Apollon
| Religion in NetHack |
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- For the lawful god of the base Ranger pantheon in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, see Apollo.
In dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, Apollon is the lawful god of the Bard pantheon.
Description
Apollon is a lawful god of holy holiness, and his minions consist of naiads, Movanic Devas, Monadic Devas, and Light Archons.
Origin
Apollon, primarily known as Apollo, is one of the Olympian deities of classical Greek and Roman religion and mythology. He is considered to be the most beautiful god, and is the son of Zeus and Leto and the twin brother of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. Apollo is a god of archery, which he and Artemis are credited with inventing (hence his role in the Ranger pantheon of dNetHack and its variants) - he is also a god of music and dance, truth and prophecy, healing and diseases, the Sun and light, and poetry among many other aspects, and is one of the most important and complex of the Greek gods. As the patron deity of Delphi (Apollo Pythios), Apollo is also an oracular god, serving as the prophetic deity of the Delphic Oracle and the deity of ritual purification; his oracles were often consulted for guidance in various matters. He was in general seen as the god who affords help and wards off evil.
As the god of mousike (Greek for "art of the Muses"), Apollo's domain covered not only music, but also dance, lyrics, theatre, and the performance of poetry. He is the inventor of string-music and the frequent companion of the Muses, functioning as their chorus leader in celebrations. Apollo's signature instrument is the lyre, which is an invention of either Hermes or Apollo himself; some tellings of Apollo's birth note that he became the god of music immediately after his birth by demanding a lyre and using it to play the first paean.
Apollo also participated in various musical contests when challenged by others, and always came out the victor in all those contests, but tended to punish his mortal opponents severely for their hubris in challenging a god. In one instance, when Apollo was challenged to a contest by the deity Pan, Apollo produced music so beautiful that he was judged victorious at once; Pan and everyone present was pleased with the judgment, save for Pan's faithful follower Midas. When Midas dissented and questioned the justice of the award, Apollo would not suffer such a depraved pair of ears any longer, and caused Midas's ears to become the ears of a donkey.
