In MythShrinking Banshee Presents:
Apollo, God of Music
In Myth
Apollo was the God of light, Sun, prophecy and divination as well as flocks, herdsman, archery, medicine, oratory and all of the arts, especially music, and he presided over the nine Muses. Apollo and his twin Artemis were the children of Zeus and Leto. Apollo was born on the island of Delos, because Hera was chasing her and would not allow her rest long enough to give birth. He grew to adult size in a matter of days on a diet of nectar and ambrosia, fed to him by the Goddess Themis. Themis also gave him a bow and arrows made by Hephaestus.
When Apollo left Delos to seek out his own Oracular shrine, he made for Mount Parnassus where the giant serpent, Python, lived. Python, the enemy of Leto and daughter of Ge (Mother Earth), when severely wounded by the arrows from Apollo's bow, fled to the oracle of Ge at Delphi. Apollo followed him into the shrine and killed him beside the sacred chasm, thus making the Oracle at Delphi the most famous in Greece and earning himself the name Pythian Apollo.
Ge reported this outrage to Zeus. Zeus ordered Apollo to undergo purification by banishing him to the Vale of Tempe where he was sent an envoy from Delphi every eight years. Apollo was also punished at another time for killing the cyclops that made Zeus' thunderbolts, which Zeus had used to kill Apollo's son Asclepius. For this murder Apollo was sentanced to be a herdsman for the king of Thessaly for a year. The punishment seems to have mellowed some of his violence, such as sending plagues on those who upset him, thereafter he counseled moderation and self knowledge.
Heracles spread the worship of Apollo throughout Greece as a way of saying thank you to Apollo for suggesting that he spend three years in servitude to repent for killing his friend Iphitus in a fit of madness.
After his purification on Crete, Apollo coaxed Pan, the disreputable goat-legged god, to reveal the art of prophecy. Then he seized the Delphic Oracle, the Pythoness, and forced her to his own service. The sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi became the most famous in Greece. Apollo also bettered Pan in a musical contest, becoming the acknowledged god of Music; he has since played a seven-string lyre while the other Olympians banquet.
Know Yourself and Nothing to Excess were emblazoned on his temple at Delphi. He even brought the muses down from their home on Mt. Helicon to Delphi, tamed their wild frenzy, and taught them formal and decorous dances.
Apollo became a Panhellenic god, second only to Zeus. He embodies the Greek spirit; because almost everything which distinguishes the Greek outlook on life from that of other peoples around them--sensitivity in art, poetry, music, youthful good health, respect for law, and love of orderliness and moderation--all these civilizing concepts are symbolized by Apollo. Even today the term Apollonian means harmonious, measured, ordered, and balanced in character.
Although Apollo had dozens of children, he does not seem to have had many willing lovers. When Cassandra, whom he had given the gift of prophecy, refused him he cursed her with never being believed. When Coronis married a mortal while carrying Apollo's son, Asclepius, Artemis killed her and Apollo took his son from her dead body. The Nymph Daphne chose to be turned into a laurel tree, which was sacred to Apollo, to avoid him, and the nymph Sinope told Apollo to grant her one request before she would give in and when Apollo agreed she asked for perpetual virginity. He did not have much luck with men either. When Hyanthincus was struck by a discus he was turned into the Hyacinth flower, and Apollo turned Cyparissus into a cypress tree to give him peace after he killed a tame stag.
The one willing lover he does seem to have had was Cyrene, a virgin huntress and daughter of either a river-nymph or the king of the Lapiths. Apollo carried her to Africa where she bore him Aristaeus, god of cattle and fruit trees, Autychus and the prophet Idmon. Apollo's other children were Amphithemis and Miletus by Acacallis, Eriopis by Arsinoe, Orpheus by Calliope, Delphus by either Celaeno or Thyia, Philammon by Chione, Coronus by Chrysorthe, Amphissus by Dryope, Iamus by Evadne, Troilus by Hecuba, Phasis by Ocyrrhoe, Lycomedes by Parthenope, Dorus, Laodocus and Polypoetes by Phthia, Tenes by Procleia, Linus by Psamathe, Anius by Rhoeo, Centaurus and Lapithus by Stilbe, Zeuxippus by Syllis, Delphus by Thyia, and Cycnus and Phylius by Thyria.
In Art
Apollo is represented as the ideal form of male physical beauty. As the ideals are altered by time, so do the appearances of Apollo. But normally he is represented as a young man, beardless, and delicately framed. As a musician he sometimes wears a tunic. His attributes include: bow, arrow and quiver; the lyre--as patron of music, laurel leaf crown, for his achievements in the arts, and a chariot for his association with the sun god Helios, a representation adopted by Loius XIV of France.
Apollo Today
Apollo is played by Scott Michaelson, who
was born on September 9, 1969 
The Apollo Episodes
Xena: Warrior Princess
Season 3: "Forgiven", The Urn of Apollo is stolen during an annointing ceremony in his temple.
Season 5: "Eternal Bonds", A priest of Apollo's Temple sets out to kill Xena and Eve.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Young Hercules
Scott Michaelson has also appeared in:
Scott Michaelson Links
Pax TV's Official Flipper site has episode lists, bios, etc.
Flippertv.com has pictures of the Flipper cast, episode lists, etc, not a lot of Scott but a nice little site.
The Official Neighbour's Site has lots of interactive flash, images, cast bio's, etc.
Neighbours Worldwide Fanpages has cast info, pics, links, character profiles
Shortland Street - Cast info on Scott Michaelson, very brief filmography and three pictures, with his shirt off, woohoo.
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