{"id":20873,"date":"2022-01-11T12:17:14","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T12:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/?p=20873"},"modified":"2022-04-07T09:25:33","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T09:25:33","slug":"apollo-in-the-odyssey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ancient-literature.com\/apollo-in-the-odyssey\/","title":{"rendered":"Apollo in The Odyssey: Patron of All Bow Wielding Warriors"},"content":{"rendered":"
Apollo in The Odyssey<\/strong> is a recurring character that didn\u2019t appear often and was most usually invoked in the Homerian classic. The Greek god of archery and sunlight played a meager but important role in Odysseus\u2019 journey home as a stalwart guide and protector to the hero alongside Athena, the goddess of wisdom.<\/p>\n Our article will offer you a deeper look<\/strong> into.<\/p>\n Unlike his violent depiction in the Iliad, Apollo role in Odyssey is less grandiose and more incorporeal. He served as Odysseus\u2019 guide and voice of reason alongside Athena<\/a><\/strong>. As he was the patron to all archers, Apollo was often portrayed as a divine figure armed with a golden bow and a quiver of silver arrows.<\/p>\n In different scholastic accounts, it is often argued that it is also the same bow Odysseus used to defeat the suitors harassing Penelope<\/a> on the final parts of his journey. He is also responsible for safeguarding him<\/strong> against the wrath of Poseidon during his travels at sea.<\/p>\n In the Odyssey\u2019s precursor, the Iliad, Apollo played a more vital role<\/a> in the tale as a fierce Olympian warrior who sided with the Trojans<\/strong>. Despite being on opposing sides, Odysseus approached the Trojan camp to return Chriseis, the daughter of an Apollonian priest. In his wake, he also presented many offerings to Apollo, which pleased the Olympian god. As he was also the patron to sailors, a duty he shared with the Earthquake god Poseidon, he then assured Odysseus\u2019 safety on his journey back to Ithaca.<\/p>\n In Greek mythology, archery held a deeper symbolic meaning; it was more than just a weapon of war<\/strong>. At the time, it was man\u2019s tool enabling him to get food and clothing from the animals he hunted, and it was also his protection against the dangers of the world. Several Greek deities were known through the weapons that they used, such as the Apollo bow and arrow, along with his sister Artemis the Huntress, and Eros the god of love.<\/p>\n There were mortals portrayed as heroes who also wield the bow and arrow such as Paris, the Trojan prince<\/a>, and Odysseus, the celebrated hero in The Odyssey<\/strong>. And just as there are many who wield the weapon, there are also several figures slain by the usage of archery in battle.<\/p>\n The mighty hunter Orion, known for his skill in hunting any animal, was struck down by the very same bow of Artemis. Perhaps the most famous example is the death of Achilles<\/strong>, who took an arrow to the heel by Paris, who was guided by Apollo himself.<\/p>\n Archery had a long withstanding appearance in the chronicle of Olympian gods and mortals, and yet it held an infamous metaphor in Greek mythology. For the Greeks, the ideal warrior was not one who shot arrows, but one who struck spears: the hoplite<\/strong>. A hoplite was a fighter donned in heavy armor, sword or spear, and shield in hand.<\/p>\n Their style of fighting involved close physical combat and required much training and courage of heart<\/strong>, ideals that the Greeks often emphasized and regarded as important. The Greeks regarded the style of archery-based fighting as dishonorable and, in some cases, dishonest. That is because the archer had to throw the arrow from a distance and so the opponent couldn\u2019t see them. This has also taken effect on how the characters who wield the bow and arrow in Greek mythology are perceived.<\/p>\n In the Iliad, it was the Trojan prince Paris who chose to elope with the beautiful Queen Helen of Sparta<\/a><\/strong>, which became one of the reasons that sparked the Trojan war. His proficiency with the bow netted the lives of many unfortunate souls, including that of the famed hero Achilles. Notably, Paris met the same end by the hand of Philoctetes, another accomplished archer.<\/p>\n It is not surprising then, that Apollo, the patron of the archers, chose to side with the Trojans while<\/strong> Athena<\/strong>, goddess of wisdom<\/a> and emblem of the hoplite, sided with the Greeks, who then went on to win the war.<\/p>\n In The Odyssey, Homer made Odysseus an archer as well<\/strong>, despite his excellent capabilities of fighting in heavy armor. The hero Odysseus<\/a> was known to be a wise and sharp-witted man, who was not only skilled in combat but in diplomacy as well.<\/p>\n Even as far back in the Iliad, Odysseus presented his shrewdness<\/a> in more ways than his combat prowess, which did not just aid the Greeks but also profited him in the future. One such event was when Agamemnon insulted and dishonored Apollo\u2019s priest<\/strong>, Chryses, which then resulted in the sun god\u2019s anger and him releasing a plague upon the Greek army camp.<\/p>\n To placate his ire and free the camp from the plague, Odysseus proposed returning the priest\u2019s daughter, Chriseis, to her father, as well as preparing a grand offering of a hecatomb to appease the sun god at his altar. Satisfied with these offerings, Apollo ensured Odysseus and his company\u2019s safety<\/strong> as they traveled back to their camp after finishing their worship.<\/p>\n Despite being on different sides of the war, Apollo was impressed by Odysseus\u2019 mastery of negotiation<\/strong> and valor and offered his aid numerous times throughout the hero\u2019s journey in The Odyssey.<\/p>\n It is later in the tale that the god was mentioned assisting the hero<\/strong>, although even before Odysseus\u2019 return to Ithaca, his name and association was often invoked to compare something so beautiful, to pray for his guidance, and even to request courage in times of danger. An example of this was when Odysseus first met Nausicaa on the island kingdom of the Phaeacians<\/a>.<\/p>\n After having woken up from his slumber, the hero likened Nausicaa\u2019s beauty and appearance to that of a palm tree in Delos, beside Apollo\u2019s altar. King Alcinous<\/a>, Nausicaa\u2019s father and ruler of the Phaeacians, cited his name along with Zeus\u2019 and Athena\u2019s, to bear witness to Odysseus\u2019 greatness should he marry his daughter and live on the island if he wanted to<\/strong>.<\/p>\n It was only during the last legs of his journey that the hero chose to invoke Apollo\u2019s name, the patron of all archers, to end the conflict between himself and his wife<\/a><\/strong>, Penelope\u2019s, suitors. Upon his arrival on Ithaca, Odysseus concealed his identity and met with Eumaeus, who didn\u2019t even recognize his own master. Eumaeus recounted what had happened in Ithaca in Odysseus\u2019 absence, including the fate of his wife Penelope<\/a> who was being harassed by ill-gotten suitors.<\/p>\nWhat Did Apollo Do in The Odyssey?<\/h2>\n
Apollo in The Odyssey: Significance of Archery in Greek Mythology<\/h2>\n
Mortals and Archery<\/h3>\n
Archery As a Dishonorable Fighting-Style<\/h3>\n
Apollo and Archery in The Trojan War<\/h3>\n
Apollo and Odysseus<\/h2>\n
Apollo and Odysseus in The Iliad<\/h3>\n
Apollo and Odysseus in the Odyssey<\/h3>\n
Odysseus Invoking Apollo in The Odyssey<\/h3>\n