Apollo ou les Beaux-Arts at The Louvre, Paris

myminifactory

Apollo stands as one of the most significant and intricate deities within the realm of Olympian gods in classical Greek and Roman religion and mythology. The idealized figure of the kouros, a beardless, athletic youth, Apollo has been recognized across various contexts as a god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, plague, music, poetry, and more. As the son of Zeus and Leto, Apollo shares a twin sister in Artemis, a chaste huntress. The patron deity of Delphi, Pythian Apollo, was an oracular god - the prophetic deity of the Delphic Oracle. Medicine and healing are closely associated with Apollo, either through his direct presence or mediated through his son Asclepius, yet Apollo is also seen as a god who can bring about ill-health and deadly plague. Amongst the god's custodial charges, Apollo became linked to dominion over colonists and as the patron defender of herds and flocks. As the leader of the Muses (Apollon Musegetes) and director of their choir, Apollo functioned as the patron god of music and poetry. Hermes created the lyre for him, and the instrument became a common attribute of Apollo. Hymns sung to Apollo were called paeans. In Hellenistic times, especially during the 3rd century BCE, as Apollo Helios he became identified among Greeks with Helios, Titan god of the sun, and his sister Artemis similarly equated with Selene, Titan goddess of the moon. In Latin texts, Joseph Fontenrose declared himself unable to find any conflation of Apollo with Sol among the Augustan poets of the 1st century, not even in the conjurations of Aeneas and Latinus in Aeneid XII (161-215). Apollo and Helios/Sol remained separate beings in literary and mythological texts until the 3rd century CE. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.