Apollo
God of Light and the Sun
Apollo was the Olympian God of Light, Music, the Sun, and Archery, the son of Zeus and twin of Artemis. Though he never appeared in person during the fall of Greece, his Flame guided Kratos to the Tree of Life, his Bow passed through the Underworld, and his colossal statue on Delos was raised once more by the Spartan's hand.
Apollo was the Olympian God of Light, Music, the Sun, Healing, Archery, Truth, and Prophecy, among the most versatile of the gods. A son of Zeus and the younger twin of Artemis, he never stood before Kratos in the flesh, yet his works and gifts touched the Spartan's path more than once, and he was among the few Olympians to escape the slaughter that ended the age of the gods.
Birth and the slaying of Python#
Apollo was the son of Zeus by the Titan Leto, whose union with the King of the Gods had drawn the wrath of Hera. The Queen of the Gods tormented Leto and loosed the monster Python to chase her across the world so that she could find no safe place to bear her children. Leto at last found haven on the isle of Delos, where she gave birth first to Artemis and then to Apollo. Only days after his birth, Apollo tracked Python to its nest at Delphi and slew the monster in vengeance for his mother. He then strode into the great hall of Olympus with his bow drawn, throwing the elder gods into panic, but Zeus welcomed his son and honored his prowess, and Apollo took his place among the Olympians.
As the god of music he led the choir of the Muses, and the lyre that Hermes had fashioned for him became his enduring symbol. He fathered many children, the most renowned being the healer Asclepius, whose skill in medicine grew so great that he could revive the dead. When this angered Hades, Zeus struck Asclepius down with a thunderbolt at his brother's request. In his grief and fury Apollo slew the Cyclopes who had forged those thunderbolts, and as punishment Zeus made him mortal and bound him to a year of servitude on Earth.
Apollo's Flame#
Though Apollo set no champion in the Wager of the Gods, his power reached Kratos all the same. On the Spartan's first journey to retrieve the Ambrosia, a mysterious Healer placed Apollo's Flame in his hands. The flame guided Kratos to the Tree of Life, and years afterward it served him again in battle, for with it he slew the giant Gyges.
Honored across Greece#
Apollo never appeared before Kratos, but his deeds were carved into the world he walked. Within the Temple of Delphi a mural honored his victory over Python, and the Oracle herself rested upon the hands of a statue raised in his image. On the island of Delos stood a truly enormous Statue of Apollo, built in his honor by the architect Archimedes. By the time Kratos reached it the statue had fallen into decay, and the Spartan restored it to its full glory by the power of the Amulet of Uroborus.
His famed Bow surfaced again in the depths of the Underworld, held by Peirithous, a former hero imprisoned there by Hades. Apollo himself remained absent through the fall of the gods, and so was numbered among the few Olympians to escape the rampage that consumed his kin.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Apollo in God of War?
- Apollo was the Olympian God of Light, Music, the Sun, Healing, Archery, Truth, and Prophecy. He was a son of Zeus and the younger twin of Artemis.
- How was Apollo born and how did he slay Python?
- Apollo was the son of Zeus by the Titan Leto, who found haven on the isle of Delos and gave birth first to Artemis and then to Apollo. Only days after his birth, Apollo tracked the monster Python to its nest at Delphi and slew it in vengeance for his mother.
- What is Apollo's Flame in God of War?
- Apollo's Flame was placed in Kratos' hands by a mysterious Healer during his first journey to retrieve the Ambrosia. The flame guided Kratos to the Tree of Life, and years later he used it to slay the giant Gyges.
- Why did Zeus make Apollo mortal?
- After Zeus struck down Apollo's son Asclepius with a thunderbolt, Apollo slew the Cyclopes who had forged those thunderbolts. As punishment, Zeus made him mortal and bound him to a year of servitude on Earth.
- What happened to Apollo during the fall of the gods?
- Apollo never appeared before Kratos in the flesh and remained absent through the fall of the gods. He was numbered among the few Olympians to escape the rampage that consumed his kin.
Gallery
Images via God of War Wiki
Sources
- WikiApollo — God of War Wiki entry
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Artemis
Artemis was the Olympian Goddess of the Hunt, daughter of Zeus and twin sister of Apollo. When Ares besieged Athens, she turned the beasts of the wild against his armies, and later gave Kratos the Blade of Artemis, a weapon she had wielded against the Titans, to aid him in the conquest of Pandora's Temple.
Hades
Hades was the Olympian God of the Dead and ruler of the Underworld, the eldest son of Cronos and brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He kept the balance of life and death over the Greek world until Kratos turned his own Claws against him and tore out his soul, loosing chaos upon the realm of the dead.
Hera
Hera was the Olympian Goddess of Marriage and Queen of the Gods, the sister and wife of Zeus and mother of Ares. Embittered by her husband's affairs and her withering garden, she set Hercules against Kratos before the Spartan snapped her neck and the world's flora died with her.
Hermes
Hermes was the Olympian God of Travelers and Messengers, son of Zeus and famed for his unmatched speed. Arrogant and swift, he taunted Kratos through a long chase across Olympus before the Spartan cornered him and severed his legs to claim his winged boots.
Olympians
The Olympians were the third and final generation of gods to rule over Greece, led by Zeus after they overthrew the Titans in the Titanomachy. First the allies of Kratos and then his enemies, they were slain almost to the last across his years of vengeance, their fall bringing ruin upon all of Greece.
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Zeus was the King of Olympus and ruler of the Greek Pantheon, the youngest son of Cronos who freed his siblings, ended the Great War, and claimed the heavens. Father of Kratos, he became the great antagonist of the Greek age and fell at last to the very son he had tried to destroy.
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Alecto
Alecto was the Queen of the Furies and the Goddess of Anger, the sister who ruled the trio that hunted Kratos. She mated with Ares to bear the disowned Orkos, ensnared her victims in illusion and black goo, and transformed into a monstrous sea creature before falling to the Spartan's blades.
Amulet of Uroborus: the gem that bent time
The Amulet of Uroborus was a golden amulet set with a blue-green gem that could manipulate time and space. Stolen from the Oracle Aletheia and turned against Kratos, it passed into his hands and let him rebuild what had been broken.
Artemis
Artemis was the Olympian Goddess of the Hunt, daughter of Zeus and twin sister of Apollo. When Ares besieged Athens, she turned the beasts of the wild against his armies, and later gave Kratos the Blade of Artemis, a weapon she had wielded against the Titans, to aid him in the conquest of Pandora's Temple.
Bow of Apollo
The Bow of Apollo was a fire-imbued bow named for the sun god Apollo. Kratos took it from Peirithous, the doomed lover of Persephone, who was imprisoned in the Underworld within a cage of brambles.
Calliope
Calliope was the beloved daughter of Kratos and Lysandra, a gentle and innocent child of Sparta. Killed by her father during a frenzy contrived by Ares, she found rest in the Elysium Fields, only for Kratos to be forced to abandon her there to save the world.
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Hestia
Hestia was the Olympian Goddess of the Hearth, Fire, and Family, the firstborn child of Cronos and Rhea. A virgin goddess who tended the royal hearth of Olympus, she did not appear during the fall of Greece, but voiced her contempt for the destruction Kratos and his Spartan armies brought upon the worshipers of the gods.
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Megaera
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Midas
King Midas of Phrygia was a mortal cursed with the golden touch, by which all he laid hands upon turned to gold, his own daughter among them. Kratos found him weeping in the Canyons of Sorrow and cast him into a river of lava, turning the king and the stream alike to solid gold.
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