Apolon in Artemida

Besedilo

Apolon in Artemida

1. Of the daughters of Coeus, Asteria took the form of a quail and threw herself into the sea to escape union with Zeus; and the city was first called Asteria after her, and later Delos. Leto, after lying with Zeus, was driven by Hera from land to land, until she came to Delos. There she gave birth first to Artemis, who then acted as midwife when she bore Apollo. Artemis devoted herself to hunting and remained a virgin. Apollo learned the art of prophecy from Pan, the son of Zeus and Hybris, and came to Delphi, where Themis was then delivering oracles. When the serpent Python, who guarded the oracle, prevented him from approaching the chasm, Apollo killed him and took possession of the oracle.

Not long afterward he also killed Tityus, the son of Zeus and Elara, daughter of Orchomenus. After lying with Elara, Zeus hid her beneath the earth for fear of Hera, and brought forth into the light the child she bore, Tityus, who was of enormous size. When Tityus saw Leto on her way to Pytho, he was seized with desire and tried to drag her away. She called upon her children, and they shot him down with their arrows. His punishment continued after death, for vultures devour his heart in Hades.

2. Apollo also killed Marsyas, the son of Olympus. Marsyas had found the pipes that Athena had thrown away because they disfigured her face, and challenged Apollo to a musical contest. They agreed that the victor could do whatever he wished to the loser. During the contest Apollo turned his lyre upside down and played it, then told Marsyas to do the same. Marsyas could not, and Apollo was declared the winner. He hung Marsyas from a tall pine tree and killed him by stripping off his skin.

3. Artemis killed Orion on Delos. He is said to have been earthborn and enormous in stature, though Pherecydes says that he was the son of Poseidon and Euryale. Poseidon gave him the power to walk across the sea. His first wife was Side, whom Hera cast into Hades for challenging her in beauty. Later he came to Chios and sought the hand of Merope, the daughter of Oenopion. But Oenopion made him drunk, blinded him as he slept, and cast him out upon the shore. Orion went to the forge of Hephaestus, seized a boy, and set him on his shoulders, telling him to guide him toward the sunrise.

When he reached the east, the sun’s rays healed him and restored his sight, and he hurried back in pursuit of Oenopion.

4. But Poseidon had provided Oenopion with an underground dwelling fashioned by Hephaestus. Meanwhile Eos fell in love with Orion, carried him off, and brought him to Delos; for Aphrodite condemned her to fall in love continually because she had lain with Ares.

5. According to some, Orion was killed for challenging Artemis to a contest with the discus; according to others, Artemis shot him as he tried to violate Opis, one of the maidens who had come from the Hyperboreans. Poseidon married Amphitrite, the daughter of Oceanus, and she bore him Triton and Rhode, whom Helios married.