Apollo and Python

Drawing after a lost Apulian red figure amphora showing Leto with Apollo and Artemis pursued by Python (early 4th century BC). 

It is interesting that according to the Delphian tradition, Apollo was born on the 7th day of the month of Bysios (Jan/Feb). Interesting why ?

Remember this post, "The marble throne of Apollo" in which I talked about why Apollo is actually a deified Serpent/Dragon, deified symbols of sun's heat...

Marble Throne of Apollo, Roman, late 1st c. AD.

Whoever made this, knew who Apollo really was and wanted to show Apollo in his true shape (serpent, dragon), sitting on his throne. 

In this post I mentioned that Apollo's (Python's) oracle  in Delphi only gave prophecies during the nine warmest months of the year. During winter months, Apollo was said to have deserted his temple. Why?

Cause snakes (including Python) are in our world when sun (god Apollo) is here (day, hot half of the year) and they are in the underworld when sun (god Apollo) is there (night, cold half of the year)...

In Greece, snake season is Feb/Mar - Oct/Nov

Feb/Mar is just after Apollo's birthday, Jan/Feb, beginning of spring. Spring which is brought by the re(birth), return of the sun (god Apollo) from the land of the dead...

So snakes again follow sun (god Apollo) to our world. Just like Python does on the above Apulian vase. BTW, did you notice that Apollo is stretching his arms towards Python? As if he wants to play with the serpent/dragon, his alter ego, and is saying: "Can we keep it?! Please!"🙂

Now I wrote about the birth of Apollo before in several of my posts. Like for instance "Cygnus"... 

When Apollo was born, "swans circled Delos seven times"...Young Sun God is born on winter solstice...And during second millennium BC, the formative period of the Greek mythology, Cygnus (Swan) constellation rose with the sun around winter solstice. The same time which migratory singing swans from Northern Europe spent in Greece...

I still believe that like all sun gods, Apollo was also born on Winter Solstice, Dec/Jan, beginning of the new Solar Year, and that what Delphian tradition calls Apollo's birthday is actually the day of his arrival from the land of the dead (end of winter, beginning of spring)...

Another interesting thing about Delphic version of the Apollo's birth is that he was born on the 7th day of the month of Bysios. Also, while usually Greek festivals were celebrated at the full moon, all the feasts of Apollo were celebrated on the 7th day of the month...

Why? No one knows, but "the emphasis given to that day (sibutu) indicates a Babylonian origin"...

That's interesting...BTW, when Apollo was born, swans circled above the new born god 7 times...Why? As a sing that he will be playing 7 string lyre? Why? No one knows...

BTW, I talked about Animal and plant calendar markers embedded into the story about the birth of Hermes, particularly the part related to him making the first lyre, which he later swapped with Apollo for the caduceus in my post "Lyre of Apollo". 

And I just realised by Apollo is dragging the lyre with him everywhere...It again has to do with Mesopotamia. Will write about it soon...If I don't forget 🙂

Anyway, Apollo and number 7...Hmmmm....

Apollo-Helios wearing a crown with 7 rays of light and a halo, fresco from Pompei, currently in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, Campania, Italy.

So what's with number 7 and Apollo, who, (I proposed) is a no other than deified Serpent/Dragon, deified destructive sun's heat? Remember this?

In Mesopotamia, summer lasted seven (hot) months...Which is why local dragon (dragon = symbol of summer), had seven snake heads (snake = symbols of sun's heat)...Oh, and look, we also have dragon killer(s) and the princess 🙂. I talked about this in my post "Seven headed dragon"...

For the same reason we have this...

Vedic Sun God Surya was usually depicted riding a chariot harnessed by seven usually white horses. Or by a white horse with seven heads...I talked about this in my post "Hayagriva"...

And finally this. A reminder of the last apocalypse...Please count the heads...From my post "Apocalypse"...

Soo...I think we all learned few interesting things here 🙂 BTW, Apollo is the seven headed dragon...If you want to know what I am talking about check these posts: "Palil", "Lord of the flies", "Lions of Delos", "Apollo and dolphins", "Marble throne of Apollo", "White raven", "Threshing floor of Apollo", "Apollo the great archer"...More coming...

That's it. To read more about ancient animal and plant calendar markers, start here…Then check my twitter threads I still didn't convert to blog post...I am way way behind...