A Child's Book of Myths and Enchantment Tales  by Margaret Evans Price

Apollo and Diana

O NE day, on an island in the sea of the dawn, twins, a boy and a girl, were born. Their mother, Latona, named them Apollo and Diana.

Jupiter, the ruler of the gods, was fond of beautiful children, but Juno, his wife, was hard-hearted and liked much better to pet her peacock than to fondle the dearest baby that ever lived.

Jupiter sent many blessings and gifts to Apollo and Diana and often went down to earth to visit them. This made Juno very angry.

The island on which Apollo and Diana were born was small and rocky, so, aided by Jupiter, their mother crossed the sea of the dawn to another country where there was a fair garden with fruit and wild honey and many other pleasant things for Latona and her children.

Juno, looking down from Olympus, was angry and said, "Jupiter is visiting Apollo and Diana again."

She waited until Jupiter had returned to Mount Olympus, and then hurried down to earth. Changing herself into fierce and dreadful forms, she frightened Latona so that she ran from the beautiful garden which Jupiter had found for her. Carrying the twins in her arms, she wandered far away through cold and desolate lands.

Latona wandered far away through desolate lands.

Juno followed and tormented Latona in many ways. Apollo and Diana were large and heavy to carry. But when Latona grew tired and tried to rest, Juno sent wild animals to howl horribly behind her and insects to sting her, so the poor mother, the twins pressed closely to her bosom, stumbled on, although she was ready to fall from weariness.

At last, footsore and thirsty, she came to a little pond of clear water and thought she might stop to rest and drink. On the shores of the pond a band of country people were cutting willows to make baskets. At once Juno filled their hearts with unkindness, and, throwing down their knives and willows, they shouted rudely at Latona and bade her be gone.

"Go away from our lake," they said, and threatened to harm her if she did not leave.

"But I am so thirsty," begged Latona.

"Ha, ha," cried the rustics, "then you may drink mud." And as they spoke they waded into the pond, stirring up the mud with sticks and with their feet until the cool waters of the little pond were no longer clear, but brown and dirty.

The rustics waded into the pond, stirring up the mud with sticks and with their feet.

Latona stood up and, holding her head high in anger, said to the rustics, "Since you like this lake so well you shall stay here forever."

As Latona spoke, the sky grew dark, the lightning flashed, and the thunder rumbled loudly overhead. The men and boys vanished, and their empty tunics floated on the muddy waters of the pond. Here and there above the water peeped the green head of a bullfrog. Latona in her anger had changed the rustics into frogs.

When Jupiter learned that Latona, with Apollo and Diana, had been driven from the garden, he led them to a lovely mountain on the island of Delos. There Latona dwelt happily in peace and quiet and cared for her children.

Before Apollo was ten years old he left his mother and his twin sister Diana and traveled to a fair and distant land, the home of the Hyperboreans, where spring lasted one half of the year and summer the other half.

When Apollo returned to Delos to see his mother and Diana he came riding over the water in a chariot drawn by white swans.

Apollo came riding over the water in a chariot drawn by white swans.

Latona and Diana were glad to see him and were greatly interested in the chariot, which was wreathed with flowers. Apollo told them that Jupiter had given it to him so that he might return to visit them.

Jupiter saw Apollo as he unharnessed the swans from his chariot. His heart was full of pride in the beautiful boy.

"The swan chariot will do for Apollo now," said the ruler of the gods, "but when he is grown, Helios shall rest, and Apollo shall drive the chariot of the sun.

"Instead of white swans I will give him the swift horses of the day. The flowers of the Hyperboreans may wreathe his chariot now, but I will give him a chariot wreathed in fire."

Long ago, Vulcan had made the chariot of the sun and bathed it in fire from his magic forge. Ever after the chariot flamed and glowed with a light that could not be put out. Hyperion was the first one to drive this wonderful chariot, and the next was Helios, his son. Helios had driven it for so many years that now he was weary and ready to rest.

When Apollo was grown, Jupiter sent for him and showed him the golden chariot.

"You shall harness your white swans no more!" said Jupiter. "Take the sun into your keeping, and drive the chariot of the sun and the four horses of the day!"

Apollo sprang into the chariot, amazed and delighted at its wonderful beauty. Helios showed him the way he must go, and watched the sun rise in the sky and journey toward the west, glad indeed that Apollo was old enough to drive, so that he might give up his journeyings and rest.

That evening, when Apollo had returned his horses to their stables and had hidden his chariot behind banks of purple clouds, he hurried back to his mother and his sister Diana and told them of Jupiter's gift and of his journey across the heavens.

When Diana heard of the honor that had fallen to her brother, she was both proud and vexed.

"You have journeyed to the land of the Hyperboreans and visited many other places that I have not seen," she said. "While I stayed with our mother and cheered her, you rode in your swan-drawn chariot wherever you wished, and now Jupiter gives you the sun to drive and gives nothing at all to me.

"Tomorrow before dawn, when you go to Mount Olympus, I am going with you. I shall remind Jupiter that I am your twin, and if you light the sky by day with the chariot of Helios, then I must have Thea's silver fire to light the heavens when you rest."

In the morning Apollo rose early to present himself to Jupiter before driving the chariot. Diana rose also and went with him to Mount Olympus.

Apollo and Diana go to Mount Olympus.

Jupiter was much surprised to see the fair twin sister of Apollo, for he had not thought of Diana for a long time. He remembered how lovely she had been when a child, and he saw that now she was even more beautiful.

When Jupiter heard that Diana wished to light the sky at night, he gave the silver orb of the moon into her keeping.

When Apollo has finished his course and hides his lofty chariot behind the evening clouds, Diana enters her car and drives her milk-white steeds across the broad pathway of heaven. Then, while her brother sleeps, she lights the earth and sea and heavens with her soft, silvery light.