The document summarizes the Homeric Hymn to Apollo in two parts. The first part describes Apollo's birth on the island of Delos to Leto and his establishment of a cult there. The second part details Apollo's journey to Delphi, where he slays the dragon Python and establishes the Oracle of Delphi, becoming the god of prophecy. The hymn establishes the mythology and origins of Apollo's major cult sites.

1. Apollo of the Hymn to Apollo
• Late 6th century
• Two major parts-
PART 1: “Delian” part
-Apollo’s birth on island of Delos
PART 2: “Pythian” part
-Apollo’s arrival in Delphi-establishment of
cult

2. “DELIAN” PART
• Leto wanders to find a place to give birth to her
children. Why?
• Dialogue between Leto and Delos. Leto’s oath
• DELOS: “I welcome the birth of the lord who
shoots from afar.
• Leto/childbirth motif/description of Apollo’s birth.
Was Leto alone? NO, list of goddesses in line 94ff
Homeric Hymn to Apollo (page 26). Eileithyia,
daughter of Zeus and Hera, came after receiving the
gift, a necklace (see in vase).

3. • Apollo’s cult on Delos
• Delight with music and dances. Long-robed
Ionians with their children and wives. Delian
maidens (DELIADES) sing in memory of
men and women of old time, know how to
mimic voices and rhythms of all men.
• Apollo to Olympus

4. Why wandering?
• What does wandering signify?
-gradual establishment of the myth.
Also the idea of the island taking credit for welcoming the god-it
became the center for ancient Greek religion.
. The wandering then means that how rules and regulations and
cult was formally established.
Wandering from the point of view of poetics: wandering Leto,
wandering gods, wandering POETS.
READING THE HOMERIC HYMN to Apollo as a way of
understanding performances of epic and lyric poetry.

6. Compare with Birth of Athena
• Birth of Athena (who emerged from Zeus'
head) with Eileithyia on the right, red-figured
amphora, third quarter of the 6th century BC,
Louvre

7. LOUVRE- PARIS- Birth of
Athena. Attic “Exaleiptron”
(black-figured tripod), ca.
570–560 BC. Found in
Thebes

8. Temple of Leto in Delos

9. Remains of temple of Apollo in Delos

12. DELPHIAN PART
• The making of an Olympian God
• New quest where to make the temple
• Dialogue between Apollo and Telphousa (a nymph of a spring
in Boiotia, central Greece, north of Athens). Telphousa’s trick
on the god. Over sovereignty? Urged him to go to Delphi
• Temple-oracle
• Pytho- monster. When Apollo decided to establish his temple
at Delphi he found near a spring a dragon called Pytho (or
Python in other sources).
• Hera gave birth to TYPHAON, on her own, in anger for
Athena’s birth by Zeus. Typhaon was brought up by Pytho.
IMPORTANCE OF BIRTH STORIES IN HOMERIC HYMN
• Feminist reading of this part. Dragon/Dragoness
• Pytho a child of Gaia, could pronounce oracles>rival to
Apollo - Apollo killed Pytho.

13. • Pythian Apollo, from name of place Pytho, after the
dragon. Motif of heroism (triumph over monsters
becomes part of heroic identity)
• Punishment of Telphousa
• Finding priests-
• Cretan ship- Dialogue with the god
• Note: “dancing in his train the Cretans followed him
to Pytho, they were chanting paeans.

14. Delphi-Temple of Apollo

15. Delphi- view from the theater

16. Delphi- A “reconstruction”

17. Apollo, Athena and Hermes
Toledo Museum of Art

18. Apollo and Artemis attacking giants: Treasury of the Siphnians in
Delphi: Gigantomachy, ca 525 BC

19. Apollo and Artemis: Pan Painter, ca 490 BC

20. Apollo of Piombino: Late Archaic: ca 480 BC

21. Apollo and the Muses: Thasos: relief, ca 480 BC

22. Apollo and a Muse:
Attic kylix, ca 460 BC

23. Seated Apollo: Sotades workshop, ca 460 BC

24. Apollo before his temple: Painter of the Birth of Dionysos, ca
380-370 BC

25. Musical contest of Apollo and Marsyas: Praxiteles, ca 320 BC

26. Apollo: Sansovino, Andrea, 1502,

27. Apollo: Caraglio, Gian Jacopo, 1526

28. Apollo and Marsyas: Tintoretto, 1545

29. Apollo and Daphne: Bernini, Gian Lorenzo, 1622-1625

30. Apollo and Daphne
John W. Waterhouse

31. Apollo and Daphne
POLLAIOLO, Antonio del
Italian painter and sculptor, Florentine school (b. 1431/32, Firenze, d. 1498, Roma
Tempera on wood, 30 x 20 cm
National Gallery, London

32. Nicolas Poussin. Apollo and Muses. 1631-1632. Oil
on canvas. Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain.