人们都知道阿波罗是古希腊神话中的太阳神，实际上，他的头衔远不止此一个。因为他驯服了众缪斯女神，所以成了艺术之神；他占据了德尔斐，所以成了预言之神；他可以降灾，通晓医术，所以成了医疗之神；他从前为俗人放牧，所以也是牧人与家畜的保护神。
Perhaps the more we learn about Greek myths, the more we find it difficult to avoid mentioning a god—Apollo. As the son of Zeus, he is also the most famed offspring1) of Zeus. He is often described in art as a god braver than Ares, more intelligent than Athena, more resourceful2) than Hermes, more artistic than Dionysus, and more passionate than Eros.
The Image of Apollo
In art, Apollo inspired many painters and sculptors. His usual image is a beardless long-haired youth in his early or mid twenties, with a laurel wreath3) on head, leaning on a crane with a serpent, with bright sunshine surrounding him or with arrows and a bow or else with a lyre4) in his arms.
Offices and Attributes
Apollo's attributes are many: the tripod5), omphalos6), lyre, bow and arrows, laurel, hawk, raven and snake and finally a golden chariot.
A tripod is a thing on which a priestess would sit on to announce an oracle7), symbolizing his office as a god of prophecy8); omphalos is an oval carved rock, said to have appeared first after the great flood as the center, navel9) of the universe.
Lyre is the instrument indicating his power as a god of musical arts; bow and arrows are both weapons and tools for him to send plague10); laurel is to remind him and us of his first love; raven and snake are symbols of intelligence, indicating his power as a god of medicine; a golden chariot is the symbol of his power as the sun god.
Establishing His Own Kingdom—Delphi
Greek myths seem to be far away from our life, but when we take a closer look, we can find they have been a very important part in ancient Greek life and now the remaining buildings continue to inspire people. Delphi is such a historical site.
Now Delphi is an archaeological11) site and a modern town in Greece. In myth, after Apollo killed the Python—the guardian dragon, he was punished by Zeus to work as a shepherd for a mortal king for eight years. Eight years later, Apollo returned to this site and established his worship.
Probably "Delphi" has something to do with dolphins. According to legend, Apollo took the form of a dolphin and swam out to the sea to capture12) a group of sailors, making them his first priests13). Others say, he came to Delphi with some Cretan priests on the backs of dolphins. Anyway, the site from then on was named Delphi and became a place for Apollo to give his oracle.
或许咱们越了解希腊神话，就越不能防止地要提及一位神——阿波罗。他是宙斯的儿子，也是宙斯最有名的后代。在艺术作品中，人们常常把他描绘得比战神阿瑞斯还要英勇，比才智女神雅典娜还要聪明，比创造之神赫耳尔墨斯还要才智过人，比酒神狄俄尼索斯还要文武双全，比爱神厄洛斯还要热情汹涌。
阿波罗的形象
在艺术作品中，他赋予了许多画家和雕琢家创意。一般，他的形象是一个二十出面的青年，不留胡须，长发，头戴桂冠，身倚一根缠绕着蛇的木杖，光芒四射，或许带着弓箭，或着怀有一把小竖琴。
责任与标志物
阿波罗有许多标志物：三脚架、国际之脐神石、小竖琴、弓箭、桂树、鹰、乌鸦、蛇以及金色的马车。
三脚架一般是女祭司坐在上面宣告神谕的物件，标志着他预言之神的责任；国际之脐神石是一颗雕琢有斑纹的圆锥形石头，据说在大洪水后，它作为国际中心、肚脐，最早显露地上。
小竖琴是显示他作为音乐艺术之神的权利的乐器；弓箭既是他的兵器，又是他分布瘟疫的东西；桂树则提示他，也提示咱们记住他的初恋情人；乌鸦和蛇是才智的标志，是他作为医疗之神的标志；而金色马车则是他作为太阳神的权利标志。
