Information about the sun god, the goddess of wisdom, and the god of wine

Sun God Apollo

The sun god, son of Zeus and Leto, brother of the moon god and hunting goddess Artemis, also known as Helios. His full name is Phoebus Apollo.

In people's minds, the Sun God is an energetic and energetic young man. He has a handsome appearance and is fragrant. His long hair hangs slightly on his shoulders. The face is melon-shaped and the forehead is broad, looking shrewd, firm, serene, dignified and proud. On the head is usually a crown woven from the branches and leaves of laurel, cupid wood, olive tree or water lily. This god of light sometimes dresses luxuriously, holds his head high in the sky, and sings loudly to the accompaniment of the zitra that he hangs on his chest. Apollo's symbols are harp, bow, arrows, quiver and tripod. People usually use swans, eagles, wolves, deer and cicadas as sacrifices to him.

It is generally believed that the myth about Apollo originated from Asia Minor, because he sided with Troy during the Trojan War, and there are many temples of him there. Some people believe that it originated from northern Greece, and the people of Hyperpoli claimed to be descendants of Apollo.

It is in charge of light, medicine, literature, poetry, music, etc., and represents the Lord God to declare divine decrees. Every day a golden chariot rides on a horse and rides around the sky for a week.

Greek mythology records that Leto was driven around by the queen Hera. In the end, Poseidon, the god of the sea, took pity on her and lifted Tiluo Island from the sea for her to live in. On the island, she gave birth to twin sons Apollo and Artemis.

Apollo is the sun god. In the early morning, he was dressed in purple robes, sitting in the bright eastern palace, preparing to start his daily journey across the sky. During the day, he drove a chariot made of gold and ivory, bringing light, life, and love to the vast land. At dusk, he ended his journey in the distant West Sea, and then boarded a golden ship to return to his home in the east.

Apollo is the god of music and poetry. He can evoke the full range of emotions that people pour into the hymns. On Mount Olympus, holding the golden lyre in his hand, he conducted the chorus of the Muses with his sweet tones. When he helped Poseidon build the walls of Troy, the music played by Lyra was so beautiful that the stones fell into place rhythmically and automatically. Once he accepted a challenge from the mortal musician Masyas to enter a contest. After defeating his opponent, he punished his hubris by skinning his opponent to death. In another music competition, after losing to Pan, he changed the ears of the referee King Miles into donkey ears.

Apollo’s son Orpheus inherited his father’s talent. His harp moved both humans and animals.

Apollo symbolizes youth and masculine beauty. His blond hair, solemn demeanor, and radiant demeanor were enough to make him popular among the world. A beautiful girl named Kriti was obsessed with his handsomeness and knelt on the ground, stretching out her hands to the sun god from dawn to dusk. She stared at the golden carriage racing across the blue sky. Although her love was not reciprocated, her infatuation with Apollo never changed. Witnessing this sad scene, the gods were deeply moved and turned her into a sunflower.

There are many myths related to Apollo, the main ones are:

He killed the evil dragon Python and built a temple at Delphi where he defeated Python;

Participated in the battle between the gods and the djinn on Mount Olympus;

During the Trojan War, his priests were insulted by the Greeks, and he imposed plagues, causing the Greeks to suffer;

Hermes invented the lyre and gave it to Apollo, making him the god of music;

The Trojan princess Cassandra fell in love with him and was given the gift of prophecy, but the princess later broke her promise, and Apollo And his prophecy failed;

In order to get rid of his pursuit, the goddess Daphne turned into a laurel tree, known as the Holy Tree of Apollo;

He also worked with Poseidon to help Troy, Build impenetrable walls and more.

Usually Apollo is accepted as the sun god and is called Phoebus (meaning light). On the one hand, he protects agriculture, and on the other hand, his sunlight is regarded as a golden arrow, which plays the role of the god of war. The common image of Apollo is mostly a young man with long hair and no beard, carrying a harp, bow, aegis, etc.

Athena

The goddess symbolizing wisdom and war

p>

Athena is one of the twelve main gods of Olympus in Greece, with the Roman name Minerva. Legend has it that she was born to Zeus and Metis, the goddess of wisdom. Because there was a prophecy that the children born to Metis would overthrow Zeus, Zeus swallowed her whole, causing Zeus to suffer from severe headaches. All the mountain gods, including Apollo, the god of medicine, tried to administer an effective treatment to him, but in vain. Zeus, the father of gods and men, had no choice but to ask Hephaestus, the god of fire, to open his head. Vulcan did that. To the surprise of the gods of Mount Olympus, a graceful and sturdy goddess walked out of the split head, radiant and graceful. She is Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge, and the patron saint of Athens.

The legend that Athena became the patron saint of Athens is related to the battle between the goddess and Poseidon. When Athens was first founded by a Phoenician, Poseidon vied with Athena for the honor of naming it. Finally an agreement was reached; the person who could provide the most useful things to mankind would become the patron saint of the city.

Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and conjured a war horse. Athena conjured an olive tree - a symbol of peace and prosperity. Because war horses were considered to represent war and sorrow, Athens was named after the goddess. The goddess soon took the city under her protection.

Athena is the goddess of arts, crafts, and women's handicrafts. She is dexterous with her hands and cannot stand challenges from others. A Lydian girl named Arachne seemed to despise Athena's abilities and often boasted that she could defeat the goddess Athena if given the chance. In anger, the goddess disguised herself as an old woman and advised Arachne to be more modest. But the ignorant craftswoman bravely challenged her. The goddess took off her disguise and accepted the challenge. Both women immediately set to work on their respective works. The goddess designed patterns that told the story of her battle with Poseidon, while Arachne weaved a delicate web. Later, Arachne was surprised to find that she had lost because the goddess's work was much better. She was so ashamed that she hanged herself with a piece of silk thread. But before dying, the goddess turned her into a spider and let her weave forever.

Bacchus

Open category: Title

The god of wine during the Roman Empire was Bacchus. He was the god of grapes and wine, and also the god of carnival. and the god of debauchery. In Roman religion, there was the Bacchanalia (Bacchanalia) held for Bacchus, the god of wine. After this festival was introduced to Rome from southern Italy, it was held secretly at first, and only women participated. Later, men were also allowed to participate, and it was held up to five times a month. During the festival, believers not only drink heavily but also perform carnival Dionysian dances. This festival turned into a carnival and feasting, so the Roman Senate issued an order in 186 BC to ban the Bacchanalia in all Italy. But for many years this festival has not been banned in southern Italy. Regarding the birth of Bacchus, a scene similar to that of Dionysus is recorded on an ancient relief in the Vatican Museums. After taking out Bacchus from the belly of the goddess Simre, the god Jupiter held the child in his lap for three months. From the relief, you can see that Bacchus is coming out of the lap of the father God after being full term. At this time, Hermes, the god of animal husbandry, was standing aside, holding clothes in his hands, preparing to deliver the baby god, while the three Parques (Parques), who controlled life, death, and destiny, wanted to pray for the newborn baby god. . Caravaggio, a famous Italian painter in the seventeenth century, used his "ruthless real" expression technique to create many images of Bacchus such as "Young Bacchus". On the Gallo brand logo of the American Gallo wine company, the largest in the world, a rooster is drawn, and on the upper end of the rooster is drawn a Roman god of wine, Bacchus, wearing a loose robe, and gave him a nickname. ,?"Happy Grandpa Gallo". When the company conducts promotional activities in various places, it often hires a person to wear a loose robe and pretend to be Bacchus, and there is also a billboard hanging in front and behind him. It read: "Aha, happy happy, please buy Gallo".

Bacchus had a bad reputation during the Roman Empire and played little role in Roman teachings. However, after immigrating to the United States, he displayed extraordinary advertising charm, allowing Gallo's wine to occupy 25% of the U.S. market. , and became the largest wine exporter in the United States. The Gallo brothers also became American wine kings from the descendants of impoverished Italian immigrants.