When was Apollo born and where did his birth take place?
Apollo was born on the seventh day of the month Thargelion on the floating island of Delos. His mother Leto gave birth to him there after Hera banished her from all solid ground.
Common questions about Apollo
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the dual nature of Apollo regarding health and disease?
Apollo functions as both the healer of men and the bringer of death through invisible arrows. He could deliver people from epidemics yet also inflict suffering and deadly plague upon the Achaeans.
How did Apollo establish his sanctuary at Delphi?
Apollo established his sanctuary at Delphi by slaying the chthonic serpent-dragon Python on the cliffs of Parnassus. He declared himself the oracular deity of Delphi and deposited the bones of the slain monster in a cauldron within his temple.
What happened during Apollo's encounter with the Cretan merchants?
Apollo took the form of a dolphin to command a ship of Cretan merchants and turned them into his priests. He instructed them to guard his temple and established the lineage of the Lab(r)yaden priests who would serve at Delphi for centuries.
Where did Apollo spend his winter months and what happened during his absence?
Apollo spent the winter months in Hyperborea, a mystical land of eternal spring, leaving his shrine in Delphi under the care of Dionysus. No prophecies were issued during this time and his absence caused coldness which was marked as his annual death.
When did the worship of Apollo cease and when was the Delphic oracle silenced?
The oracle eventually fell silent and in the 3rd century Apollo ceased to speak. Julian the Apostate reigned from 359 to 361 and tried to revive the Delphic oracle but failed marking the end of an era.