition for this style of art. Apollo was a revered and powerful god, often depicted nude with a laurel crown, in addition to a bow and arrow. Artemis is his twin, and during their birth, Python was sent by Hera to assassinate the two twins because of Zeus's infidelity. Due to Hera being the goddess of childbirth, Apollo and Artemis' mother, Leto, was unable to find solid ground to give birth to her children. Zeus intervened and emerged from an island from the sea named Delos, so that she could give birth to her kids. Afterward, Apollo killed Python because he had caused his mother so much strife during their birth into the world. This murder of Python connects him especially to the lyre, as he plays the lyre upon killing Python because he was overjoyed in slaying the creature. In Lesson 4, La Fond touches on the origin of Apollo's name, suggesting that it derives from "Apelion," which means "promise" or "boastful promise." These origins are later important because we can observe the way Apollo conducts himself in all matters, trivial or profound, like matters of the heart.
The story of Apollo and Daphne started when Apollo told Eros to leave his war-like weapons to gods like Apollo and stick to other pastimes. This enraged Cupid because it devalued his duty of inflating love and passion within others. Due to this, Eros prepared two arrows, one for Apollo and one for Daphne. Apollo became infatuated with Daphne, while she detested him. This event caused Apollo to chase her against her wishes, leading her to pray to her father, a river god, for help. She was turned into a laurel tree, and Apollo, heartbroken, made the laurel a customary symbol of victory so that she may be remembered forever. This is why Apollo is associated with the laurel. This myth has also been depicted as a battle between chastity and sexual desire. Another reference is in the Iliad, where Apollo supports the Trojans in the Trojan War, representing a parallel between Achilles and himself. This link shows how a hero's life is often linked with a God, and how that god may foreshadow the hero's demise. Along the note of the Trojan War, Apollo also cursed a woman named Cassandra to foresee how the Trojans would win the war but cursed her in a way that no one would believe her prophecies.
Besides love, art, and prophecy, Apollo also has yet another side to his multifaceted personality. In Apollo's musical contests, the most notable one being with Pan and the satyr Marsyas, the satyr challenges the god to a musical competition, where Apollo appears victorious. Apollo then flays the satyr for his hubris and shows the ruthlessness that the god possesses. Another story worth noting of Apollo's ability to be ruthless is the story of Niobe, a woman who boasted that she was more fortunate than Leto due to her ability to have many more children. When Artemis and Apollo heard about the insult, they were enraged and came to earth to kill every single child of Niobe. It was a high price for Niobe's ignorance, and being so devastated, she fled to Mount Sipylus and was turned to stone.
In all his glory, Apollo is a god that many loved and feared. His contributions to art, music, prophecy, medicine, and more influenced how the Greeks conducted their everyday life. Many of the Greek masterpieces, like the one depicted above, show images of the gods sporting symbols that led to explanations of things like the laurel tree or provided lessons on how to conduct morality. The Greek gods weren't shown in a fashion where they were able to do no wrong; instead, they served as blueprints that showed the consequences of one's actions in divine spirit. The gods weren't exempt from making mistakes and facing retribution for them. Apollo was not any different; he experienced rage, love, and all the passions that humans faced. Thanks to the Greek's influence, we now have these tales to show the origin for things we cannot explain.
Works Cited
Newtonic, Learnodo. 10 Most Famous Myths Featuring the Greek God Apollo | Learnodo Newtonic. learnodo-newtonic.com/apollo-myths.
La Fond, Marie. CLAS 430 A Su 23 Greek And Roman Mythology “Bows, Beats, Bearing Prophecies: Apollo “lesson-4-video-lectures?module_item_id=18539192”
UC San Diego. Fresco Wall “https://library-artstor-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/#/