Episode 253: Apollo
/We’re back visiting the Olympian gods and this time it’s finance bro Apollo. We talk about all the women (and men!) Apollo has wronged, and of course, celebrate SoupFest 2021. You’re welcome, Apollo.
Content Warning: This episode contains conversations about or mentions of animal death, intoxication, misogyny, sexual assault, pregnancy, war, death, disease/plague, kidnapping, slavery, fighting, infedelity, grief, and incest.
Housekeeping
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Transcript
AMANDA: Welcome to Spirits Podcast, a boozy dive into mythology, legends, and folklore. Every week we pour a drink and learn about a new story from around the world. I'm Amanda.
JULIA: And I'm Julia.
AMANDA: And this is Episode 253 or the second installment in finally fulfilling the promise of Spirits podcasts by Spirits podcast: It's All Greek To Me: Apollo,
JULIA: Sure is. Sure is. I'm always so happy that both you and the listeners seem very excited for our It's All Greek To Me episodes and I am stoked to be hitting another one.
AMANDA: You know, Julia, sometimes you have to go back to basics. I'm saying is if this wasn't your idea and it was and I'm very glad that it was. And you just gotta be like, "Apollo, what the fuck?" And that's what this episode is really, and we're very excited about it.
JULIA: It's a lot of what the fuck.
AMANDA: And thank you Julia for taking on the, the podcast duties last week while I got away, and I just have to open up this episode. We normally don't do it in this order, but like I just got to recommend Fall shit, whether it's looking at, like, one yellow leaf outside your window or if this is not fall in your hemisphere or area, I mean, look up pictures of leaves or wait for your fall and, like, enjoy spring, I guess. But just, you know, lean into it, eat pumpkin stuff, go apple picking, buy cider, and mullet. The stuffs on the shelves, it won't be after too long. So, do it. Do Fall shit.
JULIA: Do it. Do it. I went for a hike after drinking a pumpkin spice latte yesterday. It was fantastic. The dream.
AMANDA: I drank a pumpkin spice cider on my couch and that was also good.
JULIA: Yeah, everything is good. If it's fall-related, everything is good.
AMANDA: And Julia, do you know what should definitely be part of your fall activities this year?
JULIA: Is it our live show?
AMANDA: It's our live show on October 27 at 8 PM Eastern, this is a virtual live show. You can attend no matter where in the world you are. And also, no matter what timezone you're in because you can either watch live or stream the video afterward. There are video on demand, VOD copy. All of that is available for just one ticket. So, come live, watch later, watch it a year from now. It's all yours. It's all yours to enjoy, that's at spiritspodcast.com/live.
JULIA: So, here's, here's what I suggest for you, if you can't come see it on Wednesday, that's no big deal. Buy the ticket, sit down after going trick or treating, or handing out candy Sunday night on Halloween. And then, be like, "You know what I should do? I should hang out with my very spooky friends, Amanda, Julia, and Eric, and watch the live show."
AMANDA: It's going to be fabulous. That's October 27 at 8 PM Eastern or afterward, with the VOD, spiritspodcast.com/live. And of course, Julia, we also have to thank our newest patrons. So, thank you very much and welcome to Anne, Malorie, and Pink Persephone, what a name, thank you for joining and for your support along with our Supporting Producer level patrons: Uhleeseeuh, Allison, Bryan, Debra, Hannah, Jack Marie, Jane, Jessica Stewart, Kneazlekins, Megan Moon, Phil Fresh, Captain Jonathan MAL-uh-kye Cosmos, Sarah, and Scott. And of course, there's the Legend Level patrons to thank: Audra, Clara, Drew, Jaybaybay, Ki, Lexus, Mary, Morgan, Morgan H., Mother of Vikings, Sarah, & Bea Me Up Scotty.
JULIA: The true pumpkin royalty.
AMANDA: Oh, so true.
JULIA: Amanda, you are away recently and I know that you were Upstate, which is the same location as the new season of Join The Party, the now infamous, in my mind at least, Laketown City.
AMANDA: It feels so real. It's like a real place. We were in the Adirondack, which is the home of our near-future fictional Metropolis, Laketown city. And if you want to learn how to play Dungeons and Dragons, or you want to hear friends telling a story, or you just want more Julia and Amanda content, listen, we got you covered. Listen to Join the Party. This is in our newest campaign, we tackle science, superpowers, a better future, and the responsibility to help others. Like, engages with the kinds of questions that we think about all the time, becoming an adult, negotiating relationships with your family, figuring out what to do with your body, and you know your gender and, like, all kinds of stuff. Also, it's very fun. So, listen, I promise you're gonna love it, check it out. Search for Join the Party in your podcast app or go to jointhepartypod.com.
JULIA: Check it out. I love it. And if you like urban legends, and you like superheroes, this new season is great. If you like fantasy and gay weddings, the first season is also fantastic.
AMANDA: What really grabbed me by being a player on the show was the fact that the first episode of the first campaign opens at a gay wedding and we have to save the princess' fiance. It's just fabulous and I hope it'll grab you in the same way.
JULIA: I bet it will.
AMANDA: So, without further ado, please enjoy Spirits Podcast, Episode 253: It's All Greek to Me: Apollo.
JULIA: Friends, Greeks, shining beacons, we are back at it again with It's All Greek To Me, finally fulfilling the promise of Spirits Podcast by Spirits Podcast.
AMANDA: That's us.
JULIA: That's us and we're doing it. We're finally doing it. Last we left off, we had just finished an episode on the Moon and Huntress goddess Artemis, and of course, because we left off with one half of a set, we've now got to move on to the god, Apollo.
AMANDA: Oh man, is there, is there a more kind of weighted name in the English language? Probably. But it's up there.
JULIA: Perhaps, perhaps. Amanda, what do you think of when I say the word Apollo or the name Apollo?
AMANDA: I was hoping you wouldn't ask me because then I would, I would tip my hand as to not retaining every single thing that's been said to me about mythology over the last six years.
JULIA: You know what, bud? That's okay. It's all right. We've spent six years doing this, and if you don't--
AMANDA: That's true.
JULIA: --remember everything, that's fine.
AMANDA: All right, Apollo. I'm not a himbo necessarily, but handsome.
JULIA: Mmh.
AMANDA: He's in the Greek and the Roman. Cheating, because most of them are. I think I know something to do with archery with Apollo. Since we did the moon last time, I know that he's likely associated with the sun.
JULIA: Excellent, very, very good. I think that was a good roundabout. You mentioned himbo, he doesn't necessarily have himbo energy, in my opinion. I think he has more finance-bro energy.
AMANDA: Mmh.
JULIA: Yeah.
AMANDA: An energy with which I am closely associated.
JULIA: Yeah. He has very, like, golden boy in the 80s energy, I feel like. If Apollo was around today, he would definitely wear very expensive jeans. Maybe a sweater that doesn't look like, he would dress like Chris Evans in--
AMANDA: Yep.
JULIA: --Knives Out. He would dress like--
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: --Chris Evans in Knives Out.
AMANDA: Yeah, like a boss and asset manager for all the fellow former finance workers out there. That's how I would typify this.
JULIA: That is the energy that I think he definitely has, but let's get into the source materials so you can tell me at the end of this whether or not he does have big Knives Out, Chris Evans energy.
AMANDA: Mmh-hmm.
JULIA: So, as we mentioned in our Artemis episode, Apollo is the twin of Artemis, born of Zeus and Leto on the island of Delos. Edith Hamilton mentions that in the past, he has been referred to as the, "Most Greek of the gods."
AMANDA: Oh.
JULIA: Which is saying something because there's a lot of Greek gods who probably hold higher power than him if we're really gonna, like, do some power rankings of the Greek gods.
AMANDA: Yeah. What did she mean by most Greek? Do you know?
JULIA: She means kind of basically like, he is the God of all things that the Greeks hold in high regard?
AMANDA: I see, like, culturally.
JULIA: Yes. So, he is the god of the arts. So, in Greek poetry, he is a musician who plays the golden lyre for the rest of the Olympians. As a quick, like, side note story here, the reason that the lyre is the instrument of choice for Apollo has to do with Hermes and a trick that Hermes played on Apollo when he was still just a child. Like, Hermes was, like, a baby in playing jokes on the older gods.
AMANDA: Incredible.
JULIA: I think I might have told that one on the podcast before, but instead I'm going to save it for when we hit Hermes on the, It's All Greek To Me agenda and we'll talk a little bit more about it later.
AMANDA: Julia, this is such an inspired idea. People were so excited about the Artemis episode. They're gonna be so excited about this episode, I just, I'm so here for it.
JULIA: I hope so. I hope so. I hope people like these. So, not only was he a musician, he was also a healer, so much the master that he was the one who taught humans the healing arts, which a big deal.
AMANDA: Wow. It's like your son is a poet and a doctor. Any mother would be pleased about that one.
JULIA: Yeah. Similarly, and also another thing that his mother was probably pleased about, he was the god of truth and it was said that no false word ever falls from his lips.
AMANDA: Honest, handsome, plays the, but he's, he's basically a regency debutant, right? Where, like, he comes out for his season and it's like, "Hello, this is my daughter. She has a great dowry, her form looks pleasing, she can needlepoint and will never lie and is different."
JULIA: Yes, yeah. I honestly the idea of the Queen would, would love her. So, there's actually a great verse from Edith Hamilton about this aspect of him being, like, the truth speaker so here it is. "Oh, Phoebus, from your throne of truth, from your dwelling place at the heart of the world, you speak to men. By Zeus' decree, no lie comes there. No shadow to darken the word of truth. Zeus sealed by an everlasting right Apollo's honor that all may trust with unshaken faith when he speaks."
AMANDA: Unshaken faith, that's saying something.
JULIA: I mean, yeah, and like, I'm interested in this because it basically saying like, Zeus decreed it. Zeus is saying, "Apollo, you can't speak no lies," which is interesting, because Zeus speaks a lot of lies.
AMANDA: Yeah. And like, does that make Apollo virtuous, or is that just, like, a thing that he's dealing with, you know?
JULIA: Yeah. I think Edith Hamilton kind of gives a little bit of insight into that because she also points out that Apollo is the god of light. So, truth-speaker is also in association to this idea of light that, like, darkness is lies and light is truth.
AMANDA: Sure.
JULIA: And so, Edith Hamilton describes Apollo as someone who "In whom is no darkness at all, and so he is the god of truth." So, because he is the god of light--
AMANDA: Oh
JULIA: --that also makes him the god of truth.
AMANDA: Okay, so he's just like, doesn't even have the capacity for it.
JULIA: Yeah, I guess not. You can tell kind of from his stories, he's not a big fan of lying. But also, just like all the Greek gods he's a bit of a hypocrite. We'll get to it. So, he is similarly to Artemis, associated with the bow and arrow, like you mentioned. Though, it tends to kind of pale in comparison to his other dominions. Much like we talked about with Artemis, Apollo has several other names like Artemis, who is known as Phoebe or light. Apollo is known as Phoebus, which is basically the masculine version of the same word. He is known as Delion for the island of Delos, where he was born. Additionally, he's also known as Pythian because he killed the monster serpent known as Python.
AMANDA: Wow. Julia, what I'm hearing is that all Delis are filled with truth and light and nothing bad in them.
JULIA: Really depends on the, the health rating of said Deli but you're not wrong.
AMANDA: There is definitely, probably, like, an unclean grease trap or something in the back of your local Deli, but spiritually, nothing but lightened there
JULIA: I love that. Another name includes "the Lycian," though whether or not that is because of his light aspect or in association with wolves, or just the region of Lycia is kind of debated among scholars.
AMANDA: How interesting. I wonder what the Broadway Lyceum theater is named after.
JULIA: Oh, that's an interesting thought. I feel like they tend to just, like, take a place in Greece and they're like, "That's what this theater is now," and you're like, "Okay, I guess."
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: Similarly debated, is that Apollo is referred to as "the Sminthian," in the Iliad, which means Mouse-God, but since this is the only remaining text where he is referred to as such, scholars aren't sure if that means he, like, protected mice, was associated with mice, destroyed mice.
AMANDA: I mean, I follow a lot of really adorable, like, people who keep and photograph mice on Instagram.
JULIA: That's true.
AMANDA: So, maybe Apollo just, like, loves cute shit.
JULIA: I would like that for him. I'm worried it's kind of, like, a Saint Patrick getting rid of all the snakes in Ireland thing.
AMANDA: Yeah, but on the other hand, what if Apollo, Julia, is like a mouse whisperer. He knows how to deal with mice, and so he uses the mice to entrap the Python.
JULIA: Interesting.
AMANDA: Ever thought about that? Or are mice too small for pythons to eat, and Apollo is the real snack.
JULIA: Well, if there's anything that I learned from watching the Suicide Squad, it's that rats can eat cashews. So, yeah, yeah. I think we're okay. I think that, that can do it.
AMANDA: I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna do some selective forgetting right here as I round the stretch into my 30s and assume that Impala really loved mice. And everyone knew that about him and was like, "This is my Apollo, my sweet son. He loves mice."
JULIA: And he has a little mouse on his shoulder all the time.
AMANDA: So, mouse in pockets, so cute.
JULIA: So, similarly to his twin, Apollo, like you said, is associated with the sun, despite the literal embodiment of the Sun being the Titan Helios. And of course, the two became synchronized later so that Apollo absorbed Helios into his own lore and image. Classic. One of the most important aspects of Apollo, especially in his worship and connection to mortals is his association with the Oracle of Delphi and the Precinct of Delphi as a whole. Amanda, you probably recognize the name Oracle of Delphi, correct?
AMANDA: Sure do.
JULIA: So, to the ancient Greeks, Delphi was considered the center of the world, and that quote that I was talking about earlier, when they were talking about Apollo sitting at the center of the world, they're talking about Delphi, because this was a place that pilgrims would flock to in order to hear truths from the gods. And the Temple of Apollo was, like, this incredible site that people would go to visit.
AMANDA: I love that. Oh, Julia, do you think that Greeks at the time had a sort of routine where like, we've all been in a situation where a friend is dating someone that you don't think is great for them, right? Or they're staying in a relationship that you'd rather see them out of, or maybe they're even doubting something that you think is really good? And they're like, "I don't know, like, I wish they were taller," and you're like, "It doesn't matter." What if there was a tradition where you and your friends took a boat, and you were like, "Hey, let's let Apollo tell us what to do."
JULIA: Yeah, pretty good. I feel like I would want Aphrodite to tell me what to do in this case.
AMANDA: Yeah, yeah.
JULIA: But Apollo, and we'll, we'll see why I would want, not want advice on that kind of thing from Apollo shortly.
AMANDA: Okay. All right. All right. I'm gonna put a pin in this idea. Let's return to it.
JULIA: I love it. So, the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, an incredible structure. There was actually like, I think 4 or 5 different temples, and they were all made out of different materials and stuff like that.
AMANDA: Oh, wow.
JULIA: But the most important one was the seat of the Oracle of Delphi, who's also known as Pythia. So, she was said to be the direct link between the gods and men who through Apollo was able to guide people to know the divine will of the gods and to show them how to make peace with the gods if a mortal wronged them in some way.
AMANDA: Fascinating.
JULIA: A very important role if you think about it because if the mortals are just wronging the gods all the time and have no, like, way of fixing those problems, that's not good for anyone.
AMANDA: Exactly. You need to have a path toward righting that wrong.
JULIA: Yes, exactly. So, the understanding of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi is that it was chosen because of a sacred chasm over which the temple was constructed, which was said to have vapors rising from it. From this, the Oracle would go into a trance after breathing in the vapors and deliver prophecies or messages from the gods. This is where things get a little complicated, because some writers say that she would, like, speak in gibberish or tongues, and then that would be interpreted by the priest and then translated for the benefit of those seeking truth from her.
AMANDA: Hmm.
JULIA: Which is I feel like the very classical understanding of what the Oracle of Delphi was, right?
AMANDA: Sure.
JULIA: However, Herodotus describes her as giving prophecy in the poetic style of Dactylic hexameter, which is how all, almost all of classical.
AMANDA: The most Greek of verses.
JULIA: Exactly. How almost all of Classical Greek poetry was written in that style. I'm just picturing it now as, like, a spoken word poetry event.
AMANDA: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. And you got.
JULIA: The most popular one in all of Greece.
AMANDA: Yeah, I got a bunch of, of drunk girls snapping in the back, like, "Dump him. Dump him at Delphi." Yeah.
JULIA: But recently, scholars agree with Herodotus, [15:29] and [15:31] have argued that Herodotus is most likely correct. And that there were many ancient sources that represented Pythia as both speaking intelligibly and with her own voice when delivering prophecies, which I, I appreciate the kind of appealing mysticism of the frenzied state and the interpreted words as though like mere mortals cannot speak or understand the gods in a non-heightened state. But I do also really love the idea that she spoke in her own voice, and that voice was considered one of the most prestigious and authoritative voices in all of ancient Greece.
AMANDA: Totally. It really sets off some kind of, like, yellow flags for me when I hear a kind of, like, male medium interpreting female voice, you know? Where like, "Oh, yes. Well, like, she, she has the power but we can, you know, interpret her, keep her, you know, position her in a way that, you know, her wisdom is, is too much for mere mortals and so we need to translate it or dilute it in some way."
JULIA: Sure. And this is coming from Greece where most of the, like, seers and prophets often had to use some sort of divination practice in order to interpret the signs of the gods. With Pythia, it was inhale the smoke or the vapors, and then the prophecy comes straight to you, basically. So, she has the most direct line to Apollo and the rest of the gods as opposed to the others who have to divine seeing things, and the birds, and the bones, and the trees.
AMANDA: I'm really interested if any geologists have considered that spot and wondered if there are any kind of, like, natural formations or aspects of the land, you know? Is everybody getting high on, like, sulfur fumes or something? Like, is there anything contributing to that particular spot connecting you to the higher plane?
JULIA: Yeah. I'm sure there's something. I didn't go into a lot of detail. I want to touch on the Oracle of Delphi, but not really get into the deep like, "Well, scientifically, we've proven that she was inhaling-."
AMANDA: And you know what, these things don't detract from the story of it for me.
JULIA: Yeah.
AMANDA: And it, it just, is more of like, "Wow, human beings. Amazing." Like, the marrying of story in place is one of my favorite things.
JULIA: Yeah, the lore is important, the how-it-happened less so in this case.
AMANDA: It just adds to it for me. It's like, "Wow, what a cool story to develop and coexist with this natural formation."
JULIA: Yes, I agree. 100%. We've talked a lot about in this part of the episode, about the kind of truth and righteousness of Apollo, of course. And that was a very important aspect of him, but he was also a Greek god in Greek mythology. So, it's not as though he doesn't have his flaws. Here's a great quote from Edith Hamilton that really sums it up for me which is "There are a few tales told of him, which show him pitiless and cruel. Two ideas were fighting in him as in all the gods. A primitive crude idea, and one that was beautiful and poetic. In him, only a little of the primitive is left."
AMANDA: Hmm.
JULIA: So, Edith Hamilton, holding Apollo in a high regard, but there are some stories that I'm looking at, side-eyeing Edith a little and being like, "Really, girl? Really?"
AMANDA: Why don't you tell me a little bit about how Apollo fucked up.
JULIA: Yeah, so let's get into that kind of balance of crude and poetic, right? So, the first story I would like to tell you is the story of Daphne, which is important to Apollo because this is the story of how the Laurel Tree became sacred to him, which I love a laurel tree. They're very pretty. I love them so much.
AMANDA: Oh, yeah.
JULIA: Very shiny leaves. So, the version that I'm going to tell you in this story comes from Ovid, just as a heads up. Now, Daphne was the kind of woman that we love in Greek stories. She was a wood nymph. She was the daughter of the river god Peneus, but she really had no interest in what the Greeks would have called, like, the womanly arts. In fact, she probably would have been, like, really good friends with Artemis. I don't know they've ever interacted in the stories, but I know that you'll see the line that I'm thinking of later but she was a huntress. She loved her independence, and she had no interest in ever marrying. Cassic.
AMANDA: Excellent.
JULIA: So, her father had attempted to get her to marry many times, but she refused all of the suitors that he had lined up for her. And so, when he complains, like, I feel like most parents do at the age that I am currently approaching that he would never have a grandchild, she would wrap her arms around his neck and say, "Father, just let me be like the lady Artemis," and then flee into the woods.
AMANDA: Incredible, we support this icon.
JULIA: However, Amanda, the woods is where Apollo first laid eyes on her. She was out hunting in her, like, short dress above the knees so that she can move quickly through the forest just like Artemis.
AMANDA: Let the girl hunt.
JULIA: Her arms were bare.
AMANDA: Let the girl hunt. Let the girl be cool.
JULIA: Her hair was a tangled mess.
AMANDA: Okay, is she gonna spend valuable hunting hours in the day like brushing her hair?
JULIA: Correct. So, Apollo saw her. Instantly falls in love thinking that she was beautiful even in that state. Come on, Apollo. So, he thinks to himself, "What would she not look like properly dressed and with her hair--
AMANDA: Oh, no.
JULIA: --nicely arranged, which is like, "Yikes, my guy."
AMANDA: Oh, boy.
JULIA: So, at that thought, he concluded that he had to have her and began to chase after her. Just, this happens a lot in Greek mythology.
AMANDA: I know. She's gonna say, "Does somebody turn somebody into a deer?" Like, I'm just, I am, I am sensing some real mythological through lines here.
JULIA: Yep. So, Daphne could run through the forest just like a deer. So fast that the Chase was even difficult for the god Apollo for a few minutes, but finally he got close enough that he could call out to her and he yelled, "Do not fear. Stop and find out who I am. I'm no rude, rustic, or shepherd. I am the Lord of Delphi. And I love you."
AMANDA: That doesn't make it better that you're chasing Daphne in the forest, my guy.
JULIA: Yes, you haven't even spoken to her yet. How do you know you love her? Come on, my guy.
AMANDA: No. Also, some power dynamics if you're the lord here if you're in charge that.
JULIA: So, Daphne true to fucking form realizing that it's Apollo chasing her runs even harder.
AMANDA: Yeah. Yeah, Daphne.
JULIA: She knows that this chase, she's almost certainly going to lose, but she's determined to struggle until the very end. However, just when all hope seems lost, the trees kind of open up and she sees her father's river in the distance. So, she calls out for his aid.
AMANDA: Nice. Smart.
JULIA: As soon as she calls out, she feels her body begin to drag, her feet become rooted to the ground, and bark enclosed around her as leaves sprouted from her limbs. So, her father had transformed her into a tree in order to save her from the pursuit of Apollo, which is I guess, like, rough in a lot of ways, but also good on this dad for not being like, "Yeah, just be with Apollo, and then I can have a grandchild." Now he's like, "My daughter clearly doesn't want this. I'm gonna save her ass."
AMANDA: I don't know what she would have preferred, but I see the logic from his point of view.
JULIA: So, in this moment, I also kind of picture this idea of Apollo running headlong into this newly sprouted tree, but unfortunately Greek mythology is not a Hanna-Barbera cartoon so that doesn't happen.
AMANDA: I think headcanon accepted.
JULIA: But he does see this transformation and is dismayed and he's acting all woe is me despite the fact that his actions kind of directly got this woman turned into a tree.
AMANDA: Oh, yeah.
JULIA: So, he resolves to make it even more about him. So, he says, "Oh, fairest of maidens. You are lost to me, but at least you shall be my tree."
AMANDA: No.
JULIA: "With your leaves, my victor shall wreath their brows. You shall have your part in all of my triumphs. Apollo and his laurel shall be joined together, wherever songs are sung and stories told."
AMANDA: Wow, that's fucked up. Maybe that somebody wrote that and it's like, "Nailed it. Nailed it."
JULIA: Yeah.
AMANDA: "Romantic, wonderful, symbolic. Love it."
JULIA: Mmh-hmm. Mmh-hmm. And then Ovid ends the story with something like, "The beautiful shining leaf tree seemed to nod its waving head as in, in happy consent." I'm like, I cannot imagine a world where Daphne would be real cool with this, and consenting to this.
AMANDA: No, I think she was flinching away from him as he tried to, like, pick the leaves. And it's like, "No, no, no."
JULIA: Just slap him with their branches. No, no, no.
AMANDA: Wow. Julia, if I were to see a real laurel wreath out in the world, what should I do with it? Should I, like, cast it away into the woods? Should I snippet in half?
JULIA: No, I feel like you should just hold it and be like, "I'm so sorry. Ma'am, I'm very sorry."
AMANDA: That's good. I like that
JULIA: You are your own thing, and I think of you and not Apollo when I look at you.
AMANDA: Remember Daphne.
JULIA: Remember Daphne. So, we're going to get even more frustrated with Apollo and his treatment of women just as soon as we get back from refill because we're gonna need it.
AMANDA: I'm gonna need another drink. Let's go. So, Julia, while I was away I was visiting my grandmother upstate in the Adirondacks. It was so nice and she is a real homemaker. She is thrifty. She knows all the ways to get all the stains. She loves to have, like, the very perfect, like, little soap dish. The perfect little pot to, like, warm your butter. Like, everything is just perfectly sized, and I was shocked and so happy to learn that she recently converted to Brooklinen sheets. This is true. She upgraded all the sheets in her home to Brooklinen sheets. And I was like, "Jemmy, I also upgraded all my sheets to Brooklinen sheets. They're so comfy. They're so clean." And when Jemmy endorses it, you know that it's high quality. But listen, sheets is not all that Brooklinen makes. They also make towels. They have loungewear. One of whose t-shirts I'm wearing right now. No zippers. They have no tags, which is a great kind of addition as well. And they now have bundle deals on loungewear too. So, you can get more comfort for less money.
JULIA: The whole outfit could be comfortable.
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JULIA: Now Amanda, in a couple of weeks, I am actually going Upstate and renting a house with a bunch of people for a wedding. And I know that everyone has different tastes and different opinions and probably will forget a lot of the stuff that they were supposed to bring, like toiletries and stuff like that.
AMANDA: Mmh-hmm.
JULIA: But thankfully Amanda, I already have my Doordash app downloaded onto my phone. So, I know I am going to be ordering just a bunch of different food and also probably shampoo for that one guy who always forgets to bring a shampoo.
AMANDA: Oh, that's so smart. I have started bringing just my Multitool to every, every wedding that I go to. And also, zip ties because listen, if you're doing your own flowers, you're going to need zip ties, but that is so smart because you can't always anticipate that someone will forget their deodorant or need a safety pin or, like, need a Tide stick.
JULIA: Yeah. So, Multitool's zip ties and the Doordash app and then you're set to go for any vacation or any wedding. And the nice part about Doordash is that it connects you with restaurants that you love and local restaurants. So, you can be ordering from stuff that's nearby. Even if you don't know all of the restaurants that are nearby. Ordering is super easy. You open up that Doordash app, you choose what you want from where you want it, and then your items are left safely outside your door with that contactless delivery drop-off setting. And like I said, you can get grocery essentials and also household items delivered in under an hour. And they have over 300,000 partners in the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Australia. So, you can support those neighborhood go-to's or you can choose from your favorite national chains. And when you are going to a place in the middle of the woods, in the middle of October, and you don't know any restaurants, you don't want to drive around a bunch of hours trying to figure out where to get things from, this is the perfect opportunity for you. So, for a limited time, our listeners can get 25% off and zero delivery fees on their first order of $15 or more when you download the Doordash app and enter the code creepycool. That's 25% off, up to a $10 value and zero delivery fees on your first order when you download that Doordash app in the app store and enter the code creepycool. Don't forget that's code creepycool, all one word for 25% off your first order with Doordash. Subject to change terms apply
AMANDA: Subject to change terms apply.
JULIA: Terms apply.
AMANDA: And finally, Julia, we are sponsored by Third Love. And something that I think is so wonderful is they give you the opportunity to tell them what bra you are currently wearing, and what's wrong with it. Because very often, I scry online reviews and I'm like, "Okay, normally bras of this type, or from this manufacturer, or in the size, like, they pull here, or the cups gap, or the straps dig in, or the straps fall off." Like, there's so many things. It's a very complex engineering garment. And there are lots of ways that you need to find something that's good for your particular body. And just because you don't conform to whatever version of a size and letter that a manufacturer makes doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. It means you need a little more customized of a bra or the right one for you. And the Third Love believes that everyone deserves comfortable clothes, which I think is a very, very laudable mission
JULIA: And thankfully Amanda, they have that fitting room quiz that answers all of those questions that you have about bras. It's like a personal shopper but better. It focuses on your size, your breast shape, your current fit issues, and your personal style to find bras and underwear that are perfect for you. I like to wear a lot of shirts that if I was wearing just a regular bra, you'd see the strap so they're like, "What about a racerback?" I'm like, "Yes, I do love a racerback," and it's so much easier.
AMANDA: Totally. One of my favorite bralettes is from Third Love, which I, I really appreciate because I have been a, you know, newer convert to, like, bralettes soft bra, soft cups and it's super comfortable. It doesn't give me uni-boob and I can wear it and know that I can be confident, comfortable all day long. So listen, feeling is believing and you deserve to upgrade to everyday pieces that love your body as much as you do. Right now, you can get 20% off your first order at thirdlove.com/spirits. That's 20% off at thirdlove.com/spirits.
JULIA: Thanks for taking care of our boobs Third Love.
AMANDA: And now, let's get back to the show.
JULIA: So, much like I said in the Artemis episode, I remember loving silver over gold because Artemis was associated with silver and Apollo gold. So, for this episode's cocktail, I chose a cocktail called the Gold Rush, which is kind of like a bourbon forward Bee’s Knees, or like a whiskey sour with honey instead of sugar. It goes down smooth, unlike Apollo, but he has very honeyed words. So, I suppose it, it works for him.
AMANDA: A very good pairing.
JULIA: Now, with these in hand, let's talk about Cassandra because we can't talk about Apollo and not talk about Cassandra.
AMANDA: Word.
JULIA: So, Cassandra was one of the daughters of Priam, who is the king of Troy during the Trojan War and was known throughout the land to be a prophetess. As we already knew before, Apollo was the god of truth and associated with oracles and prophets himself, and it was said that he was the one that gave Cassandra the gift of prophecy. Another thing that we need to know about Apollo as well is that he sided with the Trojans during the Trojan War. So, Apollo and Poseidon were even said to have built the walls of Troy. The Trojan War is very complicated. All the gods are choosing different sides and then going to other sides. It's a whole, it's a whole thing. During the Trojan War, Apollo took direct action against the Greeks but only in retaliation after Agamemnon had captured the daughter of one of Apollo's priests and had refused to return her to her father. In his anger at this slight, Apollo flew his chariot over the Greek army and shot down arrows infected with plague throughout their encampment, which killed many Greeks from the disease.
AMANDA: Not cool.
JULIA: Yeah, it was said that, like, the pyres would not stop burning, that's how many Greeks died of the disease.
AMANDA: Oof.
JULIA: Yes. So, don't fuck with Apollo. Apollo was also said to favor the Trojan God, Hector. And when Hector was injured in battle, Apollo himself healed the hero. Like, he went down to the battlefield, held him and healed his wounds.
AMANDA: Damn.
JULIA: Yeah. So, that's a big deal. Some people claim that Apollo was the father of Hector and not Priam, but it depends on who's telling the story. So, that could explain why he liked Hector so much. Hector eventually was able to kill the warrior and the lover of Achilles, Patroclus. Who with the help of Apollo, who'd, like, stopped Patroclus from entering the fort of Troy. He stripped away all of his armor. He broke his weapons and then Hector was able to kill him.
AMANDA: Oh, damn.
JULIA: So, probably wouldn't have been able to kill him without the help of Apollo, which is interesting. So, my point being Apollo had very heavily aligned himself with the Trojans, so when it was said that he had fallen in love with the king of Troy's daughter, Cassandra, it's not exactly out of nowhere. You know what I mean?
AMANDA: Sure.
JULIA: This is not a I-saw-you-one-time-in-the-woods-and chased-you-and-now-you're-my-tree.
AMANDA: Fear not, I'm not a dirty Shepherd. Oh, you’re a tree.
JULIA: So, towards the end of the war, however, Cassandra kind of spurned his advances and did not return his love. And so Apollo's favor of her kind of soured. However, he was unable to take back his gift that he had given her, the gift of prophecy. So, he made a proclamation that would become truth that despite the fact that Cassandra could tell the future, no one would ever believe her.
AMANDA: Brutal.
JULIA: Yeah, truly brutal. So, Cassandra is the one that attempted to warn the Trojans that the Greeks were hidden inside the wood horse that was supposed to be a gift.
AMANDA: Mmh-hmm.
JULIA: But no one again believed her and this decision kind of helped Apollo's Trojans lose the war. By making it so that Cassandra could not warn the soldiers that what was coming.
AMANDA: Wow.
JULIA: So, when the Greeks began to sack the city after they managed to sneak in via the Trojan horse, Cassandra took to Athena's temple to hide. However, the Greeks found her there, clutching the statue of Athena and dragged her from the temple. So, despite this, obviously, sacrilegious moment here, none of the Greeks had opposed the action or spoken up against it. And so, Athena was obviously enraged.
AMANDA: Oh, yeah. Of course.
JULIA: So, she goes to Poseidon and asks him to help her with her vengeance, telling him to churn the seas so that the Greeks would suffer on their way home. So, it basically kind of explains the beginning of the Odyssey is because Athena was pissed that they did that to Cassandra.
AMANDA: Mmh-hmm.
JULIA: So, Cassandra wasn't killed when she was dragged from the house of Athena, but she was given to Agamemnon as a slave basically, to take back to Greece. Only to be killed by his wife, Clytemnestra and her new lover when they got back because Clytemnestra was pissed.
AMANDA: Mmh-hmm.
JULIA: And kind of a shitty ending for Cassandra, but definitely Apollo's fault. At the very least, she rests in the Elysian Fields, which is basically as good as it gets in the Greek underworld, so she has kind of a happy ending.
AMANDA: But as with many Greek myths, it would have been better if everyone was just left alone.
JULIA: Yeah, would have been, would have been. If only we had just left poor Cassandra alone, she would have. Well, she probably would have died after the Trojan War if the, we don't know, because the Trojans might not have lost if Cassandra had the gift of prophecy. But if Cassandra hadn't been loved by Apollo, then she wouldn't have had the gift of prophecy. So, maybe they would have still taken the Trojan horse. It's very complicated.
AMANDA: I just like to picture Daphne and Cassandra, just hanging out by the river, sunbathing, talking, not worrying about men looking at them.
JULIA: Moving on from poor Cassandra, another failed romance of Apollo's was that of Marpessa. So, Marpessa was the lover of one of the heroes from the Caledonian hunt and an Argonaut, his name was Idas. And so, the two had run off to be married with her father's blessing but Apollo one day saw her, fell in love with her once again. This keeps happening, Apollo stop it, but Idas refused to let the god take away his bride. Excellent. Good, good, husband-ing there. Idas was brave but somewhat foolish and even challenged Apollo to a fight for the honor and love of Marpessa. Not a good choice when you're a mortal and the guy you're fighting for your wife's love and attention is a literal god. Luckily, for the mortals involved in this whole situation, Zeus for once did a good thing and stepped into the picture and parted the two before the fight could begin. So, he turned to Marpessa and told her that she would have to choose who she wanted to be with. It was a real thrill [34:48] situation happening. So, the story goes that Marpessa chose Idas, not because she loved him, which she did, but also because she wisely knew that if she chose Apollo, she had reason to fear that he would not remain truthful to her, which is not wrong, my girl.
AMANDA: Oh. yeah.
JULIA: Not wrong. No, I feel like there's maybe one, two Greek gods in all of Greek godhood who have been true and honest and probably only had one wife and that's it.
AMANDA: Who are they?
JULIA: Hephaestus and Hades. I feel like those are the only two who are just like, "Yeah, I'm not gonna. My wife's cool, I guess."
AMANDA: I'm great. I'm great over here.
JULIA: I mean Hephaestus is married to Aphrodite and Aphrodite is like having a lot of flings on the side but Hephaestus is just like, "There's my hot wife. There she goes. I'm gonna go back to hammering things."
AMANDA: This works for us.
JULIA: This works for us. That's all that matters. Whatever works for you.
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: I feel like all of Greek mythology is just like whatever works for you guys. Whatever works.
AMANDA: Yeah, don't harm others. Just do whatever works for you.
JULIA: Exactly. Of course, Amanda, Apollo did not just take women as lovers. He loved many men as well. And honestly, their endings are just as sad as the women. So, whew, equality. So, also a shocking number of them also got turned into plants. So, it wasn't just poor Daphne. Though hers is probably the most tragic person-to-plant transformation in my mind. So, the first I'll mention is Hyacinth who for the record, Edith Hamilton mentions that was probably a different plant than what we think of now as the modern Hyacinth.
AMANDA: Oh, really?
JULIA: The modern Hyacinth is, like, purple and made of a cluster of kind of small kind of curly flowers. If you've never seen a Hyacinth just Google it. They're very pretty, but the ancient Greek hyacinth in this story kind of refers to either a purple or a crimson flower which resembles more of a lily.
AMANDA: Oh, fun.
JULIA: This kind of reminds me of, you know the story about, like, all of the tulips that we have paintings of but have been genetically wiped out because of diseases, like, tulip breaking virus and stuff like that?
AMANDA: No. I mean, I know about the, like, tulip bubble economy, but that's fascinating.
JULIA: Yeah. It's, it's really interesting. And so there's a bunch of, like, just pictures of tulips that no longer exists in the world. And there's a bunch of, like, tulip breeders who are trying to get those patterns back but the likelihood of being able to genetically do that again is very low. So, it's fascinating.
AMANDA: Fascinating.
JULIA: Anyway, Hyacinth, different flower than what we think of but Hyacinth the man, whom the flower would be named for was a Spartan prince. Both beautiful and athletic and highly favored by the god Apollo. Again, like one of those quintessential beautiful Greeks.,
AMANDA: Doomed.
JULIA: Obviously doomed.
AMANDA: I was just gonna say, "I would love to be the man named Hyacinth," and then I was like, "No, Amanda, he's gonna be doomed."
JULIA: Yes. He'll be dead. He'll be dead. You'll meet him and then he will immediately die.
AMANDA: Oh, no.
JULIA: So, one day, Apollo and Hyacinth were playing a game to see who could throw the discus the farthest. Classic Greek stuff.
AMANDA: Classic.
JULIA: However, the wind god, Zephyrus also had eyes for Hyacinth. And seeing that the man preferred Apollo's love to his own became super jealous. And so when Apollo was throwing the discus, the wind blew it off course and struck Hyacinth in the head. Killing him instantly.
AMANDA: Do better. Do better men.
JULIA: Yeah. You know what the problem is here is just like the Greek gods saw humans as playthings so if they didn't stay with them, they were just like, "You know what, I'm gonna kill you so no one else can have you, and then I'll find someone else." And it's awful.
AMANDA: Bad.
JULIA: Hyacinth, struck in the head, killed immediately. Apollo catches the man in his arms and attempts to heal the wound on his head, but it's already too late. Even Apollo, the best of all healers, could not bring him back to life. And in the poem, Apollo notes that Hyacinth's head bends back like a flower does when its stem is broken and he cries out in grief.
AMANDA: No.
JULIA: It's very beautiful. The imagery is beautiful but very sad.
AMANDA: I don't want it.
JULIA: As he cries out in grief, the blood from Hyacinth's wound seems to seep into the ground, and from that spot, blooms forth a beautiful flower that Apollo named after his lover.
AMANDA: Damn it.
JULIA: Yeah, sad but beautiful. Again, very, very nice.
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: So, Hyacinth is actually honored in his own festival. Like, he and Apollo have his own festival together. And here's a little verse from Edith Hamilton "The Festival of Hyacinthus that lasts throughout the tranquil night. In a contest with Apollo, he was slain. Discus throwing they competed and the gods swift cast sped beyond the goal he aimed at."
AMANDA: Wow.
JULIA: Fucking beautiful but so sad.
AMANDA: I know. I know.
JULIA: So, there was also, moving on past poor Hyacinth and into the next poor person was, Cyparissus, who was said to come from the same bloodline as Heracles but was much more in touch with his emotions than the famous, lethal, brutal Heracles.
AMANDA: There you go.
JULIA: Just a good sweet lad. So, Apollo as a gift to show the young man his affections gave Cyparissus a tamed deer that he loved dearly, but.
AMANDA: Aw, that's a good one.
JULIA: Thank you. However, one day as he was practicing throwing his javelin in the forest, you know a thing that guys do all the time. He accidentally killed his own deer as it lay sleeping in the undergrowth.
AMANDA: No.
JULIA: Very sad. So, Cyparissus was devastated by the death of his companion and went to Apollo and he begged him to let his tears fall forever so that his grief and love was never forgotten.
AMANDA: Oh, shit, that's extremely extra.
JULIA: It's extremely extra. A real dramatic a bitch moment here.
AMANDA: Yeah, it really is.
JULIA: But Apollo honors his request and he turns him into a tree. The Cypress tree.
AMANDA: Nice.
JULIA: So, it is said that the sap that forms in droplets on the trunk of the tree are Cyparissus' tears which he never stops weeping.
AMANDA: Tragic, sad, lovely. See, I wouldn't be good in ancient Greece, Julia, for lots of reasons including, like, disease but primarily because I don't like sad things.
JULIA: Yeah, everything's real sad. There's not a lot of like, "Oh, and we happily celebrate this." It's like the god was real sad and now we celebrate how sad that god was, that one time.
AMANDA: Yeah, I would love to hear from Greek listeners too, who grew up with this. And like, what is your impression? Because, you know, Irish folks love to, like, get very extremely in our sad feelings. Like, once in a while but then mostly, you know, you like, you try to have fun at wakes. And you know, hold each other up. I feel like Greeks very enjoy being like, "Ah, yes. The fundamental sadness of life. Toast."
JULIA: Yeah, I know I keep picking really sad stories. There were nice moments in Greek mythology too. I just tend to pick the sad ones--
AMANDA: No doubt.
JULIA: --because there is a lot. The Greeks love a tragedy, that's just it. That's the stories they like to tell.
AMANDA: A bittersweet story behind. Like a tree or a flower that we see all the time is lovely and I get it, and I, I'm here for it, you know, as a like, historical phenomenon, but in this moment, I'm just like, "Damn it, the deer."
JULIA: I mean, the Greeks loved comedy too. I also feel like part of it is just the way that historians tend to retell and encapsulate stories. They tend to go for the more dramatic bitch stuff because-
AMANDA: Totally.
JULIA: --because like, historians like that and classicists love sad things.
AMANDA: And readers love it too.
JULIA: That's true. That's true. We love, we love drama, we love tragedy.
AMANDA: Mmh-hmm.
JULIA: And comedy is just tragedy + time so.
AMANDA: Mmh-hmm.
JULIA: So, we're done with the lovers. We can stop being sad about the lovers for a hot second.
AMANDA: Phew.
JULIA: Unlike Artemis, Apollo had plenty of children that we can talk about because he was out there just fucking around all the time.
AMANDA: Prolific. Not setting a great example for, for by folks here, Apollo.
JULIA: No, not really. So, most of his children ended up growing up to take after their father. So, they were musicians. They were seers. They were archers, and poets, even physicians. Notably, Asclepius was the son of Apollo and said to be a physician who surpassed even Apollo's healing abilities.
AMANDA: Oh, wow.
JULIA: Which is saying something, because if you're passing the healing abilities of the god of healing, that's a lot.
AMANDA: Yeah. I wonder if he was so good at his job that people around town are like, "Must be the son of Apollo, am I right?"
JULIA: Mmh.
AMANDA: Or if, if it was a branding exercise where he was like, "Me, Asclepius, son of Apollo. Let me set your bones."
JULIA: Amanda, I'm going to tell you how good he was at healing.
AMANDA: Oh, yeah.
JULIA: In just a second.
AMANDA: Okay.
JULIA: Because it didn't end well for him.
AMANDA: Uh-oh. All right.
JULIA: But first, he trained with Chiron, the centaur guy that trained just a bunch of people. And unfortunately, like I said, his skills were so great that he was able to bring back the dead, which caused Zeus to kill him as justice for breaking the natural order of things. So really, he was kind of the first Dr. Frankenstein.
AMANDA: Yeah. I mean, fair enough. You don't raise bodies and Zeus agrees.
JULIA: No, sir. I'm surprised it wasn't Hades who came up and was like, "Guy, you can't keep doing this."
AMANDA: I won't let them go.
JULIA: I won't. I won't do it. I've learned my lesson.
AMANDA: Can't do this to me.
JULIA: Sisyphus did this. Orpheus did this. We can't keep doing this. So, he gets killed by Zeus, but fortunately for him, he's eventually granted immortality and godhood because his skills are just so great. They are like, "We can't just let this guy die. That's not going to work."
AMANDA: Alright, we need him. It's like when, when a sports team I'm imagining goes up against another sports team. And there's someone so good on the other team that you're just like, "Fuck," and then you buy them the next time.
JULIA: That's absolutely true. So, with immortality and godhood, he became god of three things that I feel like you would just be super. Like, Amanda if you died, and then they brought you back to life and made you a god.
AMANDA: Okay.
JULIA: This would be the three things that you would be god of.
AMANDA: Aw.
JULIA: So, it was beekeeping.
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: Cheesemaking.
AMANDA: Love that.
JULIA: And animal husbandry.
AMANDA: Hooray.
JULIA: It's a real, it's a real Amanda patron god there.
AMANDA: Yeah, one of them is not spreadsheets, but I feel like beehives are the spreadsheets of the natural world. And I'm inviting all of you to kind of sit with that for a few minutes because I think it's true.
JULIA: I don't think you're wrong. I'm trying to think about, like, what god would be the god of spreadsheets.
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: Like, it would have to be Hades, right? Like, he's got to take care of, like, the calculus of all of the shades and dead people--
AMANDA: Yeah,
JULIA: --in the underworld.
AMANDA: A lot of resources to manage. Yeah. Every office manager out there who feels underappreciated at your job, just like, empathize with Hades that like I feel like you and Hades will really just like get each other.
JULIA: He really is just an office manager when you think about it.
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: And he got that job, not because he wanted it, just because he lost a game of lots. Not great.
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: So, love that for Asclepius. Apollo was also said to have fathered three daughters who were Apollonis, Borysthenis and Kephiso. Who were known as Apollo's muses, and were nicknamed after the three strings of his lyre, which is really cute.
AMANDA: Oh, that is cute.
JULIA: He also fathered another daughter named Phemonoë, who was both a seer, a priestess of Delphi, and a poet who invented the hexameter.
AMANDA: Damn, no way.
JULIA: Yeah, so that's cool. So, she's like, "I'm gonna tell you how to write all your poetry."
AMANDA: For millennia to come.
JULIA: Here's how many syllables you need.
AMANDA: You, you know the most beautiful of poems, they need six feet, I know you might have thought about having no feet in your poems, maybe two feet or one foot for, for flavor. The answer is six. Six feet.
JULIA: That's it. That's all you need. Many of his sons were also seers and priests like Iamus, Apis, Teneros, and Ismenos. Depending on the sources, both Orpheus and his wife, Euridice were said to be the children of Apollo, which is kind of some classic Greek bloodline complication stuff. Probably not, actually both of them were children of him and again, depends on the sources. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. Classically, like, Orpheus is the son of a muse, and the father is a king, but sometimes Apollo is there instead of the king and it just gets complicated.
AMANDA: Mmh-hmm.
JULIA: So, we talked briefly about some of the festivals of Artemis in her episode, so it seemed fair to talk about Apollo's festivals as well. The most important to Apollo's name, and held in his honor were the Pythian games which were held every four years in Delphi, and were one of the four Panhellenic games. The others being the Olympic, which honored Zeus. The Nemean, which honored Heracles and Zeus. And the Isthmian, which honored Poseidon.
AMANDA: Right on.
JULIA: Isthmian, a hard thing to say when you have a little bit of a lis. So, the Pythian games were a celebration to honor the slaying of the Python by Apollo, which we talked about earlier.
AMANDA: Man, this Python must have terrorized babies for decades.
JULIA: Yeah. I mean, so he was able to kind of make his seat of power Delphi only after he had slain the Python. So, that's kind of a big deal because, like, Delphi wouldn't exist if it wasn't for him killing this big old snake.
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: The cool thing about this were they weren't just competitions of sport, but they were art and dance competitions as well, which is awesome. And women were notably allowed to participate in some but not all of the events, which is a little bit different than all those other games that I mentioned before.
AMANDA: We'll take it.
JULIA: Also, a celebration was the Delia, which was held in Apollo's honor on the island of Delos, where he was born. And was celebrated with gymnastic and musical contests, choruses and dances.
AMANDA: Right on.
JULIA: So, these are real, real, like, celebratory events. This wasn't just like, "We're gonna, we're gonna give you, like, a calf I guess. And we're all gonna, like, hope you're not mad at us."
AMANDA: No. Now this sounds very fun.
JULIA: Yeah, the next one is the Boedromia, which was celebrated by the Athenians and was a little bit more military in nature, and it was the celebration in war where Apollo had given assistance to the Athenians. Then, there was the Pyanepsia, which was also a Athenian celebration of Apollo. Most notably because it means "bean-stewing."
AMANDA: Whoa, what?
JULIA: And central to the celebration was the cooking of a stew made of boiled beans, grains, and other vegetables.
AMANDA: I mean, soup festival that sounds awesome.
JULIA: Soup fest. Soup fest.
AMANDA: Soup fest. Hey, guys do you want to come for soup fest 2021?
JULIA: So, that was one of the aspects. Another important aspect of that same festival was an olive branch would be wrapped in wool that was presented as a sacrifice to kind of thank for all of the agricultural abundance that Apollo had granted on the city. And was then carried by a procession of singing boys who carried it from the Temple of Apollo and then hung the branch at the gates.
AMANDA: Fun.
JULIA: Fun. Adorable. I love it. We keep finding different ones that we want to celebrate. I feel like--
AMANDA: Yeah.
JULIA: --it's got to be soup festival and the one with the bears from Artemis.
AMANDA: Oh, my god. I know. Legendary.
AMANDA: It's very, very good.
JULIA: So, Amanda, that's it for Apollo. I think similarly to Artemis, and I think we'll find with all of the gods that we're going to talk about on It's All Greek To Me. Apollo has a lot of conflict in him. He provides blessings. He brings medicine to mortals, and prophecies to those struggling but he is not without his faults and thirst for revenge. Just like any other of the gods despite the shining Phoebus Apollo, that is seen in most interpretations.
AMANDA: Oh, I feel like I know him so much better than I did before. And I gotta say I want to remember Daphne. I want to leave women alone when they're running through the forest--
JULIA: Yep.
AMANDA: --in a short dress and that's sleeveless.
JULIA: Just leave women alone in general, to be honest.
AMANDA: Leave women alone in general.
JULIA: Mmh-hmm.
AMANDA: Make more soup, guys. Make more soup. It's getting cooler. If you're feeling queer, make more soup, you know?
JULIA: If you make a bean soup this month, put a little to the side for Apollo and be like, "Hey man, thanks."
AMANDA: Have some soup. Leave those women alone.
JULIA: Eat some soup, or maybe you'll chill out of bed.
AMANDA: Apollo every time you want to go harass a woman who doesn't want to talk to you, just have a little bowl of soup. Just have a little bowl of soup. Little bowl of soup.
JULIA: Oh, that's wonderful. Well, join us next time for It's All Greek To Me. I'm not sure who we're getting to deal with just yet but I think you'll enjoy it.
AMANDA: I know I will Julia, and in the meantime, everybody remember.
JULIA: Stay creepy.
AMANDA: Stay cool. Spirits was created by Amanda McLoughlin, Julia Schifini, and Eric Schneider with music by Kevin MacLeod and visual design by Alison Wakeman.
JULIA: Keep up with all things creepy and cool by following us @spiritspodcast on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Tumblr. We also have all of our episode transcripts, guest appearances, and merch on our website. As well as a forum to send us in your urban legends, and your advice from folklore questions at spiritspodcast.com.
AMANDA: Join our member community on Patreon, patreon.com/spiritspodcast for all kinds of behind-the-scenes goodies. Just $1 gets you access to audio extras with so much more like recipe cards with alcoholic and non-alcoholic for every single episode, director's commentaries, real physical gifts, and more.
JULIA: We are a founding member of Multitude, an independent podcast collective, and production studio. If you like Spirits, you will love the other shows that live on our website at multitude.productions.
AMANDA: Above all else, if you liked what you heard today, please text one friend about us. That's the very best way to help keep us growing.
JULIA: Thanks for listening to Spirits. We'll see you next week.
AMANDA: Bye.
Transcriptionist: John Matthew Sarong
Editor: Krizia Marrie Casil