A very long time ago, Apollo was born in the island of Delos. When the
glad news of his birth was told, Earth smiled, and decked herself with
flowers; the nymphs of Delos sang songs of joy that were heard to the
utmost bounds of Greece; and choirs of white swans flew seven times
around the island, piping notes of praise to the pure being who had
come to dwell among men. Then Zeus looked down from high Olympus, and
crowned the babe with a golden head-band, and put into his hands a
silver bow and a sweet-toned lyre such as no man had ever seen; and he
gave him a team of white swans to drive, and bade him go forth to teach
men the things which are right and good, and to make light that which
is hidden in darkness.
So Apollo arose, beautiful as the morning sun, and journeyed through
many lands, seeking a dwelling place. He stopped for a time at the
foot of Mount Olympus, and played so sweetly upon his lyre that Zeus
and all his court were entranced. Then he wandered up and down through
the whole length of the Thessalian land; but nowhere could he find a
spot in which he was willing to dwell. At length he climbed into his
car, and bade his swan team fly with him to the country of the
Hyperboreans beyond the far-off northern mountains. Forthwith they
obeyed; and through the pure regions of the upper air they bore him,
winging their way ever northward. They carried him over many an
unknown land, and on the seventh day they came to the Snowy Mountains
where the griffins, with lion bodies and eagle wings, guard the golden
treasures of the North.
In these mountains, the North Wind has his home; and from his deep
caves he now and then comes forth, chilling with his cold and angry
breath the orchards and the fair fields of Greece, and bringing death
and dire disasters In his train. But northward this blustering Boreas
cannot blow, for the heaven-towering mountains stand like a wall
against him, and drive him back. Hence it is that beyond these
mountains the storms of winter never come, but one happy springtime
runs through all the year. There the flowers bloom, and the grain
ripens, and the fruits drop mellowing to the earth, and the red wine is
pressed from the luscious grape, every day the same.
The Hyperboreans who dwell in that favored land know neither pain nor
sickness, nor wearying labor nor eating care; but their youth is as
unfading as the springtime, and old age with its wrinkles and its
sorrows is evermore a stranger to them. The spirit of evil, which
would lead all men to err, has never found entrance among them, and
they are free from vile passions and unworthy thoughts; and among them
there is neither war, nor wicked deeds, nor fear of the avenging
Furies, for their hearts are pure and clean, and never burdened with
the love of self.
When the swan team of silver-bowed Apollo had carried him over the
Snowy Mountains, they alighted in the Hyperborean land. And the people
welcomed Apollo with shouts of joy and songs of triumph, as one for
whom they had long been waiting. He took up his abode there, and dwelt
with them one whole year, delighting them with his presence, and ruling
over them as their king. But when twelve moons had passed, he
bethought him that the toiling, suffering men of Greece needed most his
aid and care. Therefore he bade the Hyperboreans farewell, and again
went up into his sun-bright car; and his winged team carried him back
to the land of his birth.
Long time Apollo sought a place where he might build a temple to which
men might come to learn of him and to seek his help in time of need.
At length he came to a broad plain, by the shore of a beautiful lake;
and there he began to build a house, for the land was a pleasant one,
well-watered, and rich in grain and fruit. But the nymph that lived in
the lake liked not to have Apollo so near her, lest men seeing and
loving him should forget to honor her; and one day, garmented with
mosses and crowned with lilies, she came and stood before him in the
sunlight.
"Apollo of the silver bow," said she, "have you not made a mistake in
choosing this place for a dwelling? These rich plains around us will
not always be as peaceful as now; for their very richness will tempt
the spoiler, and the song of the cicada will then give place to the din
of battle. Even in times of peace you would hardly have a quiet hour
here: for great herds of cattle come crowding down every day to my lake
for water; the noisy ploughman, driving his team afield, disturbs the
morning hour with his boorish shouts; and boys and dogs keep up a
constant din, and make life in this place a burden."
"Fair nymph," said Apollo, "I had hoped to dwell here in thy happy
vale, a neighbor and friend to thee. Yet, since this place is not what
it seems to be, whither shall I go, and where shall I build my house?"
"Go to the cleft in Mount Parnassus," answered the nymph. "There thou
canst dwell in peace, and men will come from all parts of the world to
do thee honor."
And so Apollo went down to Parnassus, and there in the cleft of the
mountain he laid the foundations of his shrine. Then he called the
master architects of the world, Trophonius and Agamedes, and gave to
them the building of the high walls and the massive roof. When they
had finished their work, he said, "Say now what reward you most desire
for your labor, and I will give it you."
"Give us," said the brothers, "that which is the best for men."
"It is well," answered Apollo. "When the full moon is seen above the
mountain-tops, you shall have your wish."
But when the moon rose full and clear above the heights, the two
brothers were dead.
Apollo was pleased with the place which he had chosen for a home; for
there he found rest and quiet, and neither the hum of labor nor the din
of battle was likely ever to enter. One thing, however, must needs be
done before he could have perfect peace. There lived near the foot of
the mountain a huge serpent called Python, which was the terror of all
the land. Oftentimes, coming out of its den, this monster attacked the
flocks and herds, and sometimes even their keepers; and it had been
known to carry little children and helpless women to its den, and there
devour them.
The men of the place came to Apollo, and prayed him to drive out or
destroy their terrible enemy. So, taking in hand his silver bow, he
sallied out at break of day to meet the monster when it should issue
from its slimy cave. The vile creature shrank back when it saw its
radiant enemy, and would fain have hidden itself in the deep gorges of
the mountain. But Apollo quickly launched a swift arrow at it, crying,
"Thou bane of man, lie thou upon the earth, and enrich it with thy dead
body!" The never-erring arrow sped to the mark; and the great beast
died, wallowing in its gore. And the people in their joy came out to
meet the archer, singing paeans in his praise. They crowned him with
wild flowers and wreaths of olives, and hailed him as the Pythian king;
and the nightingales sang to him in the groves, and the swallows and
cicadas twittered and tuned their melodies in harmony with his lyre.
But as yet there were no priests in Apollo's temple; and he pondered,
long doubting, as to whom he should choose. One day he stood upon the
mountain's topmost peak, whence he could view all Greece and the seas
around it. Far away in the south, he spied a little ship sailing from
Crete to sandy Pylos; and the men who were on board were Cretan
merchants.
"These men shall serve in my temple!" he cried.
Upward he sprang, and high he soared above the sea; then swiftly
descending like a fiery star, he plunged into the waves. There he
changed himself into the form of a dolphin, and swam with speed to
overtake the vessel.
Long before the ship had reached Pylos, the mighty fish came up with
it, and struck its stern. The crew were dumb with terror, and sat
still in their places; their oars were motionless; the sail hung limp
and useless from the mast. Yet the vessel sped through the waves with
the speed of the wind, for the dolphin was driving it forward by the
force of his fins. Past many a headland, past Pylos and other pleasant
harbors, they hastened. Vainly did the pilot try to land at each
favorable place: the ship would not obey her helm. They rounded the
headland of Araxus, and came into the long bay of Crissa; and there the
dolphin left off guiding the vessel, and swam playfully around it,
while a brisk west wind filled the sail, and bore the voyagers safely
into port.
Then the dolphin changed into the form of a glowing star, which,
shooting high into the heavens, lit up the whole world with its glory;
and as the awe-stricken crew stood gazing at the wonder, it fell with
the quickness of light upon Mount Parnassus. Into his temple Apollo
hastened, and there he kindled an undying fire. Then, in the form of a
handsome youth, with golden hair falling in waves upon his shoulders,
he hastened to the beach to welcome the Cretan strangers.
"Hall, seamen!" he cried. "Who are you, and whence do you come? Shall
I greet you as friends and guests, or shall I know you as robbers
bringing death and distress to many a fair home?"
Then answered the Cretan captain, "Fair stranger, the gods have brought
us hither; for by no wish of our own have we come. We are Cretan
merchants, and we were on our way to Pylos with stores of merchandise,
to barter with the tradesmen of that city. But some unknown being,
whose might is greater than the might of men, has carried us far beyond
our wished-for port, even to this unknown shore. Tell us now, we pray
thee, what land is this? And who art thou who lookest so like a god?"
"Friends and guests, for such indeed you must be," answered the radiant
youth, "think never again of sailing upon the wine-faced sea, but draw
now your vessel high up on the beach. And when you have brought out
all your goods and built an altar upon the shore, take of your white
barley which you have with you, and offer it reverently to Phoebus
Apollo. For I am he; and it was I who brought you hither, so that you
might keep my temple, and make known my wishes unto men. And since it
was in the form of a dolphin that you first saw me, let the town which
stands around my temple be known as Delphi [Dolphin], and let men
worship me there as Apollo Delphinius."
Then the Cretans did as he had bidden them: they drew their vessel high
up on the white beach, and when they had unladen it of their goods,
they built an altar on the shore, and offered white barley to Phoebus
Apollo, and gave thanks to the ever-living powers who had saved them
from the terrors of the deep. After they had feasted and rested from
their long voyage, they turned their faces toward Parnassus; and
Apollo, playing sweeter music than men had ever heard, led the way; and
the folk of Delphi, with choirs of boys and maidens, came to meet them,
singing songs of victory as they helped the Cretans up the steep
pathway to the temple in the cleft of the mountain.
"I leave you now to have sole care of my temple," said Apollo. "I
charge you to keep it well. Deal righteously with all men; let no
unclean thing pass your lips; forget self; guard well your thoughts,
and keep your hearts free from guile. If you do these things, you
shall be blessed with length of days and all that makes life glad. But
if you forget my words, and deal treacherously with men, and cause any
to wander from the path of right, then shall you be driven forth
homeless and accursed, and others shall take your places in the service
of my house."
Then the bright youth left them and hastened away to Mount Olympus.
But every year he came again, and looked into his house, and spoke
words of warning and of hope to his servants; and men say that he has
often been seen on Parnassus, playing his lyre to the listening Muses,
or with his sister, Artemis, chasing the mountain deer.