Winter Solstice :: Deity of the Sabbat :: Birth of Apollo, the Sun
"And Leto was joined in love with Zeus who holds the aegis, and bare Apollon and Artemis delighting in arrows, children lovely above all the sons of Heaven."
For many cultures, both ancient and modern, the winter solstice marks the birth of a divinity of the sun. Rarely is this birth without trials and tribulations and such was the case in the birth of Apollo, the Greek and Roman god of the sun.
Leto1, the daughter of Phoebe and Ceos and sister of Asteria, was so beautiful that she captured the attention of the amorous Zeus, king of gods and men. Paying no heed to the wedding vows he had spoken to Hera2, Zeus purused the captivating Leto until she relented and lay with him. Hera was enraged when she discovered her husband’s affair and took her wrath out on the now-pregnant Leto. She declared that Leto could not give birth while the sun shone on terra firma or on any island out at sea and she sent the huge serpent Python to chase and terrorize her husband's lover. Hera also shrouded Eilithyia, the goddess of childbirth, in golden clouds so that she could not see Leto’s trials and come to her aid.
Leto fled3 from Python, who it seemed could pursue her anywhere. His body was so long that his head could appear on the Greek mainland while his tail still cut through the islands. At times he only appeared, letting her know that he was near enough to harm her, at other times he attempted to molest her. Now heavily pregnant and knowing that the children she carried would grow to be powerful gods, Leto searched in vain for a safe place to give birth. At each island and city-state, she appealed for sanctuary, promising that the birth of her children would bring wealth, abundance and light to the people. At each place, she was refused. The people feared the wrath of Hera and the unknown greatness and power of the children yet to be born.
Finally, Leto landed on a tiny granite land mass being tossed about by the waves of the Aegean Sea. It is said by some
that Delos was not an island at all but actually Leto’s sister Asteria, who had been turned into a rock and thrown in the
sea after she refused Zeus’ advances. Because Delos was not attached to the sea floor it did not go against Hera’s decree
for Leto to give birth on the rock. Elated to have found a possible resting place, the goddess offered her gifts in return
for sanctuary and Delos consented and opened a cave at the base of Mt. Cynthus for the expectant mother. As a blessing on
Delos for their kindness and in order for the mother to have a safe birthing house, Poseidon4 anchored the rock to the
sea bottom with four mamouth pillars. These pillars, he extended above the island as well and capped them with a dome so
that no sun may shine on the laboring woman as was decreed by Hera.
For nine days and nine nights, Leto suffered and wailed in pain. Though she was now attended by all of the deathless goddesses, save Hera who remained on Mt. Olympus, they could do nothing to relieve her pain. Only Eilithyia could help her and Hera refused to allow the goddess of childbirth to hear Leto’s cries. The gathered goddesses sent Iris, who could fly as fast as Mercury, to Mt. Olympus to beg, bribe and beseech Eilithyia to come to Leto’s aid.
The instant Iris and Eilithyia stepped onto Delos, Leto’s false labor ceased and she moved quickly to true labor. Leaning against a palm tree, she gave birth first to Artemis5, who then witnessed the pain wrack her mother’s body once again as she gave birth to Apollo. The bright, shining babies were quickly swaddled in fine linens and fed the nectar and ambrosia of the gods by the goddesses who had gathered for their birth.
True to her promise, the once barren and ignored island of Delos became an influential and wealthy port and pilgrims from all over the known world traveled to the sanctuaries and temples of Apollo, shining god of the sun, light, poetry and music; Artemis, virgin huntress, lady of the woods and lunar goddess and their mother Leto, who is variously referred to as “the bright one” and “the hidden one”.
2 Hera does not appear in early versions of the myth
3 In some versions, Zeus turns Leto into a quail so that she may flee and returns her to human form in order for her to give birth.
4 Poseidon is replaced by Zeus in some versions.
5 Other sources place the birth of Artemis on a nearby island and state that she was born a full day before her brother.
Apollo is only one solar deity that can be honored at this time of year. Choose the deity that you feel closest to, a deity from your pantheon or do research and work with a new representation of the solar god or goddess.
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