Mythology Monday: Apollon's Prophetic Children and Lovers
This week's #MythologyMonday theme was oracles and prophecies so I talked about seers in Greek mythology. The Greek god mainly concerned with prophecy is Apollon and all seers were said to gain their prophetic powers from him. The most famous and renowned seers in Greek mythology were usually either children or lovers of Apollon who gave them the gift of prophecy and often trained them himself. It is through them that Apollon proclaims the will of Zeus to mortals, his chosen oracles.
The Pythia spoke the most respected prophecies in the ancient world. She was a high priestess in Apollon's temple in Delphi, also known as the Oracle of Delphi.
The very first Pythia is said to have been a daughter of Apollon called Phemonoë. The philosopher Antisthenes credits her with the Delphic maxim "Know Thyself" that used to be inscribed in the forecourt of the Temple of Apollon at Delphi if we believe the Greek writer Pausanias.
Second only to Delphi was the Oracle of Didyma, a sanctuary of Apollon in the domain of the famous city of Miletos. The sanctuary was run by the Branchides family who claimed descent from Branchos, the founder of the oracle. Branchos was either a son or lover of Apollon.
I talk about the founding myth of Didyma's oracle and the sweet love story of Apollon and Branchos in more detail in this article: Apollon and Branchos
Idmon was a seer and a son of Apollon. He foresaw his own death in the Argonaut expedition, but joined anyway. While the Argo was anchored in Bithynia he was attacked by a wild boar. His friends came running to his aid but they could not save him and he died of his wounds in their arms. Apollon commanded via his Oracle in Delphi to build the city of Herakleia Pontike around the olive tree that had grown on his son's grave. Idmon was henceforth worshipped as a hero.
Iamos was a son of Apollon and Evadne, a daughter of Poseison. As a youth, Iamos asked both his divine father and grandfather to reveal his destiny to him. Only Apollon answered. He took his son to Olympia where he taught him the art of prophecy and gave him the power to understand birds. Iamos later founded the Iamidae, a family of priests in Olympia.
Teneros was a son of Apollon by the Okeanid Melia who was given the art of divination by his father. He became a priest of Apollon and the god entrusted the city of Thebes to him because of his wise courage. Apollon was the patron god of Thebes along with his half-brother Dionysos. Melia was an important cult figure at Thebes and was worshipped at the Ismenion, the Temple of Apollon that was named after their second son Ismenos.
According to Strabo, Teneros tended the oracle of Apollon on the Ptoös Mountain ca. 30 km / 20 mi North of Thebes that was among the most famous and important Greek oracles along with Delphi and Didyma.
Rhoeo left her son Anios in the care of his father Apollon who taught him the arts of divination and prophecy. As a grown man, Anios became Apollon's priest and the king of Delos. When the Greeks came to Delos on their way to Troy, Anius prophesied that the Trojan War would not be won until the 10th year and invited them to stay for 9 years.
They refused.
Apis was a son of Apollon who became a seer and a healer. He once freed Argos from throngs of snakes by sorcery and spells. To commemorate his deed, the relieved territory was henceforth referred to as "the Apian land" after his name.
Manto was the daughter of the prophet Tiresias but her prophetic abilities were said to be much greater than his. During the War of the Epigoni she was taken to Delphi as a war prize where Apollon made her his priestess and sent her to Kolophon to found an oracle devoted to him. She had a son by him named Mopsos who would become a famous seer too. While in Thebes, Manto warned Niobe not to anger the gods and advised her to ask Leto for forgiveness but Niobe refused and continued to insult Leto, leading to the death of her 14 children.
Kassandra received the gift of prophecy from Apollon in exchange for sleeping with him. She changed her mind but he could not take back the gift so he made it useless by nobody believing her (accurate) prophecies.
Kassandra's twin brother Helenos, on the other hand, put out and received not only the gift of prophecy from his divine lover, he also got a fancy silver bow. Helenos was reputed to be the cleverest man in Troy and his prophecies were believed and respected.
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Bonus: Teiresias
Teiresias was a priest of Apollon in Thebes. As a young man he came upon a pair of copulating snakes and hit them with his walking stick. Angered, Hera transformed him into a woman. Teiresias then became a priestess of Hera, married and had children, including his daughter Manto. After seven years, he happened upon two copulating snakes again but this time, he left them well along and was transformed back into a man.
When Zeus and Hera were having an argument about who derived the most pleasure from sex, men or women, they went to consult Teiresias who had experienced both. Teiresias replied that women had ten times more pleasure during sex than men upon which Hera struck him blind. Zeus could not reverse her curse so he gave Teiresias the gift of prophecy and a long life. Thus, Teiresias is one of the few prophets who did not receive their prophetic powers from Apollon.
Sources
Title image: Apollon Kitharoidos pours a libation. He wears a laurel crown, a white peplos and a red himation. He sits on a diphros chair with lion paw legs, his sandaled feet on the ground. A black bird sits on the right, facing him. Attic kylix, ca. 460 BCE. Today in the Archaeological Museum in Delphi.
Apollon and Branchos article by me :-)
