Apollo in the Ancient Sources: 415 Passages in Greek & English

Hesiod (12)

Hesiod, Fragments 1.86–96Dionysus, Coronis and CyreneHere Hesiod describes the gifts of Dionysus, the wine that brings joy and sorrow, and the story of Coronis, to whom a crow brought word to Pytho. Apollo and Asclepius appear, and Zeus is angry with Apollo. Cyrene and her son Aristaéus follow, then Antiope, and the building of the walls of Thebes by Zethus and Amphion.
Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 1–74Alcmena and the birth of Heracles; Cycnus (1-74)The poem opens with Alcmena, the beautiful and faithful daughter of Electryon, whose husband Amphitryon had come to Thebes after killing her father and could not lie with her until he had avenged her brothers on the Taphians and Teleboans. While he is away, Zeus visits her by night and Amphitryon returns the same night, so that she bears twin sons, Heracles to Zeus and Iphicles to Amphitryon. The poem then turns to Heracles' fight with Cycnus, son of Ares, whom he met in the precinct of Apollo.
Hesiod, Fragments 2.1–3.16Marriage of Ceyx and the Great EoiaeThe Marriage of Ceyx has Heracles landing from the Argo to look for water and a feast with Ceyx. The Great Eoiae gives genealogies and local legends, among them Epidaurus, Hyettus and Mycene, and Melampus and the serpents.
Hesiod, Fragments 6.1–7.9Fragments of unknown position and of doubtful authorshipThese are short quotations whose place in Hesiod's poems is not known, among them the Three-fold people, and the Muses who make a man wise. A second group is of doubtful authorship and includes the Hesperides, a line about Telamon and the saying that gifts move the gods.
Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 75–149Heracles and Iolaus arm for battle (75-149)Heracles tells his charioteer Iolaus how Amphitryon came to Thebes after killing Electryon over oxen, and how Iolaus's father lost his senses through Zeus and went to serve the wicked Eurystheus. He bids Iolaus drive straight at Ares, who is raging in Apollo's grove, and Iolaus answers with encouragement. Heracles then arms himself with greaves from Hephaestus, a breastplate from Athena, a quiver, a spear and a helm, and takes up the shield, which has Fear in adamant at its centre with Strife above his brow.
Hesiod, Fragments 1.61–67Asclepius, Echemus and the TyndaridsThe section begins with Serus and Alazygus and then discusses whether Asclepius was the son of Arsinoe or of Coronis. It goes on to Echemus and Timandra, and to the descent of Castor and Polydeuces and the story that Tyndareus forgot Aphrodite in a sacrifice.
Hesiod, Theogony 1–34The Muses of Helicon and Hesiod's calling (1-34)Hesiod opens by hailing the Muses who dance on Mount Helicon and bathe in its springs, and lists the gods they praise as they go abroad by night. While he is shepherding his lambs beneath Helicon, they address him harshly, saying they know how to speak many falsehoods as well as truths. They give him a laurel staff and a divine voice so that he can sing of things to come and things past, and the race of the blessed gods.
Hesiod, Theogony 335–369The rivers and the Oceanids (335-369)Tethys bears to Oceanus the swirling rivers, among them the Nile, the Alpheus and the Eridanus, and also a company of daughters who, with Apollo and the rivers, watch over the young. Hesiod names a selection of both, saying there are three thousand Oceanids and as many rivers, but that only people living near each stream can name it.
Hesiod, Theogony 900–929tZeus's marriages and children; the birth of Athena (900-929)Zeus marries Themis (the Hours and the Fates), Eurynome (the Graces), Demeter (Persephone), Mnemosyne (the Muses), Leto (Apollo and Artemis) and lastly Hera, whose children are Hebe, Ares and Eileithyia. Zeus bears Athena from his own head, and Hera bears Hephaestus without Zeus. The section recounts again how Zeus swallowed Metis, who conceived Athena, and how she was born by the river Trito.
Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 400–480Heracles kills Cycnus and wounds Ares (400-480)Heracles drives his spear into Cycnus's neck between helmet and shield, and he falls like a lightning-struck oak. Ares attacks next, and although Athena tells him to stop, he is wounded in the thigh and cast down, and Panic and Dread carry him to Olympus. Heracles and Iolaus strip Cycnus's armour and go to Trachis, where Ceyx buries him, but Anaurus, swollen by rain at Apollo's command, washes the grave away.
Hesiod, Fragments 1.72–85Athens, Crete and central GreeceThese fragments name Butes, Breyon and Cychreus, and then Minos, Androgeos and Ariadne. They end with the families of Eurytus, Autolycus, Locrus, Ileus, Clymene and Thoas.
Hesiod, Shield of Heracles 150–239The shield of Heracles: war, Lapiths and Centaurs, the harbour, Perseus (150-239)The shield's decoration continues with Pursuit, Flight, Tumult and Panic, deadly Fate dragging a dead man, twelve snake heads, and boars and lions glaring at one another. Other scenes show the Lapiths fighting the Centaurs, Ares in his golden chariot with Athena, the gods on Olympus where Apollo plays the lyre and the Muses sing, and a harbour with dolphins and a fisherman. Perseus, wearing the cap of Hades and carrying the Gorgon's head, flies above the shield while the Gorgons pursue him, and beyond him men fight for and against a town.

Homer (63)

Homer, The Homeric Hymns 4.210–339Hymn 4 to Hermes (3): Apollo finds the thiefApollo reads a bird omen and follows the trail to the cave at Cyllene. He threatens the infant, who denies everything and answers with an omen of his own, and Apollo carries him up to Olympus to stand before Zeus.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 3.300–439Hymn 3 to Apollo (4): the she-dragon and the Cretan shipAt Crisa, under Mount Parnassus, Apollo shoots the monstrous she-dragon that has been a plague to men and flocks, and punishes the spring of Telphusa for deceiving him. He then looks for men to serve his temple, sees a ship of Cretans from Cnossos sailing to Pylos, and leaps aboard in the form of a dolphin to steer it to Crisa.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 3.179–299Hymn 3 to Apollo (3): the search for an oracle siteThe poet turns from Delos to the search for Apollo's oracle, passing through Pieria, Iolcus, Euboea and Onchestus. At Telphusa Apollo lays out the foundations of a temple, but Telphusa, wishing to keep the renown for herself, persuades him to go further, and he goes on to Crisa, where Trophonius and Agamedes lay the stone foundation of the temple.
Homer, Iliad 5.431–518Apollo rescues Aeneas; Ares rallies the TrojansDiomedes rushes at Aeneas three times, but Apollo thrusts him back and carries Aeneas to his temple in Pergamus, where Leto and Artemis heal him, while Apollo makes a phantom of Aeneas for the armies to fight over. Apollo rouses Ares to join the Trojans, and Ares rallies them in the likeness of Acamas. Sarpedon rebukes Hector, who rouses his men, and Aeneas returns to the fighting healed.
Homer, Iliad 15.281–389The Trojan counterattack; Apollo breaks the wallHector returns to the battle, and Thoas of Aetolia tells the Achaeans to send the host back to the ships while the best men stand and face him. The fight begins again and Apollo shakes the aegis, so that the Achaeans' courage fails. The Trojans kill many chiefs, and Apollo goes before them and throws down the Achaeans' wall as a child kicks over a sand-castle.
Homer, Iliad 16.684–783Patroclus at the wall of Troy; CebrionesPatroclus, forgetting Achilles' warning, charges up to the wall of Troy, where three times Apollo thrusts him back and tells him that Troy is not fated to fall to him. Apollo, in the likeness of Asius, urges Hector to turn against Patroclus, and Patroclus kills Cebriones with a stone. The two sides fight over Cebriones' body like lions over a deer, until the Achaeans drag it away and strip his armour.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 3.1–84Hymn 3 to Apollo (1): the god among the gods; Leto's wanderingsThe hymn opens with the gods trembling as Apollo enters the house of Zeus, where Leto takes his bow and Zeus gives him nectar. It then turns to Leto, who goes from land to land looking for a place to bear Apollo, but every place is afraid to receive him. At last she comes to Delos and pleads with it, and swears the great oath that Apollo will honour Delos above all other places.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 3.85–178Hymn 3 to Apollo (2): the birth of Apollo on DelosOnce Leto has sworn her oath, Delos is glad. After nine days and nights of labour, the goddesses bring Eileithyia, and Apollo is born, washed, and fed with nectar; he declares that the lyre, the bow and prophecy will be his. The Delian part of the hymn closes with the festival of the Ionians on Delos and the song of the Delian maidens.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 4.340–444Hymn 4 to Hermes (4): the quarrel before ZeusBefore Zeus, Apollo accuses Hermes of stealing his cows, and Hermes swears that he is innocent. Zeus laughs at the child's cleverness and orders the two to find the cattle together. Hermes leads Apollo to the herd, plays the lyre, and Apollo, astonished by the sound, asks where he learned such a gift.
Homer, Iliad 20.75–155Apollo rouses Aeneas; the gods sit apartAchilles wants above all to meet Hector, but Apollo, in the likeness of Lycaon, goads Aeneas into facing him. Aeneas protests that some god always stands beside Achilles, and Apollo answers that he too is the son of a goddess, Aphrodite, and should pray to the gods. Hera tells Poseidon and Athena that the gods should stand by Achilles, but Poseidon proposes that they sit apart on the wall of Heracles and join the fight only if Ares or Apollo begin it.
Homer, The Homeric Hymns 3.440–546Hymn 3 to Apollo (5): the Cretans at DelphiApollo leaps from the ship like a star and enters his shrine, and the Cretans follow him to Pytho, chanting the paean. He reveals himself and tells them that they will keep his temple, instructs them in how to sacrifice at the altar on the shore, and, because he first came to them as a dolphin, names the altar Delphinius.
Homer, Iliad 15.220–280Apollo revives HectorZeus sends Apollo with the aegis to Hector, who is lying winded on the plain, and tells him to rouse the Trojans and drive the Achaeans back to the ships. Apollo finds Hector sitting up and tells him that Zeus has sent him as his helper, and Hector is filled with fresh strength. Apollo tells him to send the horsemen against the ships, and promises to make the way smooth.

51 more passages of Homer that name Apollo

Apollodorus (12)

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.10.1–9Hermes, Asclepius, Leda and the suitors of HelenThe Pleiades are named, and Maia bears Hermes to Zeus, who steals Apollo's cattle, invents the lyre and trades it for the cattle and the art of divination. The line of Taygete and Lacedaemon leads to Hyacinth, to Asclepius, son of Apollo and Coronis, whom Zeus strikes with a thunderbolt for raising the dead, and to Tyndareus and Icarius. Zeus, as a swan, lies with Leda, who bears Helen and the Dioscuri (or, in another version, Nemesis lays Helen's egg), and Theseus carries Helen off. The kings of Greece court Helen, and Tyndareus, on Odysseus's advice, binds them by an oath to defend the chosen husband.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.4.1–5Leto, Apollo and Artemis; Python, Marsyas and OrionAsteria flees Zeus and becomes the island Delos, where the hunted Leto bears Artemis and then Apollo. Apollo takes over the oracle at Delphi by killing the snake Python, kills Tityus for assaulting Leto, and has Marsyas flayed after a musical contest. Artemis kills Orion on Delos, and two reasons are given, a challenge at quoits or violence against the Hyperborean maiden Opis; the section ends with Poseidon's children by Amphitrite.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.3.1–35Paris and Helen; the muster at Aulis and the landing at TroyParis judges the contest of the three goddesses, carries off Helen, and Menelaus and Agamemnon call the Greek kings to arms; Odysseus's feigned madness is exposed and Palamedes is framed. The section gives the catalogue of the Greek fleet at Aulis, the omen of the snake and sparrows, the failed first landing in Mysia and the healing of Telephus, and the sacrifice of Iphigenia. After Tenedos and the abandonment of Philoctetes, Protesilaus is the first to die at Troy, Achilles takes many nearby cities, and the Trojan allies are listed.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.3.1–6Zeus's children, the Muses, Orpheus and the birth of AthenaZeus marries Hera and has children by many goddesses, among them the Seasons, the Fates, the Graces, Persephone and, by Mnemosyne, the nine Muses. The Muses' sons include Linus and Orpheus, who goes down to Hades for Eurydice and loses her by looking back, as well as Hyacinth (loved by Thamyris and by Apollo), Rhesus and the Corybantes; Thamyris is blinded by the Muses and the Sirens are born of Melpomene. Hephaestus is born to Hera (alone, or by Zeus, in Homer's version) and thrown out of heaven, and Athena springs from the head of Zeus after he swallows Metis.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.7.1–10Prometheus, Deucalion's flood and the family of HellenPrometheus moulds men from water and earth, steals fire for them and is nailed to Mount Caucasus, where an eagle eats his liver until Heracles frees him. His son Deucalion survives Zeus's flood in a chest with Pyrrha and makes new people from stones; their son Hellen gives the Greeks their name and divides the country among Dorus, Xuthus and Aeolus. The section then follows Aeolus's children: the Aloads Otus and Ephialtes who pile Ossa and Pelion on Olympus, Endymion, Aetolus, Evenus and Marpessa, and the house of Thestius.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 1.9.1–15Athamas, Sisyphus, Salmoneus, Melampus and AdmetusThe sons of Aeolus: Athamas, whose children Phrixus and Helle flee on the golden ram and who later loses Ino and Learchus to madness, then Sisyphus, Deion, Perieres, Magnes and Salmoneus, who is struck down for impersonating Zeus. Salmoneus's daughter Tyro bears Pelias and Neleus to Poseidon, and the section follows Neleus and Nestor at Pylus, Pelias in Thessaly, and Cretheus's line with the seer Melampus winning Pero for his brother Bias. It ends with Pheres, Admetus and Alcestis.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.6.1–29The returns from Troy: Nauplius, Agamemnon's murder and OrestesThe Greeks quarrel at an assembly over whether to leave at once, and the section follows the returns: Calchas and Mopsus at Colophon, the storm at Tenos in which Ajax dies, Nauplius's false beacon at Caphereus, Neoptolemus in Molossia, and the fates of Demophon and Phyllis, Podalirius and the Locrian maidens. Agamemnon is murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, and Orestes avenges him, is tried at Athens, and brings the image of Artemis from the Taurians. The section ends with Menelaus's wanderings and his return to Sparta.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 2.5.7–10The Labours of Heracles (7-10): the Cretan Bull to Geryon's CattleHeracles brings the Cretan bull to Mycenae and takes the man-eating mares of Diomedes of Thrace, founding Abdera. For the belt of Hippolyte he sails to the Amazons, kills her after Hera stirs up trouble, and on the way home saves Hesione from the sea monster at Troy, which Laomedon will not pay for. For the tenth labour he crosses to Erytheia, kills Geryon and his herdsman and dog, and drives the cattle home through Italy and Sicily, wrestling Eryx and enduring Hera's gadfly.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.5.1–9Dionysus, Pentheus, Niobe and OedipusDionysus roams Egypt, Syria and Thrace, where Lycurgus is punished, and returns to Thebes, where Agave tears her son Pentheus apart; he also turns the Tyrrhenian pirates into dolphins. Cadmus and Harmonia go to the Encheleans and become serpents, and the house of Labdacus continues through Laius, Antiope with Zethus and Amphion, and Niobe, whose children are shot by Apollo and Artemis. Laius, warned against fathering a son, exposes the infant Oedipus, who kills him unknowingly, answers the Sphinx's riddle, marries Jocasta and learns the truth.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.7.1–7Creon, Antigone, the Epigoni and AlcmaeonCreon takes the kingdom and forbids the burial of the Argive dead; Antigone buries Polynices and is entombed alive, and Theseus's Athenians recover the dead for Adrastus. Ten years later the sons of the fallen, the Epigoni, take Thebes under Alcmaeon, and the Thebans flee after Tiresias's death. Alcmaeon kills his mother Eriphyle, is driven mad, marries Arsinoe and Callirrhoe, and is killed over Harmonia's necklace and robe; his sons by Callirrhoe avenge him and colonize Acarnania.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.12.1–7Dardanus, Priam and the royal house of TroyElectra's son Dardanus founds the line of the Trojan kings through Erichthonius and Tros, to Ganymede, Anchises and Ilus. Ilus founds Ilium on the spot where the cow lies down and receives the Palladium, and Laomedon and Priam follow him, with Tithonus and Memnon among Laomedon's line. The section lists Priam's children, including Hecuba's dream before Paris's birth, Cassandra's gift, and Paris and Oenone, and ends with the sons of Aeacus, Peleus and Telamon, the murder of Phocus and the birth of Ajax and Teucer.
Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.5.1–23The death of Achilles, the Wooden Horse and the fall of TroyPenthesilea and then Memnon come to Troy's aid and are killed by Achilles, who is himself shot by Paris and Apollo. The contest for Achilles' arms drives Ajax to madness and suicide. Troy falls after Philoctetes shoots Paris, Helenus reveals the three conditions, Neoptolemus joins the army and Odysseus steals the Palladium, and the Greeks take the city with the Wooden Horse, Sinon and the beacon at Tenedos; the section closes with the sack, the deaths of Astyanax and Polyxena, and the division of the captives.

Pindar (15)

Pindar, Pythian Odes 3.1–115Pythian 3: for Hieron — Asclepius and CoronisPindar wishes that Cheiron were alive to heal Hieron as he once healed others through his pupil Asclepius. He tells how Coronis, carrying Apollo's child, took another lover and was killed, and how Apollo rescued the child from the pyre and gave him to Cheiron to learn healing. Asclepius, tempted by gold to raise a dead man, was struck down by Zeus; the ode ends with the sorrows of Peleus and Cadmus as proof that no man has unmixed happiness.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 5.1–125Pythian 5: for Arcesilas — the Battiads and the colonists of CyrenePindar praises Arcesilas of Cyrene, victor in the chariot race, as blessed with wealth joined to honour, and praises his charioteer. He traces the Dorian colonists from Sparta through Thera and the Heracleidae and Aegeidae to Cyrene, where they brought the Carneian festival. The ode ends with a prayer that Zeus grant the race of Battus a new victory at Olympia.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 9.1–125Pythian 9: for Telesicrates — Cyrene and ApolloPindar praises Telesicrates of Cyrene, victor in the race in armour, and tells how Apollo fell in love with the nymph Cyrene, daughter of Hypseus, who wrestled with lions, and asked Cheiron whether he might take her. Cheiron foretells that Apollo will bring her to Libya, where she will bear Aristaeus, whom Hermes will entrust to Gaia and the Horae. The ode ends with the victories of Telesicrates' family and the stories of Danaüs, who married off his daughters by a race, and of the Libyan bride, the daughter of Antaeus, won in a race.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 6.1–105Olympian 6: for Hagesias — Iamus, son of ApolloPindar likens the opening of his ode to the building of a hall on golden pillars and praises Hagesias of Syracuse, an Iamid and victor with the mule-car, recalling Adrastus' lament for Amphiaraüs. He tells how Euadne, loved by Apollo, hid her child Iamus among the violets, where bees' honey fed him, and how Apollo later gave him the gift of prophecy and an oracle at Olympia. He closes by sending Aeneas to praise Hera and Stymphalus, and with a prayer to Poseidon.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 4.1–142Pythian 4: for Arcesilas — Medea's prophecy and Jason at IolcusPindar honours Arcesilas, king of Cyrene and victor in the chariot race, and recalls the word that Medea spoke at Thera, that her companions' descendants would colonise Libya, so that Arcesilas is eighth in the line from Battus. He then turns to Jason, who arrives at Iolcus wearing one sandal and astonishes the crowd in the market-place, and who says that he has come to recover his father's honour. His kinsmen Pheres, Amythaon, Admetus and Melampus gather to him, and he leads them to the hall of Pelias and begins his appeal to the king.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 9.1–55Nemean 9: for Chromius — Adrastus and the SevenPindar leads the Muses from Sicyon to the new city of Aetna to praise Chromius, victor in the chariot race. He tells how Adrastus, who had fled Argos, founded contests for Apollo at Sicyon, and how Zeus swallowed Amphiaraüs and his chariot in the earth at Thebes. He ends by praising Chromius' courage in battle at the river Helorus and his wealth.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 1.1–100Pythian 1: for Hieron — the golden lyre and AetnaPindar hymns the golden lyre of Apollo and the Muses, before which even the enemies of Zeus, such as Typhon beneath Aetna, are terrified. He praises Hieron, founder of the city of Aetna, victor in the chariot race, and prays that Dorian order may last there, recalling the battles of Salamis, Cithaeron and Himera. He ends by contrasting the fame of Croesus with the infamy of Phalaris.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 8.1–88Olympian 8: for Alcimedon — Aeacus and the walls of TroyPindar hails Olympia and praises Alcimedon of Aegina, boys' wrestling victor, and the justice of Aegina. He tells how Aeacus helped Poseidon and Apollo to build the wall of Troy: three serpents leapt at it and the one that entered it foretold the fall of Troy at the hands of Aeacus' descendants. The ode ends with Alcimedon's family, his father Iphion and his dead kinsmen.
Pindar, Olympian Odes 9.1–112Olympian 9: for Epharmostus — Deucalion and OpusPindar praises Epharmostus of Opus, wrestling victor, and Opus, mother-city of the Locrians, and begs his lips to speak no ill of the gods, recalling Heracles' battles with Poseidon, Phoebus and Hades at Pylos. He tells how Deucalion and Pyrrha made a people from stones, and how Zeus took the daughter of Opus of Elis to Locrus, who named her son Opus after her father. The ode ends with Epharmostus' other victories and a tribute to his skill.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 4.143–299Pythian 4: for Arcesilas — the Argonauts and the golden fleeceJason offers Pelias the flocks and herds but asks for the sceptre and throne of his father Aeson, and Pelias answers softly, sending him to fetch the golden fleece and the spirit of Phrixus. Jason gathers the Argonauts, including Orpheus, Echion and Eurytus, who sail after his prayer to Zeus. At Colchis Aeëtes sets him a task, and with Medea's charms Jason wins the fleece, kills the serpent and carries Medea off, and the ode ends with a plea that Arcesilas recall the exile Damophilus.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 7.1–8.100Pythians 7-8: the Alcmaeonidae of Athens; Aristomenes and AlcmaeonPythian 7 praises Athens and the Alcmaeonidae, who built the temple at Delphi, for the chariot victory of Megacles, and says that prosperity brings envy. Pythian 8 is a hymn to Hesychia, goddess of peace, for Aristomenes of Aegina, wrestling victor, and recalls the giant Porphyrion, who did not know her power, and Alcmaeon at Thebes. It ends with the thought that man is the dream of a shadow and a prayer for Aegina and the Aeacidae.
Pindar, Pythian Odes 10.1–72Pythian 10: for Hippocleas — Perseus and the HyperboreansPindar praises Thessaly and the Aleuadae and Hippocleas, victor in the boys' double foot-race, and prays that his house may prosper. He tells how Perseus, favoured by Athena, feasted among the Hyperboreans, killed the Gorgon Medusa and turned the islanders of Seriphus to stone. He ends by praising Thorax of Larissa and by saying that men cannot climb to heaven but may reach the furthest limit allowed them.
Pindar, Nemean Odes 5.1–54Nemean 5: for Pytheas — Peleus and the wife of AcastusPindar sends his song out from Aegina to announce the pancratium victory of Pytheas, and says that reverence restrains him from telling how Peleus and Telamon left the island. He tells instead how Peleus resisted the false advances of the wife of Acastus, and how the Muses sang at his wedding to Thetis. He ends by praising Pytheas and his trainer Menander and by bringing garlands to the portals of Aeacus.
Pindar, Isthmian Odes 1.1–68Isthmian 1: for Herodotus — Thebes, Castor and IolaüsPindar tells his native Thebes that her call outweighs his other tasks and praises Herodotus of Thebes, who drove his own chariot, comparing him to Castor and Iolaüs, the best of charioteers. He recalls Herodotus' father Asopodorus and the family's ties with Orchomenus, and calls on Poseidon, the sons of Amphitryon, the Minyae, Eleusis and Euboea, adding Protesilaus at Phylace. He ends by warning that a man who hoards wealth and oppresses others dies without glory.
Pindar, Isthmian Odes 7.1–51Isthmian 7: for Strepsiades — the glories of ThebesPindar asks Thebe which of her ancient glories pleased her most: the birth of Dionysus, the begetting of Heracles, the counsels of Teiresias, the horseman Iolaüs, the dragon-brood, the return of Adrastus to Argos, or the colony of the Aegeidae at Amyclae. He says that old glory sleeps unless it is sung, and praises Strepsiades of Thebes, victor in the pancratium, and his uncle who died in the van of the Theban army. He ends with a prayer to Apollo for a crown from Pytho.

Aeschylus (15)

Aeschylus, Eumenides 179–234Apollo drives the Furies out of his templeApollo orders the Furies out of his shrine, saying that no god loves such creatures as they are, and that they belong where punishment is given. They answer that he alone is guilty of Orestes' deed, since he told him to kill his mother, and that they will never leave their prey. Apollo says that he will protect his suppliant, and that Athena will judge the case.
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1035–1177Fourth episode: Clytaemestra and Cassandra's first criesClytaemestra comes out and tells Cassandra to come inside, but Cassandra does not answer, and the Chorus tell her to obey. Clytaemestra gives up, and then Cassandra cries out to Apollo and begins to speak of the house of Atreus, its butchery and the murdered children, and of a bath and a net, while the Chorus do not understand her. She ends by lamenting the fall of Troy.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 1–93Prologue: the Priestess at Delphi and Apollo's promiseThe Priestess of Apollo at Delphi prays to the gods who held the oracle before Apollo and then goes in to the shrine. She comes out terrified, having seen a man at the altar with bloody hands and sword, surrounded by sleeping women with snakes in their hair. Apollo tells Orestes that he will not abandon him, tells him that the Furies are asleep, and sends him to the city of Athena with Hermes as his escort.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 566–621Second episode: the trial opensAthena has the herald call the court to order, and Apollo comes to give evidence, claiming that he is responsible for Orestes' act. The Furies question Orestes, who admits that he killed his mother, and says that Clytaemestra killed her husband. Orestes calls on Apollo to speak for him, and Apollo says that he spoke the oracle at the command of Zeus.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 622–680The arguments of Apollo and the FuriesThe Furies ask how Zeus' oracle can make the murder of a mother right. Apollo answers that the death of a king, honoured by the sceptre, is not the same as the death of an ordinary person, and that a mother is the nurse and not the parent of the child. He points to Athena, who was born from her father without a mother. The Furies point out that Zeus himself bound his father, and Apollo says that fetters can be undone; Athena then asks the jurors to vote.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 681–733Athena founds the court on the Hill of AresAthena addresses the people of Attica and establishes the court on the Hill of Ares for the first trial of a murder case. She says that the reverence and fear of the citizens will keep them from doing wrong by day and night as long as they do not corrupt the laws, and she tells the jurors to cast their votes. The Furies and Apollo threaten and warn each other while the jurors come forward.
Aeschylus, Seven against Thebes 78–180Parodos: the Theban women in terrorThe Chorus of Theban women sing in terror of the sound of the approaching army, the clatter of the chariots and the dust, and call on the gods of the city for help. They pray to Athena, Poseidon, Ares, Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis and Hera and beg them to save Thebes from capture and slavery.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 734–777The votes are counted: Orestes is acquittedAthena declares that she will cast her vote for Orestes, since no mother bore her and she favours the male in all things but marriage, and says that Orestes wins even if the vote is equal. The votes are counted and found equal, and Orestes is acquitted. He thanks Athena and promises that his country will never take up arms against Athens.
Aeschylus, Seven against Thebes 792–874Fourth episode: the Messenger announces the deathsA Messenger tells the Chorus that the city is saved, since the attackers at six of the gates have been beaten, but that the two brothers have killed each other at the seventh gate, as their father's curse foretold. The Chorus, torn between joy and grief, sing a short lament for the dead princes and the fulfilment of the curse. They then see Antigone and Ismene coming to mourn their brothers.
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1178–1255Fourth episode (cont.): Cassandra's visions of the house of AtreusCassandra says that she will no longer speak in riddles, and tells how the Furies haunt the house for the old crime of Atreus, the banquet in which Thyestes was served the flesh of his own sons. She tells how Apollo loved her and cursed her never to be believed, and says that a lion lies in wait for her master, betrayed by the woman who is like a hound that licks his hand. The Chorus recognise the story of Thyestes, and Cassandra says that they will see Agamemnon dead.
Aeschylus, Agamemnon 1256–1330Fourth episode (cont.): Cassandra goes in to dieCassandra sees the lioness who will slay her, throws down her prophetic staff and garlands, and foretells that an avenger will come to repay her death and that of Agamemnon. She goes to the palace door, which she calls the gates of Death, and the Chorus pity her. Before she goes in she says that the house smells of blood and prays that her enemies will pay for killing a slave.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 299–396First stasimon: the Furies' binding songThe Furies tell Orestes that neither Apollo nor Athena can save him, and dance and sing a song that binds their victim. They say that they are the children of Night and that their office was assigned to them from the beginning. They tell how they drive out those whose hands are bloody and who have killed a kinsman, and they say that mortals who feel proud will be brought low.
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 246–305Orestes' prayer to Zeus and the oracle of ApolloOrestes calls on Zeus to pity the orphaned brood of the eagle, and the Chorus tell the children to speak low, because they are watched. Orestes tells that the oracle of Loxias ordered him to avenge his father's murder and threatened him with terrible sufferings, among them leprosy and the madness sent by the Furies, if he did not. He adds that grief for his father and his poverty also drive him, and that he will not see the Argives ruled by two women.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 94–177Prologue (cont.): the ghost of Clytaemestra wakes the FuriesThe ghost of Clytaemestra appears and reproaches the sleeping Furies for failing to track down the man who killed her. They stir in their sleep, then wake, and angrily find that Orestes has escaped, and blame Apollo for having ridden down the old goddesses and stolen away a matricide.
Aeschylus, Eumenides 397–489Athena arrives and hears both sidesAthena arrives from the Scamander and is astonished at the strange group. The Furies tell her who they are and what their function is, and she says that only half of the case has been heard. Orestes tells her who he is, and says that he killed his mother by Apollo's command. Athena says that the case is too great for any single mortal, and decides to appoint judges from the citizens to try it.

Sophocles (19)

Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 78–150Prologue (cont.): Creon brings the oracle of ApolloCreon returns with the answer of Apollo that the land is polluted and that the killers of the former king Laius must be banished or killed for their blood. Oedipus asks how Laius died, and is told that all his companions were killed except one who fled and reported that robbers attacked them. Oedipus promises to start afresh and to avenge Laius, since the killer might turn on him too, and the Priest leads the suppliants away.
Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 151–215Parodos: the Chorus of Theban elders pray against the plagueThe Chorus of Theban elders ask what the oracle of Apollo means, and pray to Athena, Artemis and Apollo to drive away the plague. They describe the dying city, the unburied dead and the cries of women at the altars, and call on Zeus, Apollo, Artemis and Bacchus to drive out the god of war and plague.
Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 84–117Prologue (cont.): Oedipus' prayer to the EumenidesOedipus prays to the Eumenides, saying that Apollo foretold that at the end of his wanderings he would find a resting-place at the seat of the dread goddesses, a blessing for those who received him and a ruin for those who drove him out. He takes his arrival here as the sign from them that Apollo promised, and asks the goddesses and Athens to pity him. Antigone sees aged men approaching, and Oedipus asks her to hide him in the grove.
Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus 1044–1098Second stasimon: the Chorus imagine the pursuitThe Chorus pray to be where the enemy will soon join battle, by the shores of Apollo or at the torch-lit beach, and imagine the horsemen of Athens overtaking the fugitives. They pray to Zeus and Pallas Athena, and to Apollo and his sister, for help, and sense that today the maidens will be recovered, and see the daughters returning.
Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 1297–1368Exodos: the blind Oedipus lamentsOedipus is led out, blind and bloody, and laments his fate, calling on the darkness around him. He says that Apollo brought these troubles to pass but that his own hand struck the blow, and begs to be led out of the land. He says that he wishes that the man who freed him from the fetters on Cithaeron had never done so, and the Chorus say that he would have been better dead than blind.
Sophocles, Electra 634–679Clytaemnestra's prayer to Apollo; the Paedagogus announces Orestes' deathClytaemnestra orders her maid to bring the offerings, and prays to Apollo to turn her dream to her good, to preserve her and her rule, and to keep away those who wish her ill. The Paedagogus arrives and asks whether this is the house of Aegisthus, and says that he has been sent by Phanoteus the Phocian with news. He tells Clytaemnestra that Orestes is dead, and Electra cries out in grief.
Sophocles, Electra 1288–1383Fourth episode (cont.): the Paedagogus urges hasteOrestes asks Electra to say no more about their mother and Aegisthus and to hide her joy, and she promises to do as he wishes. The old Paedagogus comes out of the palace and scolds them for talking at the door, and tells them to go in now that Clytaemnestra is alone. Electra greets him as the saviour of the house, and Orestes and Pylades go to pray at the shrines before entering while Electra prays to Apollo.
Sophocles, Women of Trachis 205–292First stasimon; Lichas arrives with the captive womenThe Chorus call on the women to raise a cry of joy for the return of Heracles and for Apollo and Artemis. Lichas arrives with a group of captive women and tells Deianeira that her husband is alive and about to offer sacrifice at Cape Cenaeum in Euboea. He says that Heracles was kept for a year in servitude to Omphale in Lydia as a penalty for killing Iphitus by treachery, and that he then sacked the city of Eurytus.
Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 1–77Prologue: the Priest asks Oedipus to save ThebesOedipus finds a crowd of suppliants with olive branches before the palace and asks why they have come. The Priest of Zeus describes the plague that blights the crops, the herds and the women of Thebes, and begs the king, who freed the city from the Sphinx, to find a remedy. Oedipus answers that he shares their pain and has already sent Creon to Apollo's oracle at Delphi, and that he is troubled by his long absence.
Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 216–299First episode: Oedipus' proclamation and curseOedipus proclaims that anyone who knows who killed Laius must reveal it, and that the killer is to be shut out from every house and from every rite. He lays a curse on the killer and on anyone who shelters him, and on himself if he knowingly does so, and swears to search for the killer as if for his own father. The Chorus say that they do not know the killer and suggest that he consult the seer Teiresias, and they see him arriving.
Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 300–403First episode (cont.): Oedipus and Teiresias quarrelOedipus asks the blind seer Teiresias to help the city, and Teiresias answers that knowledge is terrible when it does not help the one who has it, and tries to go home without speaking. Oedipus presses him and accuses him of having had a part in the murder, and Teiresias answers that Oedipus himself is the unholy defiler of the land and lives in unknown shame with his closest kin. Oedipus then suspects that Creon has put the seer up to this to seize his throne.
Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus 463–511First stasimon: the Chorus are shaken by the seer's wordsThe Chorus sing of the murderer named by the Delphic oracle, and imagine him as an outlaw wandering the mountains in flight from his doom. They say that the seer's words have shaken them but that they have no proof against Oedipus, who saved the city from the Sphinx. They say that Zeus and Apollo know the truth, and that until they see the charge proved they will not blame Oedipus.

7 more passages of Sophocles that name Apollo

Euripides (56)

Euripides, Alcestis 28–76Prologue: Apollo and Death quarrel over AlcestisDeath arrives and asks Apollo what he is doing at the house, and Apollo asks him to spare Alcestis. Death answers that his right is to take his due and that he will not give her up. Apollo warns that a man is coming who will take her from him by force, and Death goes into the house to claim her.
Euripides, Ion 82–183Ion sweeps the temple at dawn and drives off the birdsIon greets the sun rising over Delphi and tells how he sweeps and cleans the temple of Phoebus, sprinkling water and carrying laurel boughs, and says that he serves the god who feeds him as an orphan. He sings a hymn to Apollo, calling him his father in all but fact. He then drives the birds from the offerings and the roof with his bow.
Euripides, Ion 1553–1622Exodos: Athena appears and foretells the IoniansAthena appears and tells them not to fly, saying that she is Pallas, after whom the land is named, sent in haste by Apollo, who would not appear himself for fear of reproaches for the past. She declares that Creusa is Ion's mother and Apollo his father, and that the god gave him to Xuthus only to bring him to a house of high repute, and she foretells the Ionians, and that Xuthus and Creusa will have Dorus, ancestor of the Dorians, and Achaeus. Ion and Creusa accept her words, and the Chorus ends with praise of Apollo.
Euripides, Ion 1–81Prologue: Hermes at Delphi tells of Apollo, Creusa and the hidden childHermes, whose mother Maia was a daughter of Atlas, tells how Apollo took Creusa, daughter of Erechtheus, in a cave under the cliffs of the Acropolis at Athens, and how she bore a son in secret and left him to die in the cave. At the god's request Hermes carried the child in his basket to Delphi, where the priestess reared him as a servant of the temple. He says that Creusa and her husband Xuthus are coming to consult the oracle about children, and that Apollo means to give Xuthus his own son, who will be called Ion.
Euripides, Ion 429–508Ion rebukes Apollo; first choral song on childrenLeft alone, Ion wonders why the stranger lady hints at reproaches against the god, and rebukes Apollo for ravishing a maiden and leaving her child to die, saying that the gods should keep the laws that they make for men. The Chorus calls on Athena, Victory and Artemis, and prays that the house of Erechtheus may have the blessing of children. It sings that the childless life is hateful, and recalls Creusa's exposed baby on the slopes of Macrae.
Euripides, Ion 934–986Third episode: Creusa tells the story of the exposed childCreusa tells the Old Servant that she bore a child to Apollo in the cave of Macrae, alone, and exposed it there wrapped in her robe, hoping that the god would save it. The Old Servant weeps with his head veiled, and urges her to take revenge by burning Apollo's sanctuary, by killing Xuthus, or at least by killing the new son. Creusa says that she has a plan, and the Old Servant promises to help.
Euripides, Ion 1261–1311Fifth episode: Ion confronts Creusa at the altarIon cries out that this woman is a viper, a dragon with fiery eyes, who hoped to escape punishment by crouching at Apollo's altar, and demands that she be seized. Creusa warns him not to kill her in his own name or in the name of the god at whose altar she sits, and says that the altar protects her, and Ion answers that he will take her from it.
Euripides, Andromache 1070–1165Messenger speech: the death of Neoptolemus at DelphiA Messenger arrives with the news of the death of Neoptolemus. He tells how Neoptolemus came to Phoebus' shrine to atone for his past quarrel with the god, how men lay in ambush in the cover of the bay-trees, with Orestes, the author of the plot, among them, and how, when the Delphians attacked him at the altar, he fought alone, took armour from the pillar, and was at last struck down and stabbed by them all.
Euripides, Electra 1292–1359Exodos: the Dioscuri's prophecy and the farewellThe Chorus asks if it is right to speak to the sons of Zeus, and Electra asks why Apollo, who made her a matricide, did not prevent it. The Dioscuri attribute the bloody deed to Phoebus and Necessity's fate, tell of the burial of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, and say that Helen came from Egypt and never went to Troy, and the brother and sister part in tears, Orestes to go to Athens and Electra with Pylades.
Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 939–988Second episode: Orestes tells of the trial at Athens and Apollo's oracleOrestes tells of the beginning of his troubles: that he killed his mother at Apollo's command, was pursued by the Furies, and was tried at Athens by the gods, and that some of them accepted the verdict while the others still pursued him. He says that the oracle told him to bring the image of Artemis from the land of the Taurians to Athens, and the Chorus says that a terrible anger from the gods has boiled up against the race of Tantalus.
Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 1234–1282Third choral song: Apollo's birth on Delos and the oracle at DelphiThe Chorus sings of the birth of Apollo and Artemis on Delos, and of how Apollo killed the Python, the guardian of the oracle at Delphi, and took the seat of prophecy. They sing that Earth, in anger, sent dreams to men at night, and that Zeus took away the dream-oracles, and they sing of Apollo's honour.
Euripides, Ion 337–368First episode: Creusa asks the oracle's question for 'a friend'Creusa says that she has a friend who was wronged by Phoebus, and asks Ion to put her question to the god for her. She tells how the friend bore a child to the god in secret, exposed it, and does not know whether it lives or was torn by beasts. Ion refuses to speak against Phoebus in his own temple, and says that the god is ashamed of the deed, and that she should not question him.

44 more passages of Euripides that name Apollo

Apollonius Rhodius (10)

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1.306–447Jason is chosen leader and Argo is launchedJason walks to the shore at Pagasae, where the heroes assemble and he asks them to choose the bravest as leader. They offer the command to Heracles, who refuses and names Jason instead. Argo is launched and the heroes draw lots for their benches, and Jason sacrifices to Apollo while the seer Idmon reads the omens as good and foretells his own death in Asia.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.648–719Thynias and the epiphany of ApolloRowing on past the coast of Bithynia, the heroes reach the island of Thynias at dawn and see Apollo pass on his way from Lycia to the Hyperboreans. They build an altar, name the god Apollo of the Dawn, and swear to stand by each other.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.1694–1781Darkness at sea and the return to IolcusNight covers the Cretan sea until Apollo lights the way and the heroes land at Anaphe, where they make offerings. Euphemus' dream of the clod is fulfilled when it becomes the island Calliste, later Thera. Argo sails on past Aegina to Pagasae, where the heroes step ashore.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.448–527Paraebius and the Etesian windsAt dawn Phineus' neighbours gather, among them Paraebius, whose family had been cursed because his father cut down a Hamadryad's oak, and Phineus tells how he lifted the curse. Paraebius brings sheep for the heroes. The poet then tells how Aristaeus, at the bidding of Zeus, brought the yearly Etesian winds from Ceos.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.445–551The murder of ApsyrtusThe poet laments the power of love, and Medea lures her brother Apsyrtus to a meeting on the island of Artemis, where Jason kills him. The Argonauts destroy his Colchian crew, then sail away by night; the leaderless Colchians scatter and settle on the islands and the Illyrian coast. Argo passes the Hylleans, who help the heroes for a tripod of Apollo.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1.1–121Pelias' oracle and the catalogue of the ArgonautsThe poet invokes Phoebus and tells how Pelias, warned by an oracle to beware the man with one sandal, sends Jason after the Golden Fleece when Jason loses a sandal crossing the Anaurus. The catalogue of the Argonauts begins with Orpheus and goes on through Asterion, Polyphemus, Admetus, Mopsus, Peleus and Telamon and Tiphys, who steers the ship Athena and Argus built. It closes with Phlias and the sons of Bias from Argos.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 1.721–909Jason and Hypsipyle on LemnosJason puts on the purple mantle that Athena gave him, woven with scenes such as the Cyclopes at their forge, and goes to the city. Hypsipyle tells him how the women drove out the men and offers him her father's rule. The Argonauts linger on Lemnos until Heracles rebukes them, and Hypsipyle bids Jason a tearful farewell.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 2.911–1029Sthenelus' barrow, Sinope and the AmazonsThe ghost of Sthenelus appears at his barrow and the heroes pour libations. Argo passes the Parthenius, takes on Deileon, Autolycus and Phlogius at Sinope, and puts in at the mouth of the Thermodon, where the Amazons are arming. Sailing on, the heroes pass the Chalybes, the Tibareni with their strange custom, and the Mossynoeci.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.1393–1536The Hesperides' spring; the deaths of Canthus and MopsusThe heroes search for water and find the Hesperides, who show them the spring that Heracles made. Scouts go out to look for Heracles; Canthus is killed by a shepherd, and Mopsus dies of a snake's bite, and both are buried.
Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.1537–1693Triton, and Talos of CreteTriton, in the form of a young man, gives Euphemus a clod of earth and later shows the way out of Lake Triton to the sea. At Crete the bronze man Talos hurls rocks at Argo until Medea overcomes him with her spells and he falls.

Callimachus (5)

Callimachus, Hymns 2.1–113Hymn to ApolloThe laurel and the temple tremble as Apollo approaches, and the profane are told to depart while the young men prepare to sing and dance. The poet praises the god's golden gear, his youth, his healing and music, and the altar of horns he built at the age of four in Ortygia. He tells how Apollo guided Battus to found Cyrene, how the Carneian festival is kept there, and how the god killed the serpent at Pytho. The hymn ends with Apollo spurning Envy with his foot.
Callimachus, Hymns 4.1–86Hymn to Delos: Asteria among the islandsThe poet resolves to sing of Delos, nurse of Apollo, a wave-beaten isle that leads the others when they gather before Oceanus and Tethys. He tells how the island, once the floating Asteria who fled the love of Zeus, was named Delos when it became the birthplace of Apollo. Hera, angry with Leto, posts Ares on Haemus to watch the mainland and Iris on Mimas to watch the islands, and the cities of Greece flee from Leto. Apollo, still in the womb, rebukes Thebe.
Callimachus, Hymns 3.1–268Hymn to Artemis: the goddess's childhood wishesAs a small girl on her father's knees, Artemis asks Zeus to let her stay a maiden for ever and to give her a bow, a short tunic, sixty nymphs of Oceanus for her choir and twenty nymphs of Amnisus to tend her hounds, and Zeus smiles and grants it, adding cities. She visits the Cyclopes on Lipara for her arrows, takes hounds from Pan in Arcadia and captures four golden-horned deer for her chariot. The poet praises her favourite places and companions, among them Britomartis, Cyrene and Atalanta, and her shrines at Miletus and Ephesus. He ends with a warning to those who wronged her, such as Oeneus, Otus and Orion.
Callimachus, Hymns 4.205–326Hymn to Delos: the birth of ApolloLeto sits by the Inopus and leans against a palm-tree, bidding her child be born, and Iris tells Hera, who relents because Zeus has calmed her. The swans of Pactolus circle Delos seven times, which is why Apollo's lyre has seven strings, and the island turns to gold as the god is born. Delos tells Earth that Apollo will love her above all lands and that she will wander no more. The poet then describes the first-fruits sent to Delos from the north, the dance of Theseus at the image of Cypris, and the sailors' rite at the altar.
Callimachus, Hymns 4.87–204Hymn to Delos: Leto's wanderingsThe unborn Apollo warns Thebe not to make him prophesy yet and speaks of his coming fight with the serpent at Pytho. Leto is refused by the Achaean cities and by Thessaly, and Peneius is ready to shelter her until Ares threatens him and she bids him save himself. The islands, frightened by Iris, turn her away, and on Cos the unborn god forbids her to bear him there because another god, Ptolemy, is due to be born on the island. He foretells the defeat of the Galatians at Delphi, and Asteria then calls to Leto to cross over to her.

Theocritus (2)

Theocritus, Idylls 17.1–137Idyll 17: In praise of PtolemyThe poem begins with Zeus and passes to Ptolemy son of Lagus, whom it praises as foremost among men, and to his mother Berenice. It tells of his birth on the isle of Cos, of the lands he rules and the wealth of Egypt, and of the temples he has built for his parents. It ends with his marriage to his sister, likened to the bridal of Zeus and Hera.
Theocritus, Idylls 5.1–150Idyll 5: Comatas and Lacon's singing matchComatas and Lacon trade insults over a stolen goat-skin and a stolen pipe, and then challenge each other to a singing match with Morson as judge. They sing in turn, with taunts and rustic wishes. Morson awards the lamb to Comatas.

Aristophanes (12)

Aristophanes, The Knights 973–1110bEpisode: the rival oracles of Bakis and GlanisThe Chorus sing of the day of Cleon's fall. Paphlagon reads oracles of Bakis, and the Sausage-seller reads those of Bakis's elder brother Glanis, about a dog, a lion, a wall of wood and iron, a hound-fox and an eagle, and each explains the verses in his own favour. They offer Demus rival dreams of Athena, and he gives himself over to the Sausage-seller's care. He then says that whichever of them brings him the most titbits that day will be given the Pnyx.
Aristophanes, The Knights 1229–1315Episode and second parabasis: Paphlagon is undonePaphlagon claims that a Pythian oracle describes the man who will defeat him, and questions the Sausage-seller about his schooling, his trade and where he sold his sausages, only to find that every answer fits. He gives up the crown, Demus asks the Sausage-seller his name, and it is Agoracritus. The Chorus then sing that the poet may lampoon worthless men such as Ariphrades and the glutton Cleonymus, and tell a tale of the triremes who refuse to carry Hyperbolus to Carthage.
Aristophanes, Birds 682–722Parabasis: Chaos, Love and the birth of the birdsThe Chorus call on frail, short-lived men to listen to the birds and learn about Chaos, Darkness, Night and Tartarus. They sing that Love was hatched from an egg laid by Night and gave birth to the birds, who are therefore older than the gods. They add that the birds assist lovers, mark the seasons for the farmer and the sailor, and are the true oracles of men, since a sneeze, a rumour or a servant may all be called a bird.
Aristophanes, Plutus 77–252Prologue: Wealth reveals himself and the plan to cure himThe stranger tells them that he is Wealth, whom Zeus made blind out of jealousy of the good, so that he could not tell the just from the wicked. Chremylus and Cario argue that Wealth is mightier than Zeus himself, since every sacrifice, craft and ambition of mankind depends on him, and that no one ever has enough of him. Wealth fears the anger of Zeus, but Chremylus promises a cure, sends Cario to fetch his farm-friends and takes Wealth into the house.
Aristophanes, The Acharnians 1–203Prologue: Dicaeopolis at the Assembly; Amphitheus and the treatiesDicaeopolis sits alone on the Pnyx, complaining that the Athenians crowd the market-place while the Assembly is empty, and says that he means to interrupt any speaker who talks of anything but Peace. When the Prytanes arrive, Amphitheus is dragged off for claiming that he alone can make peace with Sparta, and Dicaeopolis gives him eight drachmas to make a private treaty for him. After the Great King's envoys and the Thracians brought by Theorus have been paraded, Amphitheus returns, chased by angry Acharnians, and Dicaeopolis chooses the thirty-year treaty.
Aristophanes, The Wasps 760–890aEpisode: a court at homeBdelycleon proposes that Philocleon sit in judgement at home on the maids and slaves, where he may fine them a drachma, sit in the sun and be paid. The old man gives in, though he complains of being cheated of an obol by Lysistratus with mullet scales. Bdelycleon brings out the properties of a court, a fire and gruel, the cock and the shrine of Lycus, and the chorus join in prayer for the new court.
Aristophanes, Birds 214–262Song: the Hoopoe and the Nightingale call the birdsThe Hoopoe wakes the Nightingale with a song, and a flute answers from within. The two then pour out a call to the birds of the fields, the marshes and the sea, telling them to come and hear a shrewd old man with new ideas. The two men look up, and for a while they see no bird at all.
Aristophanes, Birds 446–540Agon: Peisthetaerus tells the birds that they once ruled the worldThe Chorus promise to share whatever the stranger can show them, and Peisthetaerus begins a speech to tell the birds that they are older than Earth and the Titans and were once the sovereigns of the world. He offers proofs: the Cock once ruled Persia, a Kite ruled Hellas, a Cuckoo ruled Phoenicia and Egypt, and Zeus himself wears an eagle on his head. Men once swore by the birds, he says, and now they treat them as slaves, set snares for them and sell them to be cooked.
Aristophanes, Birds 723–797Parabasis: the birds invite the audience to a bird's lifeThe Chorus promise that if men take the birds for gods they will give them health, wealth, happiness and peace, and they sing to the woodland Muse, saying that Phrynichus drew his songs from them. They invite the spectators to a bird's life, where all that is condemned by the laws here is right and proper: a son may strike his father and a runaway may be called a Francolin. They sing of the swans who praised Apollo on the banks of the Hebrus, and end by praising a suit of feathers, which would let a spectator who is bored by a tragic chorus fly home and come back for the comedy.
Aristophanes, Birds 959–1019bEpisode: the Oracle-monger and MetonAn Oracle-monger tries to stop the sacrifice and quotes an oracle of Bakis that promises him sandals, a cloke and a share of the inwards. Peisthetaerus answers by reading from his own oracle of Apollo, which tells him to hit any impostor between the ribs, and he beats him away. Meton then comes with rods and compasses to measure the air and lay out a market-place and streets like the rays of a star, and Peisthetaerus gets rid of him by saying that the people are about to beat every quack.
Aristophanes, Frogs 732–777Episode: Aeacus and Xanthias; the dead quarrel over the tragic chairAeacus says that the master of Xanthias is a true gentleman, and he and Xanthias compare the joys of grumbling, spying and cursing a master behind his back. A great noise breaks out from within. Aeacus tells Xanthias that the dead are rioting over the rule that the best poet of each craft takes the chair at Pluto's table.
Aristophanes, Plutus 1–76Prologue: Cario and the blind strangerCario complains that his master Chremylus, sent off in a daze by Apollo's oracle, is following a poor blind old man, and he threatens to keep grumbling until he is told why. Chremylus explains that he asked the god whether his son should turn rogue and was told to follow the first man he met on leaving the shrine, and Cario reads this as advice to follow the fashion. When the stranger refuses to give his name, the two threaten him until he agrees to speak if they let him go.

Diodorus Siculus (8)

Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 5.73.1–5.77.8The gods' discoveries and their Cretan originsZeus is said to have given each god a field of invention: the Muses the letters and poetry, Apollo the lyre, healing and the bow, Hermes the herald's staff, Athena the olive, and Dionysus the vine. The chapters then give an older Heracles, Artemis, Plutus, and the claim that most of the gods began in Crete and spread to other lands.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.71.1–4.75.6Asclepius, Aeacus, Pelops and the kings of TroyThe historian gives the birth and healing art of Asclepius and the descendants of Asopus' daughters, including Aeacus and his sons Peleus and Telamon. He then tells of Oenomaüs and the chariot race by which Pelops wins Hippodameia, and of Tantalus, and ends with the first kings of Troy, from Teucrus and Dardanus down to Priam.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 5.60.1–5.63.3The Cherronesus and the sanctuary of HemitheaThe historian turns to the Cherronesus opposite Rhodes, where Triopas was purified of his brother's murder, and then tells how the daughters of Staphylus were rescued by Apollo. One of them, honoured as Hemithea, came to have the great temple at Castabus.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.81.1–4.85.7Aristaeus, Eryx, Daphnis and OrionThe historian tells of Aristaeus, son of Apollo and Cyrene, who after the death of Acteon goes to Ceos and helps the Greeks during a plague, and who is honoured as a god in Sicily. He continues with Eryx, son of Aphrodite, with the shepherd Daphnis in the Heraean mountains, and with the giant hunter Orion, whose works in Sicily, at Peloris and elsewhere, are described.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.31.1–4.33.12Heracles: servitude, Troy, Elis and SpartaAfter his labours Heracles gives Megara to Iolaüs and asks for Iole, daughter of Eurytus; he is refused, falls ill, and is told by Apollo to be sold as a slave to pay the sons of Iphitus. He then makes war on Laomedon at Troy and gives the kingdom to Priam, fights Augeas and the Eleans, and defeats the sons of Hippocoön at Sparta, restoring Tyndareüs. The section ends with Augê's secret child.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 5.55.1–5.59.6Rhodes: the Telchines, the Heliadae and later settlersThe Telchines first lived on Rhodes, followed by the children of Helius and Rhodos, the Heliadae, who are famed for their learning and for their sacrifice without fire. The historian tells of the killing of Tenages and Danaüs's visit to Lindus, and of the later settlers Phorbas, Althaemenes and Tlepolemus.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 4.64.1–4.66.6Oedipus, the Seven against Thebes and the EpigoniLaïus is killed by his unknown son Oedipus, who solves the riddle of the Sphinx and, unknowingly marrying his mother, has two sons and two daughters; the sons quarrel over the throne. Polyneices gathers an army against Thebes and Eriphyle, bribed with the necklace of Harmonia, sends Amphiaraüs to his death; the Seven fail, and the Athenians force the Thebans to give up the dead. At the seer Teiresias' advice the Thebans leave the city for Tilphossaeum, and the Epigoni take and sack it, dedicating Teiresias' daughter Daphne to Delphi, where she is also called Sibylla.
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, Books 4 to 6 (the Greek myths) 6.2.1–6.9.1Book 6: other fragmentsThe fragments that follow take up the gods named after lands they conquered, the Titans Xanthus and Balius, crowns, Picus who was called Zeus, and the Dioscori. They go on to Salmoneus, who imitated Zeus's thunder, to Admetus, Alcestis and Melampus, and end with Bellerophon at the court of Proetus and the Chimaera.

Ovid (27)

Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.452–567Apollo and DaphneApollo ('Phoebus' in More's translation), proud of his victory over the Python, mocks Eros (Cupid) and his little bow, and Eros shoots him with a golden arrow that makes him love, and the nymph Daphne with a leaden arrow that makes her flee from love. Apollo chases her, pleading, and as he catches her she prays to her father, the river Peneus, and begins to change into a laurel. Apollo embraces the tree and says that it shall always be his, and that its leaves shall crown victors and stand at the gates of Augustus' house.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.527–632Coronis and the RavenThe crow warns the raven, who is flying to Apollo ('Phoebus' in More's translation) with the news that Coronis has been unfaithful, by telling him how she herself was punished for bringing a message and was changed from a girl into a bird. The raven goes on, and Apollo, enraged, kills Coronis with an arrow and then rescues the unborn Asclepius (Aesculapius) from her body. He turns the raven's white feathers black.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.143–219Ganymede and HyacinthusOrpheus sings of the love of Zeus (Jupiter) for Ganymede, whom the god carries off to heaven as an eagle to be his cup-bearer. He then sings of Apollo's love for Hyacinthus, with whom he plays at quoits, until the discus, thrown by Apollo and deflected by the wind, strikes the boy on the head and kills him. Apollo, unable to restore him, makes a flower grow from his blood, marked with the letters of his grief.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 11.146–193Pan and Apollo; Midas' earsMidas, abhorring riches, follows Pan, who boasts of his piping and challenges Apollo to a contest before the mountain Tmolus. Tmolus judges in favour of Apollo, and Midas alone disagrees, and Apollo gives him the ears of an ass, which Midas hides under a turban. His barber, unable to keep the secret, whispers it into a hole in the ground, and the reeds that grow there repeat it.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 15.622–744Asclepius comes to RomeA plague strikes Rome, and the Romans, on the advice of the Delphic oracle, send for the god Asclepius (Aesculapius), son of Apollo, from Epidaurus. The god, appearing in a dream to the Roman envoys, agrees to go with them, and takes the form of a serpent and goes to the ship. He comes to Rome and, on the Tiber island, takes his own form and stops the plague. The poet notes that Asclepius came from abroad, but Caesar is a god in his own land.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 11.266–409Peleus, Ceyx and the wolfPeleus, exiled for killing his half-brother Phocus, comes to the court of Ceyx at Trachis, where he is received kindly. Ceyx tells him of his brother Daedalion, who was turned into a hawk after the death of his daughter Chione. A herdsman brings word that a huge wolf is ravaging Peleus' cattle, and the sea-goddess Psamathe, who sent it, at last turns it to marble at the pleading of Thetis. Peleus goes on to Magnesia, where King Acastus purifies him.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.1–100The palace of the Sun; Phaethon's requestPhaethon comes to the palace of the Sun, with its columns of gold and its doors of silver, and stands before the god, who sits in splendour surrounded by the Day, the Month, the Year, the Hours and the Seasons. Helios, the Sun ('Phoebus' in More's translation), embraces him as his son and swears by the Styx to grant whatever he asks, and Phaethon asks to drive the chariot for a day. The Sun tries to dissuade him, describing the steep ascent, the beasts of the zodiac and the speed of the sky.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 3.1–137Cadmus and the DragonZeus (Jupiter) reveals himself to Europa in Crete, and her father Agenor sends his son Cadmus to look for her and not to return without her. Cadmus consults the oracle of Apollo, which tells him to follow a heifer and to found a city where she lies down. He kills the dragon of Ares (Mars), which guards a spring, and sows its teeth on Athena's (Minerva's) advice, and armed men spring up from the furrows and fight until only five are left. These help him to build Thebes, and Cadmus prospers, though his story shows that no man can be called happy before his death.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 6.146–312NiobeThe fate of Arachne spreads through Lydia, but Niobe, queen of Thebes, takes no warning, and rebukes the women who are honouring Leto (Latona), boasting of her own noble birth, her husband's power and her fourteen children. Leto, angered, calls on Apollo and Artemis (Diana), and Apollo kills Niobe's seven sons as they ride and wrestle, and Artemis her seven daughters in their mother's presence. Niobe, bereft of all, turns to stone, and is carried by a whirlwind to Mount Sipylus, where she weeps.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 13.623–747Aeneas at Delos; Anius' daughters; ScyllaAeneas escapes from Troy with his father and his household gods and comes to Delos, where the king Anius shows them the temple and tells how his three daughters had the power of turning things into corn, wine and oil. Agamemnon tried to take them for the Greek army, and they escaped by prayer to Dionysus (Bacchus), who turned them into doves. Aeneas sails on past Sicily and the straits of Scylla and Charybdis, and the nymph Scylla asks the sea-nymph Galatea why she weeps.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.633–707Ocyroe and BattusChiron's daughter Ocyroe prophesies the greatness of the young Asclepius (Aesculapius) and, foretelling her own fate, is turned into a mare. Hermes (Mercury) steals Apollo's cattle, and the old man Battus promises to keep silent, but later betrays the theft to the disguised god for a reward, and Hermes turns him into a stone, the touchstone.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 12.534–628Periclymenus and the death of AchillesNestor ends his tale, and Tlepolemus, a son of Heracles (Hercules), reproaches him for passing over his father, and Nestor says that Heracles killed all his brothers except Periclymenus, whom Poseidon (Neptune) had given the power to change his shape, and who escaped by turning into an eagle until Heracles shot him. Poseidon, angry at the death of Cycnus, asks Apollo to destroy Achilles, and Apollo directs Paris' arrow, which kills him. His ashes lie in a small urn, and the contest for his armour begins.

15 more passages of Ovid that name Apollo

Pausanias (102)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 7.20.1–9Patrae: Dionysus Aesymnetes and the sanctuaries of the market-placePausanias describes the god in the chest, Dionysus Aesymnetes, served by nine men and nine women, and the children who go down to the Milichus wreathed in corn or ivy. He lists the temples and images of Patrae: Panachaean Athena in the Laphria enclosure, Mother Dindymene and Attis, Olympian Zeus, and an Apollo with an ox skull, with Homer cited for Apollo herding cattle. He also names the Music Hall, second only to that of Herodes at Athens, the gate with statues of Patreus and Preugenes, and the Lady of the Lake brought from Sparta.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.53.1–11Tegea: Apollo, God of Streets, the sons of Tegeates and the sanctuaries of the cityPausanias explains why Tegea has images of Apollo, God of Streets: Apollo and Artemis took vengeance on those who ignored Latona, and Limon killed his brother Scephrus, for which the festival rite re-enacts a pursuit by the priestess of Artemis. He reports the migration of Cydon, Archedius and Gortys to Crete and the Cretan version of those names. He lists the Tegean tribes, the temples of Demeter and the Maid, Paphian Aphrodite, Dionysus and Apollo with an image by Chirisophus, the Common Hearth, and the high place of Clarian Zeus, then the roads to Laconia and their sanctuaries.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.10.1–6Thebes: the Ismenian Apollo and the fountain of AresPausanias describes the great sepulchre near the gate for those who fell against Alexander, and the place where Cadmus is said to have sown the dragon's teeth. He then describes the hill of Apollo Ismenius, with the Pronai statues of Athena and Hermes and a cedar image like that at Branchidae, which he attributes to Canachus. He mentions Manto's seat, the statues of Creon's daughters, the annual boy priest called Laurel-bearer and the tripod of Amphitryo. He ends with the fountain of Ares, the grave of Caanthus, who tried to rescue Melia from Apollo, and Apollo's sons Tenerus and Ismenius.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.5.1–13From Daulis to Delphi: the Phocicum, the Cleft Way and the early oracle and temples of ApolloPausanias describes the Phocicum, where the Phocian deputies meet, and the Cleft Way where Oedipus killed his father. He recounts the different traditions about the early oracle of Delphi and its first prophetesses, from Earth and Themis to Phemonoe, Boeo and Olen. He then gives the successive temples of Apollo: laurel, wax and feathers, bronze, the stone temple of Trophonius and Agamedes, and the present one built by the Amphictyons.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 4.34.1–12Messenian coast: the Pamisus, Corone, Colonides and Asine of the DryopiansPausanias describes the Pamisus and its fish and compares it with other rivers, then Corone with the sanctuary of Ino, the Plane-tree Grove spring and the town’s sacred sites. He mentions the sanctuary of Apollo by the sea and Colonides, with its Attic origin. At Asine he tells the Dryopians’ history and the two versions of how they came to Peloponnese.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.6.1–7Delphi: the founding of the city, Lycorea, Delphus and the slaying of PythoPausanias gives the early history of Delphi: the oldest city founded by Parnasus, its flooding in Deucalion's time and the survivors led by wolves to found Lycorea. He reports the various accounts of Delphus' parentage and of the first Thyiad, and explains the name Pytho either from Pythes or from the rotting of the creature Apollo shot, said to be a dragon or a robber from Euboea whom the oracle foretold would be purified by men of Crete.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.13.1–10Delphi: the bison head, the Phocian and Corinthian offerings, Hercules and the tripod, and the Plataean serpentPausanias describes the bronze bison head sent by the Paeonian king Dropion, with an account of how bison are caught. He lists offerings by the Andrians, Phocians, Thessalians, Macedonians, Cyrenians, Thebans and Phliasians, the treasury of the Corinthians, and the Phocian group of Hercules and Apollo fighting for the tripod. He ends with the golden tripod on the bronze serpent from Plataea and the Tarentine tithe from the Peucetians.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.7.1–9Sicyon: Dorian rule, roadside tombs and the sanctuaries of Dionysus and PersuasionSicyon became Dorian, Demetrius son of Antigonus moved the city to its old acropolis, and an earthquake later damaged it. Pausanias describes the tomb of Lycus the Messenian, the Sicyonian style of burial, the grave of Eupolis, the tomb of Xenodice, the Dripping Spring, and the theatre with a statue said to be Aratus. He then describes the temple of Dionysus and its night procession, the ruined temple of Artemis of the Lake, the sanctuary of Persuasion with its legend of Apollo and Artemis, and the temple of Apollo with the flutes of Marsyas.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2.19.1–8Argos: the temple of Wolfish Apollo and the story of DanausPausanias finishes the early Argive kings, from Temenus and Deiphontes to Meltas, whom the people deposed. He then describes the sanctuary of Wolfish Apollo, founded by Danaus after a wolf killed a bull before the Argives’ judgment, with the throne of Danaus, the statue of Biton, the fire of Phoroneus, images of Aphrodite and Hermes, and the tale of Hypermnestra. He ends with the graves of the two Linuses and the altar where the Seven swore their oath.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 3.13.1–9Sparta: Carneus, the Dionysiades, and the hill of Argive HeraPausanias notes the tombs of Cynortas, Castor, Idas and Lynceus, a temple of the Saviour Maid and the worship of Domestic Carneus, with explanations of the Dorian worship of Carnean Apollo. He lists the image of Aphetaeus, the colonnaded square, the temple of Dionysus Colonatas with its women’s race, the shrine of Pleuron, the temples of Argive Hera and Protectress Hera on the hill, and the statue of the wrestler Hetoemocles.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.15.1–7Delphi: the statue of Phryne, offerings against the Gauls, the Athenian palm-tree and Battus' chariotPausanias describes the gilded statue of Phryne by Praxiteles and the offerings of the Epidaurians, Megarians, Plataeans, Heracleans and Amphictyons, including the large Apollo called Sitalcas. He gives the Aetolian offerings against the Gauls with Phaennis' oracle about the Gallic invasion and Attalus, and the Athenian bronze palm-tree from the Eurymedon, whose gilding the crows were said to have pecked before the Sicilian expedition. He ends with the Cyrenian chariot of Battus.
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10.16.1–8Delphi: the stand of Alyattes' bowl, the Navel and the offerings of the Elyrians and LiparaeansPausanias describes the iron stand of Alyattes' bowl by Glaucus of Chios, the first welder of iron, and the Navel of white marble, said to mark the centre of the earth. He lists the Spartan statue of Hermione, the Aetolian statue of Eurydamus, the bronze goat of the Elyrians of Crete, the Carystian ox and the Liparaean images of Apollo, one for each Tyrrhenian ship captured.

90 more passages of Pausanias that name Apollo

Quintus Smyrnaeus (8)

Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 3.1–95Apollo shoots AchillesThe Pylians bury Antilochus by the Hellespont, and Achilles drives the Trojans back, filling the streams of Simois and Xanthus with the dead. Apollo warns him to stop, and Achilles defies him. Apollo, veiled in cloud, shoots an arrow into his ankle, and Achilles pulls it out in agony.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 9.210–320Apollo and Poseidon check NeoptolemusNeoptolemus drives against Deiphobus, who is snatched away by Apollo in a cloud, and Zeus then lifts the cloud. Neoptolemus presses the Trojans to the Scaean Gate. Apollo comes down to strike him as he struck his father, but Poseidon strengthens the Greeks, and Apollo yields.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 11.129–282Apollo rouses the TrojansApollo comes to Aeneas and Eurymachus and fills the Trojans with courage, and they leap on the Greeks like wasps on bees. Neoptolemus rallies the Myrmidons and drives back the Trojans, until Aeneas stands against him. Dust fills the air so that friends kill friends, until Zeus clears the plain.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 3.96–211Hera rebukes Apollo; Achilles fallsHera rebukes Apollo for killing Achilles, reminding him that he sang at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, and Apollo sits silent and ashamed. The dying Achilles still kills Orythaon, Hipponous and Alcathous, and his last shout sends the Trojans reeling before he falls. Paris then urges the Trojans to drag the body to Troy behind Hector's horses.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 4.1–117Glaucus carried to Lycia; Thetis sets the gamesThe Trojans lay Glaucus on his pyre, but Apollo snatches him away to Lycia, where the Nymphs make a spring that bears his name. The Argives go on mourning Achilles, and in heaven Hera reproaches Zeus for favouring Troy while he sits silent. At dawn Diomedes urges an attack, but Aias says they must wait for Thetis, who now comes out of the sea to set out the prizes for the funeral games.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 12.1–116Odysseus plans the Wooden HorseCalchas assembles the chiefs and tells of a falcon that waited in vain by the cleft in the rock where a dove had hidden. Odysseus proposes building a great horse in which the best of the Argives will hide. Neoptolemus objects, but Zeus's thunderbolt falls, and Athena appears to Epeius in a dream and tells him to build.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 12.444–585Laocoon's sons and CassandraLaocoon still urges the burning of the Horse, and Athena sends two serpents from the island of Calydna that kill his sons. The Trojans make offerings, but the flames die and the temples sweat blood. Cassandra alone sees the truth and runs at the Horse with a firebrand and a two-edged halberd, and the Trojans drag her away.
Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (Posthomerica) 14.548–658The wreck of the Argive fleetAias swims on through the storm until Poseidon splits the rock and buries him. The fleet is wrecked, and Nauplius lures some ships on to the rocks with a false beacon. Poseidon, Zeus and Apollo then flood the Argive wall at Troy, and the survivors go home as heaven guides them.

Nonnus of Panopolis (43)

Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 4.0–105Book 4: Harmonia refuses; Aphrodite comes as PeisinoeElectra tells Harmonia of Zeus's wish, and Harmonia protests against marrying a wandering stranger. Aphrodite, disguised as a neighbour girl called Peisinoe, then flatters her, praises Cadmos's beauty and suggests he may be a god.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 3.131–215Book 3: Electra's palace and its garden; Emathion and DardanosCadmos looks over the house Hephaistos built for Electra, with its garden, its golden torch-bearing boys and its gold and silver dogs. Emathion, who rules Samothrace, rides up, and his brother Dardanos is said to have left for the mainland after the deluge. The first and second floods, of Ogygos and of Deucalion, are recalled.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 13.201–308Book 13: Aiacos, Asterios and Aristaios joinAiacos comes with his Myrmidons, who were once ants, and Asterios brings the Cretans, who will later settle in Colchis. Aristaios comes last, because he had challenged Dionysos with his honey and lost. He is the son of Cyrene and leads the Arcadians, armed by Apollo.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 27.241–341Book 27: Zeus' council of the gods on OlymposOn Olympos Zeus appeals to Apollo, Athena and Hephaistos to defend Dionysos, reminding each of their ties to him, and complains that Hera, Athena and Ares seem to side with Deriades. The gods depart: Apollo, Athena and Hephaistos go to help Dionysos, while Hera leads Ares and Hydaspes to the other side, with Deo supporting her.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 36.0–95Book 36: Dionysos recovers; the gods take sidesThe armies form up and the Olympians divide into two parties. Athena wounds Ares, Hera overcomes Artemis with a cloud and a lump of hail and mocks her, and Apollo prepares to fight Poseidon.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 13.1–82Book 13: Iris summons Dionysos to the Indian warZeus sends Iris to Rheia to tell Dionysos that he must drive out Deriades and the Indians and teach all nations the rites of the vine. She reminds him that Hermes, Apollo and Zeus himself had to labour for heaven. Pyrrhichos is sent to gather the host, and the poet begins the catalogue with the Boeotians led by Actaion.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 17.315–397Book 17: The Bacchants rout the Indians; Aristaios heals the wounded; Blemys submitsThe fighting on the Taurus is renewed, and the Bacchic women and Satyrs defeat the armoured Indians with ivy and vine. Aristaios heals the wounded Bassarids with herbs and charms, and Astraeis flees. Blemys, chief of the Erythraian Indians, kneels to Dionysos, who sends him away to Arabia and the Nile to become king of the Ethiopians.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 19.158–262Book 19: Seilenos and Maron contend for the golden bowlMaron and Seilenos rise to dance for the great bowl. Maron addresses the spirit of Staphylos and mimes the cupbearing of Hebe and Ganymede to the gods. Seilenos mimes a contest between Dionysos and Aristaios, in which the gods judge Dionysos' wine better than Aristaios' honey drink.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 19.263–348Book 19: Seilenos dances and becomes a river; Maron's address to the riverSeilenos dances a series of acrobatic figures until he falls and turns into a river. Maron, who wins the golden bowl, throws the silver bowl into the water and addresses the new river, reminding it of the earlier Seilenos whom Apollo flayed and changed into a river for challenging him at the pipes. He tells the river it has paid for competing with its betters.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 29.78–166Book 29: Aphrodite's distress; Apollo's cure; Melaneus is woundedAphrodite keeps the arrow out of the flesh, and Dionysos carries Hymenaios from the fight and laments, blaming Hera and Ares for the wound. He heals the boy with ivy and wine, and Hymenaios returns to the battle and wounds Melaneus in revenge.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 33.195–279Book 33: Morrheus lovesick; the Indian camp by nightMorrheus, struck by love, follows Chalcomede about while she deceives him with a pretence of favour. That night he laments his state, renouncing war and wishing to become a Lydian servant of Dionysos, while the Indian city sleeps.
Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 1.409–534Book 1: Cadmos pipes to Typhon and wins back the sinewsDisguised as a herdsman, Cadmos plays on his reeds, and Typhoeus comes laughing and boasts of what he will do to heaven. Cadmos says he could do better on the harp if only he had the sinews, and Typhoeus fetches them and gives them to him. Cadmos hides them and goes on playing to the entranced Giant.

31 more passages of Nonnus of Panopolis that name Apollo

Bacchylides (3)

Bacchylides, Epinicians (Odes of Victory) 3.1–4.20Odes 3–4: Croesus saved by Apollo; Hieron's victoriesCleio is told to praise Demeter and Hieron of Syracuse, whose horses won at Olympia. The poet tells how Croesus, with Sardis falling to the Persians, mounted a pyre with his family, how Zeus quenched the flames and how Apollo carried him to the Hyperboreans. The ode closes with Apollo's advice to Admetus, son of Pheres, and the promise that Hieron's glory will be sung by the nightingale of Ceos. Ode 4 hymns Hieron's third Pythian victory and his two at Olympia.
Bacchylides, Epinicians (Odes of Victory) 1.111–2.14Odes 1–2: Minos on Ceos; Argeius, boys' boxing at the IsthmusOde 1 breaks in on Minos, who comes from Crete with fifty ships, weds Dexithea on Ceos and leaves half his host there, and their son Euxantius becomes lord of the island. The poet then praises Argeius, son of Pantheides, whose family Apollo favoured, and reflects that Virtue's renown outlasts death. Ode 2 is a short song announcing Argeius' victory in boys' boxing at the Isthmus and recalling the seventy wreaths won there by the Ceans.
Bacchylides, Dithyrambs 15.1–16.35Dithyrambs 15–16: the sons of Antenor; Heracles and DeianeiraTheano, priestess of Athena, opens the temple doors to the Greek envoys Odysseus and Menelaus, and the sons of Antenor lead them to the Trojan assembly, where Menelaus speaks of Insolence and Justice. In the next song the poet prays to Apollo, and sings how Heracles, after burning Oechalia, sacrifices at the cape of Cenaean Zeus. A god then weaves a cruel device for Deianeira when she learns that Iole is to come to the house as a bride, and she takes the fatal gift of Nessus.

Epic Cycle (1)

Epic Cycle, Summaries and Fragments 6.1–5AethiopisProclus' summary tells how Memnon, the son of Eos, comes to help the Trojans in armour made by Hephaestus, and how Thetis tells her son about him. Achilles is killed by Paris and Apollo and Aias carries the body away. A fragment adds the Amazon, the daughter of Ares, who came after the burial of Hector.

Orpheus (attributed) (1)

Orpheus (attributed), Orphic Hymns 32–36Hymns 32-36: Pallas, Victory, Apollo, Latona, DianaPallas (Athena) is hailed as the fierce daughter of Zeus who roused the Phlegraean giants to flight, and Victory as the goddess whom men desire in battle. The longest hymn of the group invokes Apollo as Paean, the healer and slayer of Tityus, who tunes the music of the universe on his lyre. Latona and Diana follow, the latter as the torch-bearing Dictynna who presides over births.

Parthenius of Nicaea (1)

Parthenius of Nicaea, Love Romances 14.1–15.5Cleoboea and Antheus; Daphne, Leucippus and ApolloCleoboea, wife of Phobius of Miletus, falls in love with the young hostage Antheus; when he refuses her she has him go down a well after a partridge, pushes a stone on him, and hangs herself, and Alexander Aetolus tells the tale in verse. Daphne, a huntress dear to Artemis, is loved by Leucippus, who joins her hunt dressed as a girl. Apollo, who also loves her, has the maidens expose him and they kill him with their spears, and as Apollo pursues her she prays to Zeus and becomes the bay-tree.

Apollo in the ancient sources