Apollo and Artemis were twins. They were children of Zeus and Leto. The twins adored their mother. Apollo was usually gentle unless someone was bothering his mother. He was very protective. 

Nearly everyone was fond of Apollo. He was the god of music, reason, and light. All the people of ancient Greece brought gifts to Apollo, and asked for advice in exchange. It was all very nice, but it was also exhausting. 

One day, Apollo decided that what he needed was an oracle, a wise woman to speak for him. In ancient Greece, an oracle was a person who could predict and interpret the future. 

Apollo used some magic and established his oracle in a temple at Delphi. There were many oracle, or fortune tellers, in ancient Greece. But Apollo's oracle was the most famous. 

As the ancient Greeks knew, you had to be careful and listen carefully to an oracle. Oracles could not lie. But their answers could be confusing. For example, one day a king asked Apollo's oracle, "Will I win the war tomorrow?" The Oracle answered, "A king will die tomorrow." But which king? Two kings were fighting in the war. That was the trouble with oracles.  

Apollo had other things to do besides answer endless questions. He left his oracle in charge at the temple in Delphi, and returned to his home on Mt. Olympus. 

Hermes & Apollo (powerpoint)  

Apollo and his Oracle 

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