In Greek mythology, Apollo was one of the most important gods. He was the god of the sun, music, poetry, and prophecy.
Hermes, on the other hand, was the messenger of the gods and the patron of thieves and travelers. While Apollo and Hermes were both major gods in their own right, they didn’t always see eye to eye.
One story that highlights this tension between them is when Apollo became upset with Hermes for stealing his cattle. According to legend, Hermes had just been born and was still an infant when he decided to steal some of Apollo’s prized cattle. He did this by putting shoes on their feet so they wouldn’t leave tracks and then leading them away.
When Apollo discovered that his cattle were missing, he was furious. He searched high and low for them but couldn’t find them anywhere.
Finally, he went to Zeus (the king of the gods) for help. Zeus told him to go to a wise old man named Tiresias who could tell him what had happened.
Tiresias informed Apollo that it was actually Hermes who had stolen his cattle. When Apollo confronted Hermes about it, Hermes denied everything at first. But eventually, he confessed and even offered to make things right by giving Apollo a lyre that he had invented.
Apollo was still angry but when he heard Hermes play the lyre for the first time, he fell in love with its beautiful sound. In fact, he loved it so much that he even traded all of his cattle for it! From then on, Apollo became known as the god of music as well as prophecy.
This story teaches us a few things about Greek mythology. First of all, it shows how important music was to ancient Greeks since a musical instrument could be worth more than an entire herd of cattle! Additionally, it shows how even major gods like Apollo could be petty and jealous over something as small as stolen cattle.
Overall though, this story also demonstrates the power of forgiveness and how even bitter enemies can become friends through a shared love of something beautiful – like music.