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In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of the Titaness Leto and the god Zeus. The image of him is the ideal of beauty, youth and masculine energy, which is why he is often personified naked. Due to the various attributes of him, the iconography of him is also diverse. Usually, he is represented carrying a lyre or zither, armed with a bow and arrows, next to the omphalos, a sacred stone, or with the Delphic tripod, that is, a stool or table on which offerings were made, leading the solar or crowned float. with laurel branches.
Meaning of each Apollo symbol
Lira
According to Homer, the god Hermes taught Apollo to play the lyre in exchange for initiation into the art of divination. For other authors, he invented the lyre or received it from Zeus at birth. Thus, Apollo is considered protector of the arts and that is why he is presented entertaining the banquet of the gods to the sound of the lyre and the chorus of muses that accompanies him. The lyre, in Apollo, is related to the primacy of music, an amalgamation of sound, poetry, dance and gymnastics.
Bow and arrows
Apollo is a warrior god, famous for being relentless with his punishments. According to mythology, while still very young, he went to the workshop of the god Hephaestus, who gave him a bow and arrow. From there, he is recognized for annihilating the Cyclops and other mythological characters.In The Iliad , he fought to defend Troy and is credited with the death of Achilles.
omphalos
The omphalos is a sacred conical stone, in which communication between men, the world of the dead and that of the gods took place. By placing that stone in the Delphi sanctuary, it became the religious center of all Greece, where tribute was paid to Apollo. Tradition places under the omphalos the tomb of Python, a serpent that guarded the oracle of Delphi. Apollo went to Delphi to take control of the oracular site and take revenge, as Python had harassed his mother for a while.
delphic tripod
This structure, a three-legged stool, was the place where the prophetess Pythoness sat to perform her oracles, or else a support on which offerings were placed in the Temple of Apollo. The tripod was the object of contention between this god and Heracles, who, angry at not having received a prophecy from the Pythoness, decided to loot the temple and take the tripod, for which he had to confront Apollo.
solar chariot
According to legend, Apollo drove a chariot from which came the sun’s rays that penetrated the earth every morning. The vehicle started from the eastern windows, where Aurora, goddess of dawn, lifted the curtain of day. Every morning, Apollo crossed the celestial vault with the chariot, pushed by steeds that spewed fire from his mouth.
Laurel
According to the story, in a display of arrogance, Apollo laughed at Eros, the god of love, when he tried to draw a bow. In revenge, Eros shot a golden arrow at Apollo to make him fall in love with Daphne, a forest nymph. For her part, Daphne had been hit by another arrow from Eros, but in her case it caused contempt. Consequently, Daphne rejected Apollo and fled from him. During her pursuit, the nymph implored her father, the god Ladon, for help, who transformed her into a laurel. In Ahead, Apollo wore the laurel wreath as a symbol of victory and honor. This symbol was also used in Greek times to identify the winners in athletic competitions.
Sources
Stephen, A. Apollo . Department of Greek Philology and Indo-European Linguistics. Complutense University of Madrid: Madrid, Spain.
Gómez, L. Iconographic and iconological notes on the presence of the god Helios and Febo-Apollo in art until the eighteenth century . History Class Magazine , 35: 1-38, 2009.
Rodríguez, M. Iconography of Apollo and the Muses in Ancient Art and its survival in Western art . Art and Iconography Notebooks , 13(26): 465-488, 2004.
