Apollo and Children in the military: Difference between pages

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[[Image:19450420 Hitler 65bd awards HJ Iron Cross.jpg|thumb|250px|April 20, 1945. On his 56th birthday, [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] awards [[Iron Cross]] to Hitler Youth outside his bunker during the [[Battle of Berlin]].]]
{{otheruses}}
The '''military use of children''' refers to children being placed in harm's way in military actions, in order to protect a location or provide propaganda. This is sometimes referred to as [[child sacrifice]], though not equivalent to the religious variety. It may also refer to the use of children as '''child soldiers''' or saboteurs.
[[Image:Lycian Apollo Louvre left.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Lycian Apollo, early Imperial Roman copy of a fourth century Greek original ([[Louvre Museum]])]]
In [[Greek mythology|Greek]] and [[Roman mythology]], '''Apollo''' ([[Greek language|Ancient Greek]] {{Polytonic|Ἀπόλλων}}, ''Apóllōn''; or Ἀπέλλων, ''Apellōn''), the ideal of the ''[[kouros]]'', was the archer-god of medicine and healing, light, truth, archery and also a bringer of death-dealing plague; as the leader of the [[Muse]]s ('''''Apollon Musagetes''''') and director of their choir, he is a god of music and poetry. Hymns sung to Apollo were called [[Paean]]s.


[[Red Hand Day]] on February 12 is an annual commemoration day to draw public attention to the practice of using children as soldiers in wars and armed conflicts.
As the patron of [[Delphi]] ("Pythian Apollo") Apollo is an oracular god; in [[Classical antiquity|Classical times]] he took the place of [[Helios]] as god of the sun. Apollo was also considered to have dominion over [[Colonies in antiquity|colonists]], over [[medicine]], mediated through his son [[Asclepius]], and was the patron defender of herds and flocks.


==History==
Apollo is the son of [[Zeus]] and [[Leto]], and the twin brother of the chaste huntress [[Artemis]], who took the place of [[Selene]] as goddess of the moon. As the prophetic deity of the [[Delphic Sibyl|Delphic oracle]], Apollo was one of the most important and many-sided of the [[Twelve Olympians|Olympian deities]]. Apollo is known in Greek-influenced [[Etruscan mythology]] as '''Apulu'''. In Roman mythology he is known as '''Apollo''' and increasingly, especially during the [[3rd century BC|third century BC]], as ''Apollo Helios'' he became identified with [[Sol]], the Sun.<ref>In Hellenistic times, Apollo became conflated with [[Helios]], [[solar deity|god of the sun]], and his sister similarly equated with [[Selene]], [[lunar deity|goddess of the moon]]. However, Apollo and Helios remained separate beings in literary and mythological texts. For the iconography of the Alexander-Helios type, see H. Hoffmann, 1963. "Helios," in ''Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt'' 2, pp. 117-23; cf. Yalouris, no. 42.</ref>
[[Image:Greek warrior and young charioteer - Athens pediment.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Illustrative bas-relief of Greek warrior accompanied by his charioteer. From the pediment of a [[kouros]] statue, ca. 490 BC.]]


Throughout history and in many cultures, children have been extensively involved in military campaigns even when such practices were supposedly against cultural morals.
==Cult sites==
Unusual among the Olympic deities, Apollo had two cult sites that had widespread influence: [[Delos]] and [[Delphi]]. In cult practice, Delian Apollo and Pythian Apollo (the Apollo of Delphi) were so distinct that they might both have shrines in the same locality.<ref>Burkert, p. 143.</ref> [[Theophoric names]] such as ''Apollodorus'' or ''Apollonios'' and cities named [[Apollonia]] are met with throughout the Greek world. Apollo's [[Cult (religion)|cult]] was already fully established when written sources commence, ca [[700s BC|700 BCE]].


The earliest mentions of minors being involved in wars comes from antiquity. It was customary for youths in the cultures of the [[Mediterranean]] basin to serve as aides, charioteers and armor bearers to adult warriors. Examples of this practice can be found in the [[Bible]] (such as [[David]]'s service to King [[Saul the King|Saul]]), in [[Hittites|Hittite]] and [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] art, and in [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[Greek mythology|mythology]] (such as the story of [[Hercules]] and [[Hylas]]), philosophy and literature. In ancient Greece the practice was formalized as part of the [[pederasty|pederastic]] educational tradition, and man/boy couples were considered to make an especially effective fighting force. ''See [[Sacred Band of Thebes]]''
===Oracular shrines===
[[Image:Child soldier in the US Civil War.jpg|thumb|right|175px|A child soldier in the [[American Civil War]]]]
Apollo had a famous [[oracle]] in [[Delphi]], and other notable ones in [[Clarus]] and [[Branchidae]]. His oracular shrine in Abea in [[Phocis]], was important enough to be consulted by [[Croesus]] ([[Herodotus]], 1.46).
Looking at the ancient oracular shrines to Apollo from the oldest to the youngest we find:


Also in a practice dating back to antiquity, children were routinely taken on campaign, together with the rest of a military man's family, as part of the [[baggage]]. This of course exposed them to harm from rearguard attacks, such as the one at the [[battle of Agincourt]] where the retainers and children of the English army were massacred by the French.
* In [[Didyma]], an oracle on the coast of [[Anatolia]], south west of [[Lydia]]n ([[Luwian]]) [[Sardis]], in which priests from the lineage of the Branchidae received inspiration by drinking from a healing spring located in the temple.
* In [[Hieropolis]], Asia Minor, priests breathed in vapors that for small animals were highly poisonous. Small animals and birds were cast into the Plutonium, named after [[Pluto]]&mdash;the god of death and the underworld&mdash;as a demonstration of their power. Prophecy was by movements of an archaic aniconic wooden ''[[xoanon]]'' of Apollo.
* In [[Delos]], there was an oracle to the Delian Apollo, during summer. The [[Heiron]] (Sanctuary) of Apollo adjacent to the Sacred Lake, was the place where the god was born.
* In [[Corinth]], the Oracle of Corinth came from the town of [[Tenea]], from prisoners supposedly taken in the Trojan War
* In [[Bassae]] in the [[Peloponnese]]
* In [[Abae]], near Delphi
* In [[Delphi]], the [[Pythia]] became filled with the ''[[pneuma]]'' of Apollo, said to come from a spring inside the [[Adyton]]. Apollo took this temple from [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]].
* At [[Patara]], in [[Lycia]], there was a seasonal winter oracle of Apollo, said to have been the place where the god went from Delos. As at Delphi the oracle at Patara was a woman.
* At [[Clarus]], on the west coast of [[Asia Minor]]; as at Delphi a holy spring which gave off a ''pneuma'', from which the priests drank.
* In [[Segesta]] in [[Sicily]], the latest of the series, another oracle of Apollo was seized originally from [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]].


The [[Roman empire|Romans]] also made use of youths in war, though it was understood that it was unwise and cruel to use children in war, and [[Plutarch]] implies that regulations required youths to be at least sixteen years of age.
Oracles were also given by sons of Apollo.
* In [[Oropus]], north of [[Athens]], the oracle [[Amphiaraus]], was said to be the son of Apollo; Oropus also had a sacred spring.
* in [[Labadea]], 20 miles east of Delphi, [[Trophonius]], another son of Apollo, killed his brother and fled to the cave where he was also afterwards consulted as an oracle.


In [[medieval]] Europe, young boys from about twelve years of age were used as military aides ("squires"), though in theory their role in actual combat was limited. The so-called [[Children's Crusade]] in 1212 recruited thousands of children as untrained soldiers under the assumption that divine power would enable them to conquer the enemy, although none of the children actually entered combat; according to the legend, they were instead sold into [[slavery]]. While most scholars no longer believe that the Children's Crusade consisted solely, or even mostly of children, it nonetheless exemplifies an era in which the entire family took part in a war effort.
==Festivals==
[[Image:Warsaw Uprising boyscouts.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Polish [[Boy Scouts ]] fighting in the [[Warsaw Uprising]].]]
The chief Apollonian festivals were the [[Carneia]], [[Carpiae]], [[Daphnephoria]], [[Delia]], [[Hyacinthia]], [[Pyanepsia]], [[Pythia]] and [[Thargelia]].


Young boys often took part in battles during [[Gunpowder warfare|early modern warfare]] and [[modern warfare]], perhaps most popularly as the ubiquitous "[[drummer boy]]" &ndash; the film [[Waterloo (movie)|''Waterloo'']] (based on the [[Battle of Waterloo]]) graphically depicts French drummer boys leading Napoleon's initial attack only to be gunned down by Allied soldiers. During the [[age of sail]], young boys formed part of the crew of British [[Royal Navy]] ships and were responsible for many important tasks including bringing powder and shot from the [[Magazine (artillery)#Naval Magazines|ship's magazine]] to the gun crews. These children were called Powder Monkeys.
==Attributes and symbols==
[[Image:Apollo II (Greek Mythology).jpg|thumb|left|200px|Apollo, the son of [[Zeus]] and [[Leto]].]]


By a law signed by [[Nicholas I of Russia]] in 1827, a disproportionate number of [[Jew]]ish boys, known as the [[cantonist]]s, were forced into military training establishments to serve in the army. The 25-year conscription term officially commenced at the age of 18, but boys as young as eight were routinely taken to fulfill the hard [[quota]].
Apollo's most common attributes were the lyre and the bow. Other attributes of his included the [[kithara]] (an advanced version of the common [[lyre]]) and [[plectrum]]. Another common emblem was the [[sacrificial tripod]], representing his prophetic powers. The [[Pythian Games]] were held in Apollo's honor every four years at [[Delphi]]. The [[laurel tree|laurel]] bay plant was used in expiatory sacrifices and in making the crown of victory at these games. The palm was also sacred to Apollo because he had been born under one in [[Delos]]. Animals sacred to Apollo included wolves, dolphins and roe, swans and grasshoppers (symbolizing music and song), hawks, ravens, crows and snakes (referencing Apollo's function as the god of prophecy), mice, laurel and [[griffin]]s, mythical eagle-lion hybrids of Eastern origin.


[[Image:NinoHeroe.jpg|thumb|Mexico honors [[Niños Héroes|its heroic cadets]] who died in the [[battle of Chapultepec]] (1847).]]
As god of colonization, Apollo gave oracular guidance on colonies, especially during the height of colonization, [[750 BC|750–550 BC]]. According to Greek tradition, he helped [[Crete|Cretan]] or [[Arcadia]]n colonists found the city of [[Troy]]. However, this story may reflect a cultural influence which had the reverse direction: [[Hittites|Hittite]] [[Cuneiform script|cuneiform]] texts mention a Minor Asian god called ''Appaliunas'' or ''Apalunas'' in connection with the city of ''Wilusa'', which is now regarded as being identical with the Greek [[Troy|Illios]] by most scholars. In this interpretation, Apollo’s title of ''Lykegenes'' can simply be read as "born in Lycia", which effectively severs the god's supposed link with wolves (possibly a [[folk etymology]]).


In [[World War II]], children frequently participated in popular insurrections like the [[Warsaw Uprising]] of [[1944]] and other [[anti-fascist]] [[resistance movement]]s across Nazi-occupied Europe.
In literary contexts Apollo represents harmony, order, and reasons&mdash;characteristics contrasted with those of [[Dionysus]], god of wine, who represents ecstasy and disorder. The contrast between the roles of these gods is reflected in the adjectives ''[[Apollonian]]'' and ''[[Dionysian]]''. However, the Greeks thought of the two qualities as complementary: the two gods are brothers, and when Apollo at winter left for [[Hyperborea]], he would leave the Delphi Oracle to Dionysus. This contrast appears to be shown on the two sides of the [[Borghese Vase]].


On the opposite side, [[Hitler Youth]] (Hitlerjugend or HJ) was an official organization in [[Nazism|Nazi]] [[Germany]] that trained youth physically and indoctrinated them with Nazi ideology. By the end of WW2, members of the HJ were taken into the army at increasingly younger ages. During the [[Battle of Berlin]] in 1945 they were a major part of the German defenses.
==Roman Apollo==
The Roman worship of Apollo was adopted from the Greeks. Roman name of Apollo was [[Phoebus]]. There is a tradition that the Delphic oracle was consulted as early as the period of the [[Roman Kingdom|kings of Rome]] during the reign of [[Tarquinius Superbus]]. In [[430 BCE]], a temple was dedicated to Apollo on the occasion of a pestilence. During the [[Second Punic War]] in [[212 BCE]], the ''Ludi Apollinares'' ("Apollonian Games") were instituted in his honor. In the time of [[Augustus]], who considered himself under the special protection of Apollo and was even said to be his son, his worship developed and he became one of the chief gods of Rome. After the [[battle of Actium]], Augustus enlarged his old temple, dedicated a portion of the spoils to him, and instituted [[quinquennial]] games in his honour. He also erected a new temple on the [[Palatine Hill|Palatine hill]] and transferred the [[secular games]], for which Horace composed his ''Carmen Saeculare'', to Apollo and [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]].


In some cases, [[youth organization]]s were, and still are, militarized in order to instill discipline in their ranks, sometimes to indoctrinate them with [[propaganda]] and prepare for subsequent military service.
== Origins of the cult of Apollo ==
It appears that both [[Greek mythology |Greek]] and [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] Apollos came to the [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] during the [[Archaic period in Greece|Archaic Period]] (from [[1100s BC|1,100 BCE]] till [[800s BC|800 BCE]]) from [[Anatolia]]. Homer pictures him on the side of the Trojans, not the Achaeans, in the [[Trojan War]] and he has close affiliations with [[Luwian]] [[Apaliuna]], who in turn seems to have traveled west from further east. [[Late Bronze Age]] (from [[17th century BC|1,700 BCE]] - [[1200s BC|1,200 BC]]E) [[Hittite]] and [[Hurrian]] "[[Aplu]]"{{fact}}, like Homeric Apollo, was a God of the [[Plague]], and resembles the mouse god ''Apollo Smintheus''. Here we have an apotropaic situation, where a god originally bringing the plague was invoked to end illness, merging over time through fusion with the [[Mycenae]]an "doctor" god Paieon (PA-JA-WO in [[Linear B]]); [[Paean]], in Homer, was the Greek physician of the gods. In other writers the word is a mere epithet of Apollo in his capacity as a god of healing, but it is now known from Linear B that Paean was originally a separate deity.
[[Image:Roman Statue of Apollo.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Apollo (the "Adonis" of Centocelle), Roman after a Greek original ([[Ashmolean Museum]])]]
Homer left the question unanswered, whilst Hesiod separated the two, and in later poetry Paean was invoked independently as a god of healing. It is equally difficult to separate Paean or Paeon in the sense of "healer" from Paean in the sense of "song." It was believed to refer to the ancient association between the [[healing]] craft and the singing of [[spells]], but here we see a shift from the concerns to the original sense of "healer" gradually giving way to that of "[[hymn]]," from the phrase Ιή Παιάν.{{fact}}
[[Image:2006 0814 Appolon Inscription 20060353.JPG|thumb|Base of the Apollo Ietros (gr. for healer) Statue]]
Such songs were originally addressed to Apollo, and afterwards to other gods, [[Dionysus]], [[Helios]], [[Asclepius]], gods associated with Apollo. About the [[4th century BC|fourth century BC]] the paean became merely a formula of adulation; its object was either to implore protection against disease and misfortune, or to offer thanks after such protection had been rendered. It was in this way that Apollo became recognised as the God of Music. Apollo's role as the slayer of the Python led to his association with battle and victory; hence it became the Roman custom for a paean to be sung by an army on the march and before entering into battle, when a fleet left the harbour, and also after a victory had been won.


==International law==
Hurrian Aplu itself seems to be derived from the Babylonian "Aplu" meaning a "son of"&mdash;a title that was given to the Babylonian plague god, [[Nergal]] (son of [[Enlil]]). Apollo's links with oracles again seem to be associated with wishing to know the outcome of an illness.
===International human rights law===
The [[United Nations]] [[Convention on the Rights of the Child]], Art. 38, (1989) proclaimed: "State parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of 15 years do not take a direct part in hostilities." The [[Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict]] to the Convention that came into force in 2002 stipulates that its State Parties ''shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons below the age of 18 do not take a direct part in hostilities and that they are not compulsorily recruited into their armed forces''.


The [[UN Security Council Resolution 1261]] "strongly condemns... recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in violation of international law." (UN Sec. Council Res. 1261 (1999), art. 3, 8, 13.)
[[Image:Apollo1.JPG|thumb|366px|right|Apollo with a radiant [[Halo (religious iconography)|halo]] in a Roman floor mosaic, [[El Djem]], Tunisia, late 2nd century]]
Apollo killed the Python of Delphi and took over that oracle, so he is vanquisher of unconscious terrors.{{fact}} He is golden-haired like the sun; he is an archer who shoots arrows of insight {{fact}} and/or death; he is a god of music and the lyre. Healing belongs to his realm: he was the father of Asclepius, the god of medicine. The Muses are part of his retinue, so that music, history, dreams,{{fact}} poetry, dance, all belong to him. The Muses are those we call on when we evoke creative imagination to give us helpful images…


===International humanitarian law===
== Apollo in art ==
According to the Additional [[Protocol I]] and [[Protocol II]] to the [[Geneva Conventions]], adopted in 1977, children who have not attained the age of 15 years ''shall neither be recruited in the armed forces or groups nor allowed to take part in hostilities''. For persons older than 15 but younger than 18 years, the State Parties to the Geneva Conventions shall endeavour to give priority to those who are oldest. (''Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts'', June 8, 1977, art. 77; ''Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts)'', June 8, 1977, art. 4)
In art, Apollo is depicted as a handsome beardless young man, often with a lyre or bow in hand. In the late [[2nd century|second century]] floor mosaic from [[El Djem]], Roman Thysdrus, (''illustration, right''), he is identifiable as [[Helios|Apollo Helios]] by his effulgent halo, though now even a god's divine nakedness is concealed by his cloak, a mark of increasing conventions of modesty in the later Empire. Another haloed Apollo in mosaic, from Hadrumentum, is in the museum at Sousse [http://www.tunisiaonline.com/mosaics/mosaic05b.html]. The conventions of this representation, head tilted, lips slightly parted, large-eyed, curling [[Hairstyle|hair cut]] in locks grazing the neck, were developed in the 3rd century BCE to depict [[Alexander the Great]] (Bieber 1964, Yalouris 1980). Some time after this mosaic was executed, the earliest depictions of Christ will be beardless and haloed.


The [[Fourth Geneva Convention]] forbids the use of any civilian as a shield. (''Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War'', Aug. 12, [[1949]], 6 U.S.T. 3516, 75 U.N.T.S. 287, art. 28).
==Mythology==
=== Birth ===
When [[Hera]] discovered that [[Leto]] was pregnant and that Zeus was the father, she banned Leto from giving birth on "terra-firma", or the mainland, or any island at sea. In her wanderings, Leto found the newly created floating island of [[Delos]], which was neither mainland nor a real island, and she gave birth there. The island was surrounded by swans. Afterwards, Zeus secured Delos to the bottom of the ocean. This island later became sacred to Apollo.


===International labor law===
It is also stated that Hera kidnapped [[Ilithyia]], the goddess of childbirth, to prevent Leto from going into labor. The other gods tricked Hera into letting her go by offering her a necklace, nine yards long, of amber. Mythographers agree that Artemis was born first and then assisted with the birth of Apollo, or that Artemis was born one day before Apollo, on the island of [[Ortygia]] and that she helped Leto cross the sea to Delos the next day to give birth to Apollo. Apollo was born on the seventh day (ἡβδομαγενης) of the month Thargelion &mdash;according to Delian tradition&mdash; or of the month Bysios&mdash; according to Delphian tradition. The seventh and twentieth, the days of the new and [[full moon]], were ever afterwards held sacred to him.
Forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, is one of the [[Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention#Predefined Worst Forms of Child Labour|''predefined worst forms of child labour'']] in terms of the [[International Labour Organisation|International Labour Organisation's]] [[Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999]], adopted in 1999.


In terms of the [[Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation]] ratifying countries should ensure that forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict is a criminal offence, and also provide for other criminal, civil or administrative remedies to ensure the effective enforcement of such national legislation (Article III(12) to (14)).
=== Youth ===
In his youth, Apollo killed the chthonic dragon [[Python (mythology)|Python]], which lived in [[Delphi]] beside the [[Castalian Spring]] because Python had attempted to rape Leto while she was pregnant with Apollo and Artemis. This was the spring which emitted vapors that caused the oracle at Delphi to give her prophesies. Apollo killed Python but had to be punished for it, since Python was a child of [[Gaia (mythology)|Gaia]].


==Child soldiers in the world today==
Apollo has his ominous aspects, too. Marsyas, who dared challenge him to a music contest, was flayed after he lost. His arrows can bring death: the ''Iliad'' begins with a terrible pestilence that Apollo brought down upon the Greeks because they dishonored his priest [[Chryses]]. Apollo's arrows of death struck Niobe, who, excessively proud of her seven sons and seven daughters, had disparaged Apollo's mother, Leto, for having only two children (Apollo and Artemis).
According to [[Amnesty International]],


:"An estimated 300,000 children under the age of eighteen are currently participating in armed conflicts in more than thirty different countries on nearly every continent. While most child soldiers are in their teens, some are as young as seven years old."
=== Apollo and Admetus ===
When Zeus struck down Apollo's son, [[Asclepius]], with a lightning bolt for resurrecting the dead (transgressing [[Themis]] by stealing [[Hades]]'s subjects), Apollo in revenge killed the [[Cyclops]], who had fashioned the bolt for Zeus. Apollo would have been banished to [[Tartarus]] forever, but was instead sentenced to one year of [[Penal labour|hard labor]] as punishment, thanks to the intercession of his mother, [[Leto]]. During this time he served as shepherd for [[Admetus|King Admetus]] of [[Pherae]] in [[Thessaly]]. Admetus treated Apollo well, and, in return, the god conferred great benefits on Admetus.


===Uses of child soldiers===
Apollo helped Admetus win [[Alcestis]], the daughter of [[Pelias|King Pelias]] and later convinced the [[Moirae|Fates]] to let Admetus live past his time, if another took his place. But when it came time for Admetus to die, his elderly parents, whom he had assumed would gladly die for him, refused to cooperate. Instead, Alcestis took his place, but [[Heracles]] managed to "persuade" [[Thanatos]], the god of death, to return her to the world of the living.
Children have been used as spotters, observers, message-carriers, and even as [[human shield]]s. The last case is particularly problematic: if the hostage value of the child is respected, children will be increasingly used as human shields, and the soldier is placed at a tactical disadvantage. If not, soldiers must suffer the morale effects of wounding and killing children in self-defense. In any case, a great deal of propaganda value can be gained from publicizing different (and often false) accounts of such events. Usually, girls are made to perform as [[sex slave]]s and aides, while boys' fate is combat, although recent reports indicate that girls have been forced to perform combat as well, and that boys are routinely used for sexual purposes. To counter their reluctance, the children are dulled by forcing them to commit brutalities and to take [[Psychoactive drug|drug]]s that inhibit guilt and fear. [[Propaganda]], revenge and fear of being left alone influence children to "voluntarily" stay in the army. Children have been both participants in and victims of atrocities. The recruitment of children as soldiers is a practice that has survived into modern times.


===Africa===
=== Apollo during the Trojan War ===
As of [[2004]], Africa has the largest number of child soldiers with up to 100,000 believed to be involved in hostilities. Child soldiers are being used in armed conflict in [[Burundi]], [[Cote d'Ivoire]], [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Rwanda]], [[Somalia]], [[Sudan]] and [[Uganda]].
Apollo shot arrows infected with the plague into the Greek encampment during the [[Trojan War]] in retribution for [[Agamemnon]]'s insult to [[Chryses]], a priest of Apollo whose daughter [[Chryseis]] had been captured. He demanded her return, and the Achaeans complied, indirectly causing the anger of Achilles, which is the theme of the ''[[Iliad]]''.


===Asia===
When [[Diomedes]] injured [[Aeneas]], (''Iliad''), Apollo rescued him. First, [[Aphrodite]] tried to rescue Aeneas but Diomedes injured her as well. Aeneas was then enveloped in a cloud by [[Apollo (god)|Apollo]], who took him to [[Pergamos (Troy)|Pergamos]], a sacred spot in [[Troy]].
In Asia thousands of children are involved in fighting forces in active conflict and ceasefire situations, although government refusal of access to conflict zones has made it impossible to document the numbers involved. [[Myanmar]] is unique in the region, as the only country where government armed forces forcibly recruit and use children between the ages of 12 and 18. Child soldiers also exist in [[Afghanistan]], [[India]], [[Indonesia]], [[Laos]], [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Philippines]], where they are mainly associated with armed opposition groups, factional or clan-based groups or groups composed of ethnic or religious minorities.


====Sri Lanka====
Apollo aided Paris in the killing of [[Achilles]] by guiding the arrow of his bow into [[Achilles]]' heel. One interpretation of his motive is that it was in revenge for Achilles' sacrilege in murdering [[Troilus]], the god's own son by [[Hecuba]], on the very altar of the god's own temple.
{{Main|Military use of children in Sri Lanka}}


In [[Sri Lanka]], thousands of children are believed to be in the ranks of the [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]] (LTTE), a rebel group banned as a terrorist organization by a number of countries including the [[United States]], [[Canada]], [[India]] and the [[European Union]].
=== Niobe ===
A queen of [[Thebes (Greece)|Thebes]] and wife of [[Amphion]], [[Niobe]] boasted of her superiority to Leto because she had fourteen children ([[Niobids]]), seven male and seven female, while Leto had only two. Apollo killed her sons as they practiced athletics, with the last begging for his life, and Artemis her daughters. Apollo and Artemis used poisoned arrows to kill them, though according to some versions of the myth, a number of the Niobids were spared ([[Chloris]], usually). Amphion, at the sight of his dead sons, either killed himself or was killed by Apollo after swearing revenge. A devastated Niobe fled to [[Mt. Siplyon]] in [[Asia Minor]] and turned into stone as she wept. Her tears formed the river [[Achelous]]. Zeus had turned all the people of Thebes to stone and so no one buried the Niobids until the ninth day after their death, when the gods themselves entombed them.


Since signing a ceasefire agreement in 2001, the latest available [[UNICEF]] figures show that the LTTE has abducted 5,666 children until July [[2006]], although the organization speculates that only about a third of such cases are reported to them. Sri Lankan soldiers nicknamed one unit the ''Baby Battalion'', due to the number of children in it.
=== Apollo's consorts and children ===
In response to widespread international condemnation of alleged children recruitment practices, the LTTE had enacted laws (taking effect in Oct. 2006) to make children recruitment illegal in its territory. [http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=331811&sid=SAS].
====Female lovers====
Apollo chased the nymph [[Daphne]], daughter of [[Peneus]], who had scorned him. His infatuation was caused by an arrow from [[Eros (god)|Eros]], who was jealous because Apollo had made fun of his archery skills. Eros also claimed to be irritated by Apollo's singing. Simultaneously, however, Eros had shot a hate arrow into Daphne, causing her to be repulsed by Apollo. Following a spirited chase by Apollo, Daphne prayed to Mother Earth, or, alternatively, her father - a river god - to help her and he changed her into a [[Bay Laurel|Laurel tree]], which became sacred to Apollo: see [[Apollo and Daphne]].


More recently, the [[para-military]] group known as the [[Karuna Group]], which is apparently pro-government [[splinter]] group from the LTTE, has been held responsible for the abduction of children according to [[UNICEF]] and Human Rights Watch. [http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/COL262174.htm][http://www.unicef.org/media/media_34677.html]
Apollo had an affair with a human princess named [[Leucothea]], daughter of [[Orchamus]] and sister of [[Clytia]]. Leucothea loved Apollo who disguised himself as Leucothea's mother to gain entrance to her chambers. Clytia, jealous of her sister because she wanted Apollo for herself, told Orchamus the truth, betraying her sister's trust and confidence in her. Enraged, Orchamus ordered Leucothea to be buried alive. Apollo refused to forgive Clytia for betraying his beloved, and a grieving Clytia wilted and slowly died. Apollo changed her into an incense plant, either heliotrope or sunflower, which follows the sun every day.


====Vietnam====
[[Marpessa]] was kidnapped by [[Idas]] but was loved by Apollo as well. [[Zeus]] made her choose between them, and she chose Idas on the grounds that Apollo, being immortal, would tire of her when she grew old.
{{Main|Vietnam War}}
During the [[Vietnam War]], American soldiers reported (and US military sources documented) a number of incidents where Vietnamese children were given hand grenades and/or explosives and used as weapons against American troops. In one variation, a young girl is instructed to throw a hand grenade (with or without pulling the pin to activate it first, depending on whether direct or psychological casualties are intended.) In another variation, children had explosives strapped to their bodies and were encouraged to mingle with American soldiers, with detonation either by a mechanical device or by remote control. The frequency of such incidents, and whether deadly force was necessary as often as it was actually used, is hotly debated; critics claim the military cited such incidents to justify use of deadly force against children.


===Europe===
[[Castalia]] was a [[nymph]] whom Apollo loved. She fled from him and dived into the spring at Delphi, at the base of [[Mt. Parnassos]], which was then named after her. Water from this spring was sacred; it was used to clean the Delphian temples and inspire poets.
In Europe under-18s are believed to be involved in a range of armed groups in the [[Chechen Republic]] of [[Russia]], although the numbers are impossible to establish given a virtual ban on media and human rights organizations from operating in the region.<ref>http://www.child-soldiers.org/childsoldiers/questions-and-answers</ref>


===Middle East===
By [[Cyrene (mythology)|Cyrene]], Apollo had a son named [[Aristaeus]], who became the patron god of cattle, [[fruit trees]], hunting, husbandry and [[bee-keeping]]. He was also a [[culture-hero]] and taught humanity dairy skills and the use of nets and traps in hunting, as well as how to cultivate olives.
In the [[Middle East]] child soldiers are reportedly used in [[Iran]], [[Iraq]], [[Israel]] in the [[Palestinian Territories]], and in tribal groups in [[Yemen]].


====Iran====
With [[Hecuba]], wife of King [[Priam]] of [[Troy]], Apollo had a son named [[Troilius]]. An [[oracle]] prophesied that Troy would not be defeated as long as Troilius reached the age of twenty alive. He and his sister, [[Polyxena]] were ambushed and killed by [[Achilles]].
During the later stages of the [[Iran-Iraq War]], both sides were accused of using teenaged children to fill out the ranks of soldiers depleted by years of warfare. During that war, [[Iran]] was accused of using children to clear [[land mine|minefields]] by having them run or bicycle through the fields. {{citation needed}}


====Palestinian Territories ====
Apollo also fell in love with [[Cassandra]], daughter of Hecuba and Priam, and Troilius' half-sister. He promised Cassandra the gift of prophecy to seduce her, but she rejected him afterwards. Enraged, Apollo indeed gifted her with the ability to know the future, with a curse that no one would ever believe her.
Child soldiers have also been used in the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]].
According to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers' "2004 Global Report on the Use of Child Soldiers", [http://www.child-soldiers.org/resources/global-reports.html] there were at least nine documented [[Child suicide bombers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict|suicide attacks involving Palestinian minors]] between October [[2000]] and March [[2004]]: "There was no evidence of systematic recruitment of children by Palestinian armed groups. However, children are used as messengers and couriers, and in some cases as fighters and suicide bombers in attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. All the main political groups involve children in this way, including [[Fatah]], [[Hamas]], [[Islamic Jihad]], and the [[Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine]]." [http://www.child-soldiers.org/document_get.php?id=945]. According to [[Israeli security forces]], there have been 229 cases of minors involved in militant activity.


Arab journalist Huda Al-Hussein wrote in the London newspaper ''Al-Sharq Al-Awsat'': "While UN organizations save child-soldiers, especially in Africa, from the control of militia leaders who hurl them into the furnace of gang-fighting, some Palestinian leaders… consciously issue orders with the purpose of ending their childhood, even if it means their last breath." (Oct. 27, 2000, translated by [[MEMRI]], ''Arab Journalist Decries Palestinian Child-Soldiers'' Special Dispatch 146, Nov. 1, 2000). In an interview with the [[Kuwait]]i newspaper ''Azzaman'' ([[June 20]], [[2002]]), [[Mahmoud Abbas]] condemned the practice, saying that he opposed "that little children go to die", stating that "[i]t is a horrible thing. At least 40 children in [[Rafah]] became cripples after their hands were blown off by [[pipe bomb]]s. They received 5 [[shekel]]s [slightly over $1] to throw them" (Quoted in the [[Jordan]]ian newspaper ''Alrai'') [http://www.idf.il/hebrew/announcements/2002/june/mazen.stm]
[[Coronis]], daughter of [[Phlegyas]], King of the [[Lapiths]], was another of Apollo's liaisons. Pregnant with [[Asclepius]], Coronis fell in love with [[Ischys]], son of [[Elatus]]. A crow informed Apollo of the affair. When first informed he disbelieved the crow and turned all crows black (where they were previously white) as a punishment for spreading untruths. When he found out the truth he sent his sister, Artemis, to kill Coronis. As a result he also made the crow sacred and gave them the task of announcing important deaths. Apollo rescued the baby and gave it to the [[centaur]] [[Chiron]] to raise. Phlegyas was irate after the death of his daughter and burned the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Apollo then killed him for what he did.


On May 23, 2005, [[Amnesty International]] reiterated its calls to Palestinian armed groups to
In [[Euripides]]' play ''[[Ion (play)|Ion]]'', Apollo fathered [[Ion (mythology)|Ion]] by [[Creusa]], wife of [[Xuthus]]. Creusa left Ion to die in the wild, but Apollo asked [[Hermes]] to save the child and bring him to the oracle at [[Delphi]], where he was raised by a priestess.
put an immediate end to the use of children in armed activities: "Palestinian armed groups must not use children under any circumstances to carry out armed attacks or to transport weapons or other material." [http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE150332005]


====Male lovers====
===Latin America===
In [[Latin America]], more than 11,000 children are estimated to be involved with left-wing guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries in [[Colombia]]. According to [[Human Rights Watch]], "Approximately 80 percent of child combatants in Colombia belong to one of the two left-wing guerrilla groups, the [[Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia|FARC]] or [[National Liberation Army (Colombia)|ELN]]. The remainder fights in [[paramilitary]] ranks." [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/02/22/colomb10202.htm]
[[Image:Hyacinthus.jpg|thumb|250px|'''Apollo and Hyacinthus'''<br>Jacopo Caraglio; 16th c. Italian engraving]]


==The military use of children by western countries==
Apollo, the eternal beardless [[kouros]] himself, had the most prominent male relationships of all the [[Greek Gods]]. That was to be expected from a god who was god of the [[palaestra]], the athletic gathering place for youth who all competed [[Nudity in sport|in the nude]], a god said to represent the ideal educator and therefore the ideal [[erastes]], or lover of a boy (Sergent, p.102). All his lovers were younger than him, in the style of the [[Pederasty in ancient Greece|Greek pederastic relationships]] of the time. Many of Apollo's young beloveds died "accidentally", a reflection on the function of these myths as part of [[rite of passage|rites of passage]], in which the youth died in order to be reborn as an adult.
===United Kingdom===
Boy soldiers have been part of the military establishment of the British Army at least since formation of [[Oliver Cromwell]]'s New Model Army (c. 1640).{{fact}} An estimated 4,000 boy soldiers were on the field at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] in 1815. The French army of [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] had a similar number, and the Prussian army of General [[Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher]] about half that number. An estimated 10,000 underage soldiers took part in the battle (see Sons of the Brave, 1984, by A. W. Cockerill, pub Secker & Warburg).


Lady [[Elizabeth Thompson|Elizabeth Butler]]'s painting "Stand fast the 57th" depicts the surviving 11 boy drummers and fifers of the 57th Foot at the [[Battle of Albuera]] (May 16, 1811) during the Peninsular Campaign. The youngest boy soldier on record was James Wade of the 9th Foot, who enlisted on his seventh birthday, 10 July 1800, and was discharged after 21 years service at age 28 years.
[[Hyacinth (mythology)|Hyacinth]] was one of his male lovers. Hyacinthus was a [[Sparta]]n prince, beautiful and athletic. The pair were practicing throwing the [[discus]] when Hyacinthus was struck in the head by a discus blown off course by [[Zephyrus]], who was jealous of Apollo and loved Hyacinthus as well. When Hyacinthus died, Apollo is said in some accounts to have been so filled with grief that he cursed his own immortality, wishing to join his lover in mortal death. Out of the blood of his slain lover Apollo created the [[hyacinth (flower)|hyacinth flower]] as a memorial to his death, and his tears stained the flower petals with ''άί'' ''άί'', meaning alas. The Festival of Hyacinthus was a celebration of Sparta.


Today, the [[United Kingdom]] has been criticised for its practice of allowing boys to join the armed services at the age of 16, and to fight at 17, something which human rights campaigners decry as hypocritical, given Britain's stance against human rights violations elsewhere. In the United Kingdom, approximately forty percent of its military forces joined when they were just sixteen or seventeen years of age. This military service is voluntary, leading some to suggest that the argument turns on whether a teenager has the free will and clear mind to consent to join the army. Children's rights advocates claim that children should not be exposed to the risks of military life even if they appear to be willing to do so.
One of his other liaisons was with [[Acantha]], the spirit of the [[Acanthus (genus)|acanthus]] tree. Upon his death, he was transformed into a sun-loving herb by Apollo, and his bereaved sister, Acanthis, was turned into a [[European Goldfinch|thistle finch]] by the other gods.


===United States===
Another male lover was [[Cyparissus]], a descendant of [[Heracles]]. Apollo gave the boy a tame deer as a companion but Cyparissus accidentally killed it with a [[javelin]] as it lay asleep in the undergrowth. Cyparissus asked Apollo to let his tears fall forever. Apollo turned the sad boy into a [[Cupressaceae|cypress]] tree, which was said to be a sad tree because the sap forms droplets like tears on the trunk.
The United States currently uses seventeen-year-olds in its armed forces, though not in combat situations. The United States military is based on voluntary recruitment, though minors must also must have parental permission to enlist (or permission of one's legal guardian in the absence of parents). Males under eighteen years of age are not draft eligible, and females are not eligible for conscription at any age. The United States military requires all soldiers to possess a high school diploma or equivalent; this requirement may be waived for young soldiers for up to 180 days from the date of enlistment. In spirit, these policies ensure soldier maturity similarly to laws that would explicitly ban the use of minors in combat. The human rights organization [[Human Rights Watch]] reported:
:The United States has emerged as the most vigorous opponent of establishing eighteen as the minimum age for military service, even though fewer than 3,000 members of its 1.3 million active duty force are minors.


=== Apollo and the birth of Hermes ===
==Movement to stop military use of children==
[[Hermes]] was born on [[Mount Kyllini|Mount Cyllene]] in Arcadia. The story is told in the [[Homeric Hymn]] to [[Hermes]]. His mother, [[Maia]], had been secretly impregnated by [[Zeus]], in a secret affair. Maia wrapped the infant in blankets but Hermes escaped while she was asleep. Hermes ran to [[Thessaly]], where Apollo was grazing his cattle. The infant Hermes stole a number of his cows and took them to a cave in the woods near [[Pylos]], covering their tracks. In the cave, he found a [[tortoise]] and killed it, then removed the insides. He used one of the cow's intestines and the tortoise shell and made the first [[lyre]]. Apollo complained to Maia that her son had stolen his cattle, but Hermes had already replaced himself in the blankets she had wrapped him in, so Maia refused to believe Apollo's claim. Zeus intervened and, claiming to have seen the events, sided with Apollo. Hermes then began to play music on the lyre he had invented. Apollo, a god of music, fell in love with the instrument and offered to allow exchange of the cattle for the lyre. Hence, Apollo became a master of the lyre and Hermes invented a kind of pipes-instrument called a [[syrinx]].
Recently, a strong international movement has emerged to put an end to the practice. See, for example, [[Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers]].


After the war, bringing children or former child soldiers into civil society is difficult, as they have received little education, are accustomed to the use of violence, and often the children have lost ties to their families.
Later, Apollo exchanged a [[caduceus]] for a [[syrinx]] from Hermes.


=== Other stories ===
==See also==
* [[ChildVoice International]]
Apollo gave the order, through the Oracle at Delphi, for [[Orestes (mythology)|Orestes]] to kill his mother, [[Clytemnestra]], and her lover, [[Aegisthus]], he was part of the doomed houses of Greece. Orestes was punished fiercely by the [[Erinyes]] ([[female]] personifications of [[vengeance]]) for this crime.
* [[Ender's Game]]

* [[Human shield]]
In the [[Odyssey]], [[Odysseus]] and his surviving crew landed on an island sacred to Helios the sun god, where he kept sacred cattle. Though Odysseus warned his men not to (as [[Tiresias]] and [[Circe]] had told him), they killed and ate some of the cattle and Helios had [[Zeus]] destroy the ship and all the men save [[Odysseus]].
* [[Lord's Resistance Army]]

* [[Lwów Eaglets]]
Apollo also had a [[lyre]]-playing contest with [[Cinyras]], his son, who committed suicide when he lost.
* [[Minors detained in the global war on terror]]

* [[Trafficking in children]]
Apollo killed the [[Aloadae]] when they attempted to storm [[Mt. Olympus]].
* [[Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention]]

It was also said that Apollo rode on the back of a swan to the land of the [[Hyperboreans]] during the winter months, a swan that he also lent to his beloved Hyacinthus to ride.

Apollo turned [[Cephissus]] into a [[sea monster]].

==== Musical contests ====
==== Pan ====
Once [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] had the audacity to compare his music with that of Apollo, and to challenge Apollo, the god of the [[lyre]], to a trial of skill. [[Tmolus]], the mountain-god, was chosen to umpire. Pan blew on his pipes, and with his rustic melody gave great satisfaction to himself and his faithful follower, [[Midas]], who happened to be present. Then Apollo struck the strings of his lyre. Tmolus at once awarded the victory to Apollo, and all but Midas agreed with the judgment. He dissented, and questioned the justice of the award. Apollo would not suffer such a depraved pair of ears any longer, and caused them to become the ears of a [[donkey]].

==== Marsyas ====
[[Image:The Flaying of Marsyas.jpg|thumb|230px|''The Flaying of Marsyas'' by [[Titian]], c.1570-76.]]
[[Marsyas]] was a [[satyr]] who challenged Apollo to a contest of music. He had found an [[aulos]] on the ground, tossed away after being invented by [[Athena]] because it made her cheeks puffy. Marsyas lost and was [[flaying|flayed]] alive in a cave near [[Calaenae]] in [[Phrygia]] for his [[hubris]] to challenge a god. His blood turned into the river Marsyas.

Another variation is that Apollo played his instrument (the lyre) upside down. Marsyas could not do this with his instrument (the [[flute]]), and so Apollo hung him from a tree and flayed him alive. [taken from ''MAN MYTH & MAGIC'' by Richard Cavendish]

== Epithets and cult titles ==
Apollo, like other Greek deities, had a number of [[epithet]]s applied to him, reflecting the variety of roles, duties, and aspects ascribed to the god. However, while Apollo has a great number of appellations in Greek myth, only a few occur in [[Latin literature]], chief among them '''[[Phoebus]]''' ("shining one"), which was very commonly used by both the Greeks and Romans in Apollo's role as the god of light.

In Apollo's role as healer, his appellations included '''Akesios''' and '''Iatros''', meaning "healer". He was also called '''Alexikakos''' ("restrainer of evil") and '''Apotropaeus''' ("he who averts evil"), and was referred to by the Romans as '''Averruncus''' ("averter of evils"). As a plague god and defender against rats and locusts, Apollo was known as '''Smintheus''' ("mouse-catcher") and '''Parnopius''' ("grasshopper"). The Romans also called Apollo '''Culicarius''' ("driving away [[midge (insect)|midges]]"). In his healing aspect, the Romans referred to Apollo as '''Medicus''' ("the Physician"), and a [[Roman temple|temple]] was dedicated to ''Apollo Medicus'' at Rome, probably next to the temple of [[Bellona]].

As a god of archery, Apollo was known as '''Aphetoros''' ("god of the bow") and '''Argurotoxos''' ("with the silver bow"). The Romans referred to Apollo as '''Articenens''' ("carrying the bow") as well. As a pastoral shepherd-god, Apollo was known as '''Nomios''' ("wandering").

Apollo was also known as '''Archegetes''' ("director of the foundation"), who oversaw colonies. He was known as '''Klarios''', from the Doric ''klaros'' ("allotment of land"), for his supervision over cities and colonies.

He was known as '''Delphinios''' ("Delphinian"), meaning "of the womb", in his association with ''Delphoi'' ([[Delphi]]). At Delphi, he was also known as '''Pythios''' ("Pythian"). An [[aitiology]] in the [[Homeric hymns]] connects the epitheton to [[dolphin]]s. '''Kynthios''', another common epithet, stemmed from his birth on Mt. [[Cynthus]]. He was also known as '''Lyceios''' or '''Lykegenes''', which either meant "wolfish" or "of [[Lycia]]", Lycia being the place where some postulate that his cult originated.

Specifically as god of prophecy, Apollo was known as '''Loxias''' ("the obscure"). He was also known as '''Coelispex''' ("he who watches the heavens") to the Romans. Apollo was attributed the epithet '''Musagetes''' as the leader of the [[muse]]s, and '''Nymphegetes''' as "[[nymph]]-leader".

'''Acesius''' was a surname of Apollo, under which he was worshipped in [[Elis]], where he had a temple in the [[agora]]. This surname, which has the same meaning as ''akestor'' and ''alezikakos'', characterized the god as the averter of evil.<ref name=Smith>"Acesius". ''Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology''. London, 1880. </ref>

==Etymology==
The name ''Apollo'' might have been derived from a Pre-Hellenic compound ''Apo-ollon'',{{fact}} likely related to an archaic verb ''Apo-ell-'' and literally meaning "he who elbows off", and thus "the Dispelling One". Indeed, he seems to have personified the power to dispel and ward off evil, which was related to his association with the darkness-dispelling power of the morning sun and the conceived power of reason and prophecy to dispel doubt and ignorance. In addition, Apollo's dispelling aspect made him associated with:

* [[Defensive wall|city walls]] and doorways, which served as bulwarks to guard against trespassers;
* disembarkations and [[expatriation]]s to colonies, which served to carry people away;
* like his son [[Asclepius]], healing, which dispelled disease and illness;
* shepherds tending their flocks, who warded off pests and predators;
* music and the arts, which dispelled discord and [[barbarian|barbarism]];
* fit and skilled young men, with their highly important ability to dispel intruders and invading armies;
* the ability of foresight into the future.

An explanation given by [[Plutarch]] in ''[[Moralia]]'' is that ''Apollon'' signified [[1 (number)|unity]], since ''pollon'' meant "many", and the [[prefix (linguistics)|prefix]] ''a-'' was a negative. Thus, Apollon could be read as meaning "deprived of multitude". Apollo was consequently associated with the [[monad]].

[[Hesychius]] connects the name Apollo with the Doric απελλα, which means assembly, so that Apollo would be the god of political life, and he also gives the explanation σηκος ("fold"), in which case Apollo would be the god of flocks and herds.

== Spoken-word myths - audio files ==
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|-
! style="background:#ffdead;" | Apollo Myths as told by story tellers
|-
|[[Media:Apollo and Hyacinth - wiki.ogg|1. ''Apollo and Hyacinthus,'' read by Timothy Carter]]
|-
|'''Bibliography of reconstruction:''' [[Homer]], ''Illiad'' ii.595 - 600 (c. 700 BC); Various 5th century BC vase paintings; [[Palaephatus]], ''On Unbelievable Tales'' 46. Hyacinthus (330 BC); [[Apollodorus]], ''Library'' 1.3.3 (140 BC); [[Ovid]], ''Metamorphoses'' 10. 162-219 (AD 1 - 8); [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'' 3.1.3, 3.19.4 (AD 160 - 176); [[Philostratus the Elder]], ''Images'' i.24 Hyacinthus (AD 170 - 245); [[Philostratus the Younger]], ''Images'' 14. Hyacinthus (AD 170 - 245); [[Lucian]], ''Dialogues of the Gods'' 14 (AD 170); [[First Vatican Mythographer]], 197. Thamyris et Musae
|-
|}

==In popular culture==
*In the 1960s, [[NASA]] named its [[Apollo program|Apollo Lunar program]] after Apollo, because he was considered the god of all wisdom. Many people mistakenly believe that the rockets that carried astronauts to the Moon were called Apollo rockets; they were actually [[Saturn V]] rockets, on top of which sat the Apollo spacecraft.

*Apollo is the subject of [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]]'s poem of 1820 the "Hymn of Apollo"

*[[William Rimmer]]'s artistic depiction of Apollo was used as the symbol of the band [[Led Zeppelin]]'s [[record label]] [[Swan Song Records]].

*Apollo is the name of a [[Daedalus class battlecruiser]] in the science-fiction television series [[Stargate Atlantis]].

* [[Apollo_%28comics%29|Apollo]] is the name of a superhuman (inspired by [[Superman]]) with connections to the sun, in the superhero comic ''[[Authority_%28comic_book%29|The Authority]]''.

*In both series of [[Battlestar Galatica]] one of the central protagonists, [[Lee Adama| Captain Lee Adama]], is often referred to by his call sign Apollo.

== References ==
===Pre-World War I===
* [[D. Bassi]], ''Saggio di Bibliografia mitologica'', i. ''Apollo'' (1896)
* [[Gaston Colin]], ''Le Culte d'Apollon pythien à Athènes'' (1905)
* [[Daremberg]] and [[Saglio]] ''Dictionnaire des antiquités''
* [[Louis Dyer]], ''Studies of the Gods in Greece'' (1891)
* [[L. Farnell]], ''Cults of the Greek States'', iv. (1907)
* [[O. Gruppe]], ''Griechische Mythologie und Religionsgeschichte'', ii. (1906)
* [[R. Hecker]], ''De Apollinis apud Romanos Cultu'' (Leipzig, 1879)
* [[J. Marquardt]], ''Römische Staalsverwaltung'', iii.
* [[Arthur Milchhoefer]], ''Über den attischen Apollon'' (Munich, 1873)
* [[Pauly-Wissowa]], ''Realencyclopädie der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft'': II, "Apollon". The best repertory of cult sites (Burkert).
* [[L. Preller]], ''Griechische und romische Mythologie'' (4th ed. by [[C. Robert]])
* [[W. H. Roscher]], ''Studien zur vergleichenden Mythologie der Griechen und Romer'', i. (Leipzig, 1873)
* W. H. Roscher, ''Lexikon der Mythologie''
* [[F. L. W. Schwartz]], ''De antiquissima Apollinis Natura'' (Berlin, 1843)
* [[J. A. Schönborn]], ''Über das Wesen Apollons'' (Berlin, 1854)
* [[Theodor Schreiber]], ''Apollon Pythoktonos'' (Leipzig, 1879)
* [[William Smith (lexicographer)]], ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]]'', 1870, article on Apollo, [http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0239.html]
* [[G. Wissowa]], ''Religion und Kultus der Romer'' (1902)
* {{1911}}

===Modern===
* M. Bieber, 1964. ''Alexander the Great in Greek and Roman Art'' (Chicago)
* N. Yalouris, 1980. ''The Search for Alexander'' (Boston) Exhibition.
*[[Walter Burkert]], 1985. ''Greek Religion'' (Harvard University Press) III.2.5 ''passim''
*[[Karl Kerenyi]], ''Apollon: Studien über Antiken Religion und Humanität'' rev. ed. 1953.
*Karl Kerenyi , 1951 ''The Gods of the Greeks''
*[[Robert Graves]], 1960. ''The Greek Myths'', revised edition (Penguin)
Rapper GhostfaceKillah of the Wu-tang clan often refers to himself under the moniker 'Sun god', and the song titled "Apollo Kids" was a lead single in his sophomore album Supreme Clientele.

==Notes==
<references/>


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.childvoiceintl.com/ ChildVoice International]
{{commons|Apollo}}
* [http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/ Greek Mythology resource]
* [http://www.invisiblechildren.com/ Invisible Childen]
* [http://www.gregoryferdinandsen.com/FCO2003/apollo.htm The Temple of Apollo, Rome]
* [http://www.teachkidspeace.org/ Teach Kids Peace]
* [http://web.amnesty.org/pages/childsoldiers-index-eng Amnesty International campaign]
* [http://www.androphile.org/preview/Library/Mythology/Greek/ The stories of Apollo and Hyacinthus; and Apollo and Cyparissus; and Apollo and Orpheus]
* [http://janusquirinus.org/essays/Apollo/MultifacetedGod.html Apollo and the Romans]
* [http://www.tamilnation.org/humanrights/child/index.htm Child Soldiers & the Law: A Survey]
* [http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/crp/index.htm Human Rights Watch campaign]

* [http://hrw.org/doc/?t=children HRW list of child soldier incidents]
==Further reading==
* [http://www.child-soldiers.org/ Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers]
*Kerenyi, Karl, 1953. ''Apollon: Studien über Antike Religion und Humanität'', second edtion
* [http://www.definingmoment.tv/defining-moment-shows/index-220.html Interview: Children Abucted for Terrorism in Sri Lanka]
*Pfeiff, K.A., 1943. ''Apollon: Wandlung seines Bildes in der griechischen Kunst''. Traces the changing iconography of Apollo.
* [http://www.child-soldiers.org/document_get.php?id=839 Global Report 2004 - United States]''[[Portable Document Format|PDF]]''

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3019838.stm BBC report: Sex slavery awaits Ugandan schoolgirls]
{{Greek myth (Olympian)2}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4266789.stm BBC report: Ugandan army recruiting children]
{{Roman myth (major)}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/1383998.stm BBC report: Criticism of British child soldier recruitment]

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1469358,00.html The Guardian report: Armies of girls caught up in conflict]
[[Category:Greek gods]]
* [http://ods-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/318/63/PDF/N0431863.pdf?OpenElement Children and armed conflict] - [[UN Security Council]] resolution 1539 (2004). ''[[Portable Document Format|PDF]]''
[[Category:Roman gods]]
* [http://child-soldier.org Child Soldier Projects]
[[Category:Solar gods]]
* [http://www.jcpa.org/jl/vp441.htm The Use of Palestinian Children in the Al-Aqsa Intifada]
[[Category:Pederastic heroes and deities]]
* [http://www.pmw.org.il/tv%20part1.html PA Indoctrination of Children to Seek Heroic Death for Allah]
[[Category:Arts gods]]
* [http://www.psychohistory.com/htm/eln03_terrorism.html The Childhood Origins of Terrorism]
[[Category:Muses]]
*The [[International Labour Organisation]]'s [[International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour]] on [http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/themes/soldiers/index.htm child soldiers]
* [http://europa.eu.int/scadplus/leg/en/lvb/r10113.htm EU guidelines on children and armed conflict] adopted at the General Affairs Council meeting on 8 December 2003
* [http://www.warchild.org/links_resources/childsoldiers/childsoldiers.html War Child International] - Child Soldier links & resources
* War Child UK's [http://www.warchild.org.uk/upload/pdf/I_Am_Not_Trash.pdf report on Child Soldiers in Democratic Republic of Congo]''[[Portable Document Format|PDF]]''


[[Category:Childhood]]
{{Link FA|es}}
[[Category:Politics about the military]]
[[Category:Child labour]]
[[Category:Children in war]]


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Revision as of 21:38, 24 November 2006

File:19450420 Hitler 65bd awards HJ Iron Cross.jpg
April 20, 1945. On his 56th birthday, Hitler awards Iron Cross to Hitler Youth outside his bunker during the Battle of Berlin.

The military use of children refers to children being placed in harm's way in military actions, in order to protect a location or provide propaganda. This is sometimes referred to as child sacrifice, though not equivalent to the religious variety. It may also refer to the use of children as child soldiers or saboteurs.

Red Hand Day on February 12 is an annual commemoration day to draw public attention to the practice of using children as soldiers in wars and armed conflicts.

History

File:Greek warrior and young charioteer - Athens pediment.jpg
Illustrative bas-relief of Greek warrior accompanied by his charioteer. From the pediment of a kouros statue, ca. 490 BC.

Throughout history and in many cultures, children have been extensively involved in military campaigns even when such practices were supposedly against cultural morals.

The earliest mentions of minors being involved in wars comes from antiquity. It was customary for youths in the cultures of the Mediterranean basin to serve as aides, charioteers and armor bearers to adult warriors. Examples of this practice can be found in the Bible (such as David's service to King Saul), in Hittite and Egyptian art, and in Greek mythology (such as the story of Hercules and Hylas), philosophy and literature. In ancient Greece the practice was formalized as part of the pederastic educational tradition, and man/boy couples were considered to make an especially effective fighting force. See Sacred Band of Thebes

A child soldier in the American Civil War

Also in a practice dating back to antiquity, children were routinely taken on campaign, together with the rest of a military man's family, as part of the baggage. This of course exposed them to harm from rearguard attacks, such as the one at the battle of Agincourt where the retainers and children of the English army were massacred by the French.

The Romans also made use of youths in war, though it was understood that it was unwise and cruel to use children in war, and Plutarch implies that regulations required youths to be at least sixteen years of age.

In medieval Europe, young boys from about twelve years of age were used as military aides ("squires"), though in theory their role in actual combat was limited. The so-called Children's Crusade in 1212 recruited thousands of children as untrained soldiers under the assumption that divine power would enable them to conquer the enemy, although none of the children actually entered combat; according to the legend, they were instead sold into slavery. While most scholars no longer believe that the Children's Crusade consisted solely, or even mostly of children, it nonetheless exemplifies an era in which the entire family took part in a war effort.

Polish Boy Scouts fighting in the Warsaw Uprising.

Young boys often took part in battles during early modern warfare and modern warfare, perhaps most popularly as the ubiquitous "drummer boy" – the film Waterloo (based on the Battle of Waterloo) graphically depicts French drummer boys leading Napoleon's initial attack only to be gunned down by Allied soldiers. During the age of sail, young boys formed part of the crew of British Royal Navy ships and were responsible for many important tasks including bringing powder and shot from the ship's magazine to the gun crews. These children were called Powder Monkeys.

By a law signed by Nicholas I of Russia in 1827, a disproportionate number of Jewish boys, known as the cantonists, were forced into military training establishments to serve in the army. The 25-year conscription term officially commenced at the age of 18, but boys as young as eight were routinely taken to fulfill the hard quota.

Mexico honors its heroic cadets who died in the battle of Chapultepec (1847).

In World War II, children frequently participated in popular insurrections like the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and other anti-fascist resistance movements across Nazi-occupied Europe.

On the opposite side, Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend or HJ) was an official organization in Nazi Germany that trained youth physically and indoctrinated them with Nazi ideology. By the end of WW2, members of the HJ were taken into the army at increasingly younger ages. During the Battle of Berlin in 1945 they were a major part of the German defenses.

In some cases, youth organizations were, and still are, militarized in order to instill discipline in their ranks, sometimes to indoctrinate them with propaganda and prepare for subsequent military service.

International law

International human rights law

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art. 38, (1989) proclaimed: "State parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of 15 years do not take a direct part in hostilities." The Optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict to the Convention that came into force in 2002 stipulates that its State Parties shall take all feasible measures to ensure that persons below the age of 18 do not take a direct part in hostilities and that they are not compulsorily recruited into their armed forces.

The UN Security Council Resolution 1261 "strongly condemns... recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in violation of international law." (UN Sec. Council Res. 1261 (1999), art. 3, 8, 13.)

International humanitarian law

According to the Additional Protocol I and Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions, adopted in 1977, children who have not attained the age of 15 years shall neither be recruited in the armed forces or groups nor allowed to take part in hostilities. For persons older than 15 but younger than 18 years, the State Parties to the Geneva Conventions shall endeavour to give priority to those who are oldest. (Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, June 8, 1977, art. 77; Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts), June 8, 1977, art. 4)

The Fourth Geneva Convention forbids the use of any civilian as a shield. (Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Aug. 12, 1949, 6 U.S.T. 3516, 75 U.N.T.S. 287, art. 28).

International labor law

Forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, is one of the predefined worst forms of child labour in terms of the International Labour Organisation's Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999, adopted in 1999.

In terms of the Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation ratifying countries should ensure that forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict is a criminal offence, and also provide for other criminal, civil or administrative remedies to ensure the effective enforcement of such national legislation (Article III(12) to (14)).

Child soldiers in the world today

According to Amnesty International,

"An estimated 300,000 children under the age of eighteen are currently participating in armed conflicts in more than thirty different countries on nearly every continent. While most child soldiers are in their teens, some are as young as seven years old."

Uses of child soldiers

Children have been used as spotters, observers, message-carriers, and even as human shields. The last case is particularly problematic: if the hostage value of the child is respected, children will be increasingly used as human shields, and the soldier is placed at a tactical disadvantage. If not, soldiers must suffer the morale effects of wounding and killing children in self-defense. In any case, a great deal of propaganda value can be gained from publicizing different (and often false) accounts of such events. Usually, girls are made to perform as sex slaves and aides, while boys' fate is combat, although recent reports indicate that girls have been forced to perform combat as well, and that boys are routinely used for sexual purposes. To counter their reluctance, the children are dulled by forcing them to commit brutalities and to take drugs that inhibit guilt and fear. Propaganda, revenge and fear of being left alone influence children to "voluntarily" stay in the army. Children have been both participants in and victims of atrocities. The recruitment of children as soldiers is a practice that has survived into modern times.

Africa

As of 2004, Africa has the largest number of child soldiers with up to 100,000 believed to be involved in hostilities. Child soldiers are being used in armed conflict in Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.

Asia

In Asia thousands of children are involved in fighting forces in active conflict and ceasefire situations, although government refusal of access to conflict zones has made it impossible to document the numbers involved. Myanmar is unique in the region, as the only country where government armed forces forcibly recruit and use children between the ages of 12 and 18. Child soldiers also exist in Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Philippines, where they are mainly associated with armed opposition groups, factional or clan-based groups or groups composed of ethnic or religious minorities.

Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, thousands of children are believed to be in the ranks of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a rebel group banned as a terrorist organization by a number of countries including the United States, Canada, India and the European Union.

Since signing a ceasefire agreement in 2001, the latest available UNICEF figures show that the LTTE has abducted 5,666 children until July 2006, although the organization speculates that only about a third of such cases are reported to them. Sri Lankan soldiers nicknamed one unit the Baby Battalion, due to the number of children in it. In response to widespread international condemnation of alleged children recruitment practices, the LTTE had enacted laws (taking effect in Oct. 2006) to make children recruitment illegal in its territory. [1].

More recently, the para-military group known as the Karuna Group, which is apparently pro-government splinter group from the LTTE, has been held responsible for the abduction of children according to UNICEF and Human Rights Watch. [2][3]

Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, American soldiers reported (and US military sources documented) a number of incidents where Vietnamese children were given hand grenades and/or explosives and used as weapons against American troops. In one variation, a young girl is instructed to throw a hand grenade (with or without pulling the pin to activate it first, depending on whether direct or psychological casualties are intended.) In another variation, children had explosives strapped to their bodies and were encouraged to mingle with American soldiers, with detonation either by a mechanical device or by remote control. The frequency of such incidents, and whether deadly force was necessary as often as it was actually used, is hotly debated; critics claim the military cited such incidents to justify use of deadly force against children.

Europe

In Europe under-18s are believed to be involved in a range of armed groups in the Chechen Republic of Russia, although the numbers are impossible to establish given a virtual ban on media and human rights organizations from operating in the region.[1]

Middle East

In the Middle East child soldiers are reportedly used in Iran, Iraq, Israel in the Palestinian Territories, and in tribal groups in Yemen.

Iran

During the later stages of the Iran-Iraq War, both sides were accused of using teenaged children to fill out the ranks of soldiers depleted by years of warfare. During that war, Iran was accused of using children to clear minefields by having them run or bicycle through the fields.[citation needed]

Palestinian Territories

Child soldiers have also been used in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. According to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers' "2004 Global Report on the Use of Child Soldiers", [4] there were at least nine documented suicide attacks involving Palestinian minors between October 2000 and March 2004: "There was no evidence of systematic recruitment of children by Palestinian armed groups. However, children are used as messengers and couriers, and in some cases as fighters and suicide bombers in attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians. All the main political groups involve children in this way, including Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine." [5]. According to Israeli security forces, there have been 229 cases of minors involved in militant activity.

Arab journalist Huda Al-Hussein wrote in the London newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat: "While UN organizations save child-soldiers, especially in Africa, from the control of militia leaders who hurl them into the furnace of gang-fighting, some Palestinian leaders… consciously issue orders with the purpose of ending their childhood, even if it means their last breath." (Oct. 27, 2000, translated by MEMRI, Arab Journalist Decries Palestinian Child-Soldiers Special Dispatch 146, Nov. 1, 2000). In an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper Azzaman (June 20, 2002), Mahmoud Abbas condemned the practice, saying that he opposed "that little children go to die", stating that "[i]t is a horrible thing. At least 40 children in Rafah became cripples after their hands were blown off by pipe bombs. They received 5 shekels [slightly over $1] to throw them" (Quoted in the Jordanian newspaper Alrai) [6]

On May 23, 2005, Amnesty International reiterated its calls to Palestinian armed groups to put an immediate end to the use of children in armed activities: "Palestinian armed groups must not use children under any circumstances to carry out armed attacks or to transport weapons or other material." [7]

Latin America

In Latin America, more than 11,000 children are estimated to be involved with left-wing guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia. According to Human Rights Watch, "Approximately 80 percent of child combatants in Colombia belong to one of the two left-wing guerrilla groups, the FARC or ELN. The remainder fights in paramilitary ranks." [8]

The military use of children by western countries

United Kingdom

Boy soldiers have been part of the military establishment of the British Army at least since formation of Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army (c. 1640).[citation needed] An estimated 4,000 boy soldiers were on the field at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The French army of Napoleon Bonaparte had a similar number, and the Prussian army of General Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher about half that number. An estimated 10,000 underage soldiers took part in the battle (see Sons of the Brave, 1984, by A. W. Cockerill, pub Secker & Warburg).

Lady Elizabeth Butler's painting "Stand fast the 57th" depicts the surviving 11 boy drummers and fifers of the 57th Foot at the Battle of Albuera (May 16, 1811) during the Peninsular Campaign. The youngest boy soldier on record was James Wade of the 9th Foot, who enlisted on his seventh birthday, 10 July 1800, and was discharged after 21 years service at age 28 years.

Today, the United Kingdom has been criticised for its practice of allowing boys to join the armed services at the age of 16, and to fight at 17, something which human rights campaigners decry as hypocritical, given Britain's stance against human rights violations elsewhere. In the United Kingdom, approximately forty percent of its military forces joined when they were just sixteen or seventeen years of age. This military service is voluntary, leading some to suggest that the argument turns on whether a teenager has the free will and clear mind to consent to join the army. Children's rights advocates claim that children should not be exposed to the risks of military life even if they appear to be willing to do so.

United States

The United States currently uses seventeen-year-olds in its armed forces, though not in combat situations. The United States military is based on voluntary recruitment, though minors must also must have parental permission to enlist (or permission of one's legal guardian in the absence of parents). Males under eighteen years of age are not draft eligible, and females are not eligible for conscription at any age. The United States military requires all soldiers to possess a high school diploma or equivalent; this requirement may be waived for young soldiers for up to 180 days from the date of enlistment. In spirit, these policies ensure soldier maturity similarly to laws that would explicitly ban the use of minors in combat. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch reported:

The United States has emerged as the most vigorous opponent of establishing eighteen as the minimum age for military service, even though fewer than 3,000 members of its 1.3 million active duty force are minors.


Movement to stop military use of children

Recently, a strong international movement has emerged to put an end to the practice. See, for example, Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers.

After the war, bringing children or former child soldiers into civil society is difficult, as they have received little education, are accustomed to the use of violence, and often the children have lost ties to their families.

See also

External links