#phoebus of delphi

[decadence-divination]

Dedicated a sticker to Apollo! I used to have a sort of similar design on my Etsy, but when I got a new laptop I lost the file and never got around to a mach 2.0. In an effort to get back to myself and to finally feel normal again, I'm trying to push through this art block. This one felt necessary.

Anyway, I don't have the funds rn to list it or to buy ink to print it but if I make a few more sales or readings maybe something will happen. Anyway here's my Esty store, I'm really to the goal.

Do you guys like it? 👉👈

[o1iveangel]

dionysus and apollo!

i call this mythology studying

close ups under the cut 🫶

[the-cooler-quill]

Phoebus, my old tarnma sparkling that I drew like a year ago but never got around to posting.

[eternalmneme]

In Praise of Apollo💛

O Apollo, eternal light in the clear sky, You reveal truth to those who call on You with honest hearts.

With Your golden bow, You pass through the dark and show mortals Your light.

Divine prophet, Your voice echoes in Delphi, unfolding what time keeps hidden.

Each word You speak stays with us, deeper than any dream or thought.

From smoking tripods, You begin to rise, and those who come to You with pure intent receive the light that guides their path.

O wise Phoebus, who opens the hearts of humankind, grant us, in times of uncertainty, the way toward brighter days.

Help us in these times of war, help us to pass through the illnesses that are ruining the world, and let us praise with Your music and chants, about how grant You are.

[theman-themyth-theanemone]

Artemis

I sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers on the hounds, the pure maiden, shooter of stags, who delights in archery, own sister to Apollo with the golden sword. Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sends out grievous shafts. The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earth quakes and the sea also where fishes shoal. But the goddess with a bold heart turns every way destroying the race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfied and has cheered her heart, this huntress who delights in arrows slackens her supple bow and goes to the great house of her dear brother Phoebus Apollo, to the rich land of Delphi, there to order the lovely dance of the Muses and Graces. There she hangs up her curved bow and her arrows, and heads and leads the dances, gracefully arrayed, while all they utter their heavenly voice, singing how neat-ankled Leto bare children supreme among the immortals both in thought and in deed.

Hail to you, children of Zeus and rich-haired Leto! And now I will remember you and another song also.

-Homeric Hymn 27

[my-name-is-apollo]

I have finally found a literary reference to Apollo riding griffins:

"When fair Apollo leaves Delphi's shrine and visits the altars of the north, Castalia's waters differ in no wise from those of any common stream, nor the laurel from any common tree; sad and silent is the cave and the shrine without a worshipper. But if Phoebus is there, Phoebus returned from Scythian climes to his Delphic tripod, guiding thither his yoked griffins, the woods, the caves regain their voice, the streams their life"

– Claudian, On the Sixth Consulship of the Emperor Honorius (trans. Maurice Platnauer)

Thank you Claudian, I shall cherish this.

[scary-seashine]

And then—Troy’s walls again.

A boy with a bow,

a god with steady hands.

He guides the arrow.

He tells himself it is justice.

But when Achilles falls—

A serene smile on his face, instead of pain

Hoping to see his patroclus again..

The immortal Phoebus Apollo

Prince of Light, lord of Delphi

shatters.

His golden eyes dimming.

no longer godlike.

Just a boy who once lost his Hyacinth. Again.

[travelingthief]

Apollo Resource List

Informational

Apollo: The Complete Guide to the God of Light

Apollo in the Odyssey 

Birth of Apollo

Britannica

Homeric Hymn Translation

Homoerotic Themes in Greek and Roman Mythology

LGBT Themes in Mythology

Mythopedia

Oracle of Delphi

Orphic Hymn

Theoi

Timeless Myths

Wikipedia

World Sites

Zeus and Apollo

Tumblr Posts

Apollo Offerings

Small Daily Devotions

Deep Dive

Devotions and Offerings

More Offerings

Offerings, again

Subtle Apollo Worship

Videos

Apollo: The Far-shooting God

My Experience with Artemis and Apollo

The Very Messed up Origins of Apollo

Working with Apollo

Podcasts

The Ancients - Apollo: God of the Sun

Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! - Far-Shooting Phoebus Apollo

Styx and Bones - Apollon the Greek God and the Oracles of Delphi

Playlists

APOLLO

Apollon

Apollo/Apollon Devotee Playlist

Apollo Playlist

Children of Apollo: Cabin 7

Playlist for Apollo

Other

Herbs of Apollo

How to Worship

Prayers to Apollo

Subreddit for Apollo

[decadence-divination]

Hellenism Woes with (/o) Apollo

I've been feeling really detached from Apollo for a long time, which is a problem for someone who claims to be a devotee. I try meditating and reaching out to Him, but I only ever feel Him passing by. Especially with the rise of hAhi, my passion for art has stalled out, and I still cringe at myself when I try to make music. Digital art feels desanctified as worship to me now, tainted by the soulless touch of a machine. I don't want their greedy data vacuums anywhere near my practice.

I grew up my own worst critic, making sure I had every base covered so when I did inevitably arrive at conflict, I already had a strategy. No one could injury me more than I had already suffered at my own hand. I was perceiving danger around every corner and every friendly introduction was like sizing up an adversary. In my creativity and upon completion, my first reaction was to viscerally destroy it. Gut it's very essence. I was conditioned to immediately and permanently disdain everything I produced.

It was probably not until this year that I genuinely believed unconditional love and validation even existed. I had never felt valid in my emotions or in my pain unless I had a physical representation or a dollar sign to attach it to. I had no way of knowing if my feelings were real. I never learned or practiced how to let love in. My emotional strife was invisible and nobody took it seriously; it wasn't until I was bleeding, crying, throwing up that I was worth calling attention to. I'm 27 and a half now, and I'm still shming, and I still try to shame myself for that, but I have healed so many other overwhelming, pervasive emotional and spiritual wounds; wounds that had previously controlled my entire life and behavior.

In this way, I know He is still with me, and I know I will never be done healing. I know this is probably His way of guiding me onto my next adventure.

But this loneliness is intimidating. I want to ask Him to protect me from myself.

[gingermintpepper]

As usual I read your tags always and so you said Apollo did not ask for resurrection of Asclepius and Hyacinthus so i just wanted to share this. About Asclepius death I read it on theoi.com, that earlier authors don't make him resurrect as a god but that's a later development mentioned only by Roman authors like Cicero, Hyginus and Ovid. But still Apollo has a role in Ovid's version

Ovid, Fasti 6. 735 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : Clymenus [Haides] and Clotho resent the threads of life respun and death's royal rights diminished. Jove [Zeus] feared the precedent and aimed his thunderbolt at the man who employed excessive art. Phoebus [Apollon], you whined. He is a god; smile at your father, who, for your sake, undoes his prohibitions [i.e. when he obtains immortality for Asklepios].

So here it is actually because of Apollo the decision was taken to resurrect him as god. And with Hyacinthus, I don't think I've read about Artemis playing the primary role. I know in Sparta there was a picture of Artemis, Athena and Aphrodite carrying Hyacinthus and his sister to heaven.

This is not on theoi.com but I saw on Tumblr it's from Dionysiaca by Nonnus

Second, my lord Oiagros wove a winding lay, as the father of Orpheus who has the Muse his boon companion. Only a couple of verses he sang, a ditty of Phoibos, clearspoken in few words after some Amyclaian style: Apollo brought to life again his longhaired Hyacinthos: Staphylos will be made to live for aye by Dionysos.

So since he is singing inspired by amyclean stories it probably means in that place it was believed Apollo was the one to bring back his lover to life.

Apollo as god of order was very important so i think it shows how special these people (and admetus too) were to him that he decided to go against the order for them 🥺

ANON!! Shakes you like a bottle of ramune!! BELOVED ANON!!!!! I'm littering your face with kisses, I'm anointing you with olive oil and honey - you absolutely made my night with this because, not only did I get the pure serotonin shot of having someone interact with my tags (yippee, wahoo!!) I also got to have that wonderful feeling of "oh wow, have I misunderstood something that was integral to my understanding of this myth/figure this whole time or is this a case of interpretational differences?" which is imo vital for my aims and interests as someone who enjoys mythological content and literature.

I'll preface my response with this: Hyacinthus is by far the hardest of these to get accounts for because his revival itself, as you very astutely point out, is generally accounted for in painting/ritual format which muddies the waters on who interceded for what. I wasn't actually familiar with that passage from the Argonautica - and certainly didn't remember it so thank you very much for bringing it to my attention!

That said, what I've come to understand, both about Hyacinthus and about Asclepius is that in the accounts of their deaths, Apollo's position is startlingly clear.

For Hyacinthus, it is established time and again that Apollo would have sacrificed everything for him - his status, his power, his very own immortality and divinity. Ovid writes that Apollo would have installed him as a god if only he had the time:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book X. trans. Johnston)

Many other writers too speak of how Apollo abandoned his lyre and his seat at Delphi to spend his days with Hyacinthus, but they also all agree that when it came to his death - he was powerless. Ovid gives that graphic account of Apollo's desperation as he tries all his healing arts to save him to no avail:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book X. Apollo me boy, methinks him dead. trans Johnston)

Bion, in one of his fragments, writes that Apollo was "dumb" upon seeing Hyacinthus' agony:

(Bion, The Bucolic Poets. Fragment XI. trans Edmonds)

Even Nonnus in the Dionysiaca speaks constantly of Apollo's helplessness in the face of Hyacinthus' fate where he writes that the god still shivers if a westward wind blows upon an iris:

and when Zephyros breathed through the flowery garden, Apollo turned a quick eye upon his young darling, his yearning never satisfied; if he saw the plant beaten by the breezes, he remembered the quoit, and trembled for fear the wind, so jealous once about the boy, might hate him even in a leaf...

(Nonnus, Dionysiaca, Book 3. trans Rouse)

And the point here is just that - Apollo, at least as far as I've read, cannot avert someone's death. He simply can't. Once they're already dead - once Fate has cut their string - all Apollo's power is gone and he can do nothing no matter how much he wants to. And this is, as far as I know, supported with the accounts of Asclepius as well!

Since you specifically brought up Ovid's account, I'll also stick only to Ovid's account but in Metamorphoses when we get Ovid's version of Coronis' demise, he writes that Apollo intensely and immediately regrets slaughtering Coronis. He regrets it so intensely that he, like he does with Hyacinthus, does his best to resuscitate her:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo's regret)

And like Hyacinthus, when it becomes clear that what has happened cannot be undone, Apollo wails:

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo wept.)

Unlike his mother, Asclepius in her womb had not yet died and so, with the last of Apollo's strength, he does manage, at least, to save him.

(Ovid, Metamorphoses Book Two. Apollo puts the 'tearing out' in Asclepius.)

But it goes further than even that because Ocyrhoe, Chiron's daughter, a prophetess who unduly gained the ability to directly proclaim the secrets of the Fates, upon seeing the baby Asclepius, immediately prophesies his glory, his inevitable death and then his fated ascension:

(Ovid. Metamorphoses, Book Two. Ocyrhoe's prophecy. trans Johnston)

Before she too succumbs to her hubris and is transformed by the Fates into a horse so she can no longer speak secrets that aren't hers to share.

These things ultimately are important because it establishes two very important things: 1) Apollo can't do anything in the face of the ultimate Fate of mortals, which is, of course, death and 2) even when Apollo is Actively Devastated, regretful, yearning, mournful, guilty or some unholy combination of all of the above, when someone is dead, he accepts that they are gone. Even if he is devastated by it, even if he'll cry all the rest of his days about it - if they're dead? Apollo lets them go. In Fasti, when Zeus brings Asclepius back, he does not say Apollo asked him to - Zeus, or well, in this case Jove, brings Asclepius back because he wants Apollo to stop being mad at him.

(Ovid, Fasti VI. Apollo please come home your father misses you. trans. A.S Kline)

Even Boyle's translation which you used above in your findings hints that Zeus made Asclepius a god because he wanted Apollo to stop grieving. (i.e 'smile at your father', 'for your sake [he] undoes his prohibitions')

And like, Apollo was deeply upset by Asclepius' death - apart from killing the Cyclops in anger, in book 4 of the Argonautica, Apollonius writes that the Celts believe the stream of Eridanus to be the tears Apollo shed over the death of Asclepius when he left for Hyperborea after being chastised by Zeus for killing his Cyclops:

But the Celts have attached this story to them, that these are the tears of Leto's son, Apollo, that are borne along by the eddies, the countless tears that he shed aforetime when he came to the sacred race of the Hyperboreans and left shining heaven at the chiding of his father, being in wrath concerning his son whom divine Coronis bare in bright Lacereia at the mouth of Amyrus.

It all paints a very clear picture to me. Apollo did not ask for either of them to be brought back. Though bringing them back certainly pleased and delighted him, they are actions of other gods who are moved by Apollo's grief and mourning and seek to mollify him. Him not asking doesn't mean he didn't want them back which I think is a very important distinction by the by, but it simply means that Apollo knows the natural order of things and, even if it hurts, he isn't going to press his luck about it.

Which, of course, brings us to Admetus. And I'm really not going to overcomplicate this, Admetus is different because, very vitally, Admetus is not dead. Apollo can't do a thing once Fate has been carried out and Death has claimed a mortal but you know what he absolutely can do? Bargain like hell with the Fates before that point of inevitability. And that's what he does, ultimately for Admetus and Alcestis. He sought to prolong Admetus' life, not revive him from death or absolve him from death altogether and even after getting the Fates drunk, he's still only able to organise a sacrifice - a life for a life - something completely contingent on whether some other mortal would be willing to die in Admetus' place and not at all controllable by Apollo's own power.

All of these things, I think come back to that point you made - that Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore these people are very special to him if it means he's willing to go against that order but, I also wish to challenge that opinion if you'd let me. Apollo's place as a god of order is very important and therefore, I would argue, that it is even more important that it is shown that he does not break the divine order, especially for the people that mean the most to him. The original context of my comments which started this conversation were on this lovely, lovely post by @hyacinthusmemorial which contemplated upon Asclepius from the perspective of an Emergency Medical personnel and included, in their tags, the very poignant lines "there's something about Apollo letting go when Asclepius couldn't that eats my heart away" and "you do what you can, you do your best, but you don't ever reach too far" and I think that's perfectly embodied with the Apollo-Asclepius dichotomy. Apollo grieves. He wails, he cries, he does his best each and every time to save that which is precious to him but he does not curse their nature, he does not resent that they are human and ultimately, he accepts that that which is mortal must inevitably die. There is nothing that so saliently proves that those who uphold rules are also their most staunch followers - if Apollo wants to delight in his place as Fate's mouthpiece, he cannot undo Fate. And, if even the god of healing and order himself cannot undo death, what right does Asclepius, mortal as he is, talented as he is, have to disrespect it?

The beauty of these stories isn't that Apollo loved them enough to bring them back. The beauty is that Apollo loved them enough to let them go.

[ivettaflowerblooom]

I sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers on the hounds, the pure maiden, shooter of stags, who delights in archery, own sister to Apollo with the golden sword. Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sends out grievous shafts. The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earth quakes and the sea also where fishes shoal. But the goddess with a bold heart turns every way destroying the race of wild beasts: and when she is satisfied and has cheered her heart, this huntress who delights in arrows slackens her supple bow and goes to the great house of her dear brother Phoebus Apollo, to the rich land of Delphi, there to order the lovely dance of the Muses and Graces. There she hangs up her curved bow and her arrows, and heads and leads the dances, gracefully arrayed, while all they utter their heavenly voice, singing how neat-ankled Leto bare children supreme among the immortals both in thought and in deed.

Homeric hymn to Artemis.

[jackietaylorsversion]

This all could totally mean nothing, but...

Lottie mentioning the Oracle of Delphi made me think and look up a few things, and idk, fam. It's super interesting. Most people tend to associate oracles with Cassandra of Troy, but the Oracle of Delphi was considered a mouth piece of the gods well into the 300s CE. In fact, it was Emperor Julian the Apostate, a Roman Emperor, who would be the last one to receive a prophecy from the Pythia, the title of the Oracle of Delphi, so titled from the association with Apollo. The last prophecy was this:

Go tell the king the wondrous hall is fallen to the ground. Now Phoebus has a cell no more, no laurel that foretells, No talking spring; the water that once spoke is heard no more.

I'm still parsing through the meaning of this, if there is any meaning or connection at all. We'll see. But "no talking spring; the water that once spoke is heard no more" seems... interesting, in terms of "Wilderness communion."

Thank you, history nerd Lottie Matthews. I'll be grasping at these straws for days, I'm sure.

[starochre]

Hymn to Lord Apollon

O blessed one, slayer of the Python

He who utters words true yet cruel,

golden-haired god with eyes of a wolf

hands of stars that drive the chariot.

I praise the lord of Delphi, who owns my life

Glorious archerer with a bow of silver

arrows made of gold and you shoot afar

you heal and plague your mortals with your aim

You and fierce Artemis, goddess of the hunt

Who slew Niobe's children, seven boys and seven girls

Who helped Paris to slay the beastly Achilles, the Greatest of Achaeans

Who slew Tityos to protect Lovely Leto.

I praise you even if your swan-led chariot

flies over Sindh, the province of great fish,

Or China, a country of industries,

Or Turkey, a country of beauty

for it is you and Great Helios who light up the world,

It is you who brings whispers of the heart,

and strikes inspiration with your lyre.

Father Phoebus! Listener of the raven's call

he who saved me from the dark clutches,

and took me under his wing,

I praise you and offer libations in your name,

hear my prayer, as I sing your praises.

Blessed be!

[aliciavance4228]

I wish Apollo's relationship with Cyrene would be more explored, purely because of this fragment which is brilliant for way too many reasons:

Pindar, Pythian Odes:

"And Hypseus raised his lovely-armed daughter Cyrene. She did not care for pacing back and forth at the loom, nor for the delights of luncheons with her stay-at-home companions; instead, fighting with bronze javelins and with a sword, she killed wild beasts, providing great restful peace for her father's cattle; but as for her sweet bed-fellow, sleep, she spent only a little of it on her eyelids as it fell on them towards dawn.

Once the god of the broad quiver, Apollo who works from afar, came upon her wrestling alone and without spears with a terrible lion. Immediately he called Cheiron from out of his halls and spoke to him: "Leave your sacred cave, son of Philyra, and marvel at the spirit and great strength of this woman; look at what a struggle she is engaged in, with a fearless head, this young girl with a heart more than equal to any toil; her mind is not shaken with the cold wind of fear. From what mortal was she born? From what stock has this cutting been taken, that she should be living in the hollows of the shady mountains and putting to the test her boundless valor? Is it lawful to lay my renowned hand on her? And to cut the honey-sweet grass of her bed?"

And the powerful Centaur, laughing softly with a gentle brow, right away gave his wise advice in reply: "Hidden are skilled Persuasion's keys to holy love, Phoebus, and both gods and men blush to take the pleasure of a bed for the first time openly. For even in your case, for whom it is unlawful to touch on falsehood, a gentle impulse has swayed you to dissemble your words. You ask me from what race the girl comes, lord Apollo? You who know the appointed end of all things, and all the paths that lead to them? And how many leaves the earth puts forth in spring, and how many grains of sand in the sea and in rivers are dashed by the waves and the gusting winds; and that which will be, and from where it will come, all this you clearly see. But if I must match myself even against one who is wise, I will speak. You came to this glen to be her husband, and you will bear her over the sea to the choicest garden of Zeus, where you will make her the ruler of a city, when you have gathered the island-people to the hill encircled by plains. And now queen Libya of the broad meadows will gladly welcome your glorious bride in her golden halls. There she will right away give her a portion of land to flourish with her as her lawful possession, not without tribute of all kinds of fruit, nor unfamiliar with wild animals. There she will bear a child, whom famous Hermes will take from beneath his own dear mother and carry to the Seasons on their lovely thrones and to Gaia. They will admire the baby on their knees and drop nectar and ambrosia on his lips, and they will make him immortal, to be called Zeus and holy Apollo, a delight to men he loves, an ever-present guardian of flocks, Agreus and Nomius, and others will call him Aristaeus."

Having spoken thus, Cheiron urged the god to fulfill the delightful consummation of his marriage. Accomplishment is swift when the gods are already hurrying, and the roads are short. That very day decided the matter. They lay together in the bedchamber of Libya, rich in gold, where she possesses a most beautiful city which is renowned for victories in contests. And now in very holy Pytho, where by his victory he had Cyrene proclaimed, the son of Carneiades brought lovely, flourishing good fortune to her; she will welcome him graciously, when he brings back home to the land of beautiful women desirable fame from Delphi."

1) Apollo admires Cyrene for her strenght and courage rather than her beauty;

2) He asks Chiron for information about her;

3) He asks him for advice and even questions wheter or not he is worthy of her;

4) Their relationship was consentual;

5) He adored her enough to make her receive a whole portion of land to rule over;

This is probably one of his most romantic affairs so far.

[stamped-on-these-lifeless-things]

Lore List I Should Have Made Sooner

I promised to post a list of the Primarchs families multiple days ago, so here it is. These characters have their age listed as right before the events of the first book of the Horus Heresy (so the year is 004.M31, to my knowledge):

Lion El’Jonson:

Wife: Mathilde El’Jonson (36)

Children: Peregrine (11), Cædmon (8)

Fulgrim:

Wife: Queen Shivan Al-Ibroumat (35)

Children: Ophelia Al-Ibroumat (7), Camilla Al-Ibroumat (3), Hugo Al-Ibroumat (6 months)

Perturabo:

Wife: Pandora of Olympia (33)

Children: Theseus of Olympia (6)

Jaghatai Khan:

Wife: Khulan Khan (40)

Children: Alakhai (10), Tolui (6)

Leman Russ:

Wife: Ingrid Russ (28, divorced from Leman)

Children: Ashina and Amarok Russ (twins, 10)

Rogal Dorn:

Wife: Fabricator-General Shaela Dorn (43)

Children: Aliya Dorn (6)

Konrad Curze:

Wife: Lady Penelope Astor (34; the bastard daughter of a powerful Nostraman family who backed Konrad’s leadership)

Children: Marlowe Curze (11)

Sanguinius:

Wife: Aisha Fulenn (29)

Children: Miriam Fulenn (7)

Ferrus Manus:

Wife: Hecate Manus (39)

Children: Aeren Manus (10)

Angron Thal’kr:

Wife: N/A

Children: Ezekiel Thal’kr (12)

Roboute Guilliman:

Wife: Lady Maeve Guilliman

Children: Athena Guilliman (11)

Mortarion:

Wife: Perdita Ragana (33)

Children: Orestes Ragana (11)

Magnus the Red:

Wife: Meritamon Aleaqrab (43)

Children: Berenice Aleaqrab (6)

Horus Lupercal:

Wife: Vida Lupercal (38)

Children: Khonsu Lupercal (8)

Lorgar Aurelian:

Wife: Elena Mercurine (82)

Children: Delphi Aurelian (52), Helios Aurelian (deceased)

Grandchildren: Phoebus Aurelian (20), Circe Aurelian (16), Medea Aurelian (12), Telemus Aurelian (7)

Corvus Corax:

Spouse: Ramona Kane (deceased), Ambrose Wilde (34)

Children: Chaya Corax (12), Oscar Corax (6), Ruth Corax (5)

Vulkan:

Wife: Ariadne Énkavma (48)

Children: Pyrrha Énkavma (9)

So far, the ones I know will be important are Chaya, Khonsu, Miriam and Delphi, but I hope I’ll be able to feature all of the listed characters. Ask whatever you want about them! And hopefully some in-character asks, too 🙏 (/lh).

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

ToA Theory 1 - Apollo's Waking Visions

First official theory post, here we go! :D

Alright. So. After rereading The Dark Prophecy, I started wondering about something. In TDP, Apollo experiences waking visions, where he conks out for a bit and has prophetic visions.

I found this interesting because, well...isn't Apollo supposed to be cut off from prophecy? With Python back in control of Delphi?

Because think about it. Python controls Delphi, the root of all earthly prophecy. This would include Dodona, Trophonius, Herophile, and Sibyl - sure, they aren't strictly connected to Delphi, but it's pretty heavily stated that Delphi just straight-up Makes The Future. It's prophecies are The Big Deal and you Should Listen.

Meanwhile the other Oracles seem more guiding and "beware!" instead of "this is how it's gonna be".

(sidenote: found out there are MORE oracles and I wanna know WHERE THEY ARE IN RRVERSE CANON because I want my boy Branchus okay??? Okay. Branchus's oracle was second only to Delphi let's give Apollo's first boyfriend the attention he deserves!)

So of course, like all great members of this fandom, I started thinking.

Let's do a little family history first. ;)

Buckle up. We go down a deep rabbit hole 😎

Apollo and Artemis are twins, born to Leto and Zeus. Zeus's parents are Kronos and Rhea. Leto's are Koios and Phoebe.

Rhea has connections to Dodona, as we learn in-series, but she doesn't really seem to be all that involved with prophecy.

Her siblings, meanwhile...ho ho ho, they are a WHOLE NOTHER STORY!

Let's start with Phoebe. Phoebe, like all first generation Titans, is the daughter of Gaea and Ouranos. She married her brother Koios. Her children consist of Asteria, Lelantos, and Leto. As well as Artemis and Apollo, her other two grandchildren are Hecate (Asteria) and Aura (Lelantos).

Her name means "bright" and is the root of Apollo's most famous epithet - Phoebus. She is often described as "golden-crowned" and is the Titan of bright intellect, the overseer of Earthly Prophecies, and is the second guardian of Delphi, after her sister Themis. She gifted Delphi to Apollo for his birthday after he defeated Python.

Classic grandmother move.

Anyway. There's a bit of Phoebe lore. Time for her elusive husband :3

Koios. His names means "question" or "questioning", probably because he's the Titan of inquiring intellect. He's also the overseer of Heavenly Prophecies, and has an oracle up in the North Pole guarded by an earth-dragon - you'd know this serpent by the name of Draco, the constellation btw. Additionally, Hyperborea (where Apollo goes in the winter times) is part of his domain.

eyes

Unfortunately, we have very little mythological lore on these two, and even less in the RRverse (I cling to that one (1) Koios scene) which sucks because I love them already BUT it does give me lots of legroom to mess around with canon >:)

Back to the theory now. As you may have guessed, I'll be taking us in a direction concerning Apollo's mysterious grandparents. But what does this have to do with Apollo's visions?

Well. Remember when I mentioned that Delphi is the root of all earthly prophecies?

...look at Phoebe's paragraphs. She's the overseer of Earthly Prophecies, right? So it makes sense she's been affected by Python's takeover too.

(if you've read my fics you'd know this already lmao)

Asteria, Apollo's aunt, is a little trickier. She, too, has a hand in divination, but mainly through the night/stars and dreams. <-will come back to that later.

Koios, again, is overseer of Heavenly Prophecies, and is heavily implied to be able to commune with Ouranos's spirit. This is, apparently, a Big Deal because nobody else is mentioned to be able to do this.

...Except...remember this throwaway line in The Hidden Oracle?

^Apollo can see Ouranos too.

Within this theory is a sub-theory, so to speak - that immortals with the gift of prophecy can see Ouranos, since they can see what cannot be seen. This would include Phoebe, Asteria, Koios, and Apollo.

And it'll make sense why they'd keep it to themselves. Kronos wouldn't have been happy to hear his dad was still around. Neither would Zeus, for that matter.

So here I was. Contemplating. Wrote a few fics based around this idea. And one in particular got me thinking (fic in question being When The Stars Align), and a little ways down the road I realized something.

If Phoebe, the overseer of Earthly Prophecies, would have been affected by Python's takeover...was Koios? Could he even be affected?

Because here's the deal: Koios is the overseer of Heavenly Prophecies. Prophecies from the Sky.

Phoebe's are of the Earth - the Earth that Python has taken control of. And Delphi is the root of Earthly Prophecies - not Heavenly.

That would be Koios's oracle, up in the North Pole with Draco.

...So that means Heavenly Prophecy must have still been in business during ToA.

But then comes the question: If it was still within the gods' control, why didn't they use it?

Well...Draco's there, for one. He's probably the Python-equivalent of the North, and clearly he's still there since no myth has spoken of his death (that I know of).

If you ask me, I just think the gods are too nervous/afraid to try Koios's oracle. They were too scared to face Python, after all, until Apollo arrived. I think they'd be scared of a serpent who comes and goes from the stars as he pleases.

And as for why Apollo hasn't done anything about it...well, I think his fight with Python left him rather scarred, don't you think? He probably went "yeah grandma's oracle is enough" and the only time he ever got close to Koios's was during his time in Hyperborea.

So getting back to the main theory now. (So many rabbit holes to dive into with this post. The ADHD Urge is real)

Since Heavenly Prophecies is still active, but Earthly is in Python's control, I conclude Apollo's visions come from the Heavenly source.

Could they have come from the now-working Dodona? Maybe. But Dodona's all about those windchimes and trees. It doesn't have the Vibe, so to speak, for granting visions.

And remember. Trophonius, Herophile, and Sibyl aren't destroyed/freed yet. They have Zero connection to Apollo at this point because Python cut him off from them.

...but he didn't from the North. From Koios's divine power.

Because remember. Apollo is the god of prophecy.

Not of Earthly Prophecies, like Phoebe.

Not of Heavenly Prophecies, like Koios.

Not of nighttime divination and dreams like Asteria.

Of. Prophecy.

Prophecy as a whole. The entirety. The whole enchilada.

Every part of prophecy he's the god of, be it tarot cards to the Oracle of Delphi itself.

In my opinion, I think whatever Koios's Oracle is, it has just as must power as Delphi. The only problem was that...everybody just left it be. Nobody considered it because:

1) scary dragon

2) scary titan ruled the place

3) honestly at this point I think it's just straight-up forgotten about. Like Branchus's Oracle. I think at one point Apollo himself mentions there are other Oracles besides the ones in-series, but there's so many that his mortal brain cannot comprehend how many.

If the Grove of Dodona nearly faded into obscurity, then I think it's entirely possible Koios's Oracle was forgotten about (or so we think...I'm gonna be chewing on this for a while.)

Coming back round to TDP...I think this is a reasonable explanation about Apollo's visions. To summarize:

Apollo is cut off from Earthly Prophecy, his usual source of foresight that he gets from Phoebe

The unused, near-forgotten-about Heavenly Prophecy side of Apollo ignites to steer him on the right path

This is possible because Apollo is the god of prophecy itself, and not a single subset of prophecy, so he's not limited in the same way Phoebe is

Koios's Oracle is still out there and kicking and I will die on this hill

One problem. What about Asteria? She can interpret the future from the stars...aka the Sky. Like Koios. So couldn't she provide some insight to the future, since she, too, is connected to Heavenly Prophecy?

This is where things get a lil' tricky. And where I really slap on my tinfoil hat and start headcanoning my way through lmao

Basically, I think that since Asteria became the island of Delos (long story) a good chunk of her power is ingrained there. She's not as strong as she used to be, so her foresight isn't as strong.

This, in turn, I think could also serve as a reason why Koios's Oracle is "asleep" so to speak and nearly lost to memory in the RRverse - in fact, I think Asteria and Phoebe are the only ones who bother to remember its existence.

And Leto, of course. But I don't think she wants her son to know of another Oracle with a giant snake guarding it. She's had enough heart-attacks, thank you.

(Same with Lelantos, tbh.)

Canon is my sandbox and I am making some sweet sandcastles out of it XD

TL;DR

Apollo's visions in TDP stem from Koios's source of Heaven Prophecy because Phoebe's source of Earthly Prophecy (Delphi) has been taken over by Python. Koios's source firmly knocks on Apollo's mental doors and decides to kick back into gear to help its titular patron's grandson out. Because Apollo is the god of prophecy itself - every bit of it.

Extras:

I find it fascinating how magic and prophecy are both part of the same family tree (Hecate & Apollo).

and yes. You should expect a fic concerning Koios's Oracle at some point. but no promises on when :3

Thank you for coming to Insane Theory Time With Alder. I hope there will be more lmao

Websites you can look into:

Koios (Theoi)

Phoebe (Theoi)

Hyperborea (Theoi)