Apollo fell in love with the beautiful Cassandra, and she promised to return his affections if Apollo imbued her with the ability to see into the future. Blinded by love, Apollo bless her so that she would have the gift of prophecy.
As many romances do, this story begins with an obsessive crush. Having fallen head over heels for the mortal man Hyacinthus, the god Apollo gives up his shrine at Delphi, his famous lyre, and his bow and arrow, to spend all his time with his new love.
Another notable love of Apollo was Hyacinth, a Spartan boy. Hyacinth was killed accidentally by a discus that Apollo threw toward him in a game. From the blood of the boy, the god made a flower grow and named it hyacinth, after the boy.
Adonis was also said to have been loved by other gods such as Apollo, Heracles and Dionysus. He was described as androgynous, for he acted like a man in his affections for Aphrodite but as a woman for Apollo.
Angered by the insult, Cupid shot him with a golden love arrow causing Apollo to fall in love with the first person he saw. Cupid then shot Daphne with a lead-tipped arrow causing her to be impervious to love. At that moment, Apollo caught sight of Daphne, who was out hunting, and fell in love.
In Greek mythology, Hyacinthus was a Spartan prince of remarkable beauty and a lover of the sun god Apollo. He was also admired by Zephyrus, the god of the West wind, Boreas, the god of the North wind and a mortal man named Thamyris. Hyacinthus chose Apollo over the others.
One day Apollo saw Coronis and became enamoured of her. He lay with her in her home, and consequently she became pregnant. One time when Apollo was away performing his godly duties, Coronis fell in love with Ischys, son of Elatus.
The sharp, gold-tipped arrow pierced the heart of Apollo inflaming his love for Daphne, a beautiful nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus, while the blunt, lead-tipped arrow struck the nymph creating an intense aversion for love in the her heart.
Branchus grew up to be the most handsome of men. One day, he came across Apollo in the woods and, being enchanted with the beauty of the god, kissed him. Apollo embraced him and returned his affections.
So says Homer in the Iliad. Throughout antiquity, there was a fascination with the tale of how Zeus, king of the gods, fell in love with a human boy. The scene of Zeus swooping down from Olympus to steal away Ganymede, known as 'The Rape of Ganymede', appeared on pottery, frescoes, statues and mosaics.
Although Apollo had many love affairs, they were mostly unfortunate: Daphne, in her efforts to escape him, was changed into a laurel, his sacred shrub; Coronis (mother of Asclepius) was shot by Apollo's twin, Artemis, when Coronis proved unfaithful; and Cassandra (daughter of King Priam of Troy) rejected his advances ...
One day, as the two lovers were having a discus-throwing competition, Apollo hurled it with such strength that it parted the clouds. Hyacinth ran to catch it, but the discus hit the ground, bounced back up, and struck him in the head, fatally wounding him.
In Greek mythology, Daphne was the first love of Apollo, but she never reciprocated his affection. It was not thought possible for a nymph or mortal to resist the love of a god, but Daphne steadfastly rejected Apollo's advances and gave up her life to do so.
Apollo's love for Daphne was so strong that the god of prophecy was unable to foretell his future but still, his emotions were uncontrollable. He approached the nymph whom he now saw more beautiful and virtuous than she actually was.
As mentioned earlier, Apollo killed the serpentine named Python, who was the child of the primordial god, Gaia. Python was ordered by Hera to kill Leto, Apollo's mother, for Zeus' act of adultery against her. Because of this, Zeus had no choice but to punish Apollo to purify him.
In Greek mythology, Apollo, the god of music, poetry, prophecy, and various other domains, is typically portrayed as a powerful and confident deity. However, there is one entity in Greek mythology that Apollo is said to have feared: the Fates, also known as the Moirai.
Apollo's most famous love was Daphne, a nymph who was vowed to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and chastity, that she would remain eternally innocent. But Apollo fell for her and stalked her until Daphne could take it no more.
Hyacinthus was a beautiful Spartan youth, beloved by the god Apollo. As the good Spartan he was, Hyacinthus loved athletics, and one day the two decided to practice throwing the discus. Apollo went first, sending the disc flying up to “scatter the clouds” as Ovid says.
Cupid shoots Apollo with the golden arrows causing him to fall in love with a river nymph named Daphne. Daphne, on the other hand, is shot with the lead arrow, thus causing her to hate Apollo.
