Apollo, in
Greek mythology, is god of truth, the arts, archery, plague, divination and a few other things. Apollo is son of
Zeus and
Latona, and the twin of
Artemis (goddess of the hunt). In later times he became equated with Helios
?, god of the sun, and by proxy his sister was equated with Selene
?, goddess of the moon. He is now primarily known as the god of the sun.
Apollo popularly (e.g., in literary criticism) represents harmony, order, and reason--characteristics contrasted by those of Dionysus?, god of wine, who popularly represents emotion and chaos. The contrast between the roles of these gods is reflected in the adjectives Apollonian and Dionysian.
See also Apollo Program and Near-Earth asteroid.
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