¶ … successfully argue that Apollo has had the most eminent impact on Western Civilization out of any Greek god or goddess. This statement's veracity only increases when the choice of selecting the most influential god is limited between Apollo and Dionysus. As the god of wine, Dionysus is largely associated with revelry, celebrations, Saturnalia and celestial events such as the recent summer solstice. Yet the associations of Apollo are a lot more enduring and significant. Apollo is associated with the sun and poetry, two indelible facets of Western Civilization that have come to define, in some respects, that very civilization today.
As the god of poetry, Apollo has played a highly significant role in Western civilization. There have been a number of epic poems that are considered verifiable classics, as well as cultural aesthetes of Western Civilization, of which Apollo played a significant part of. Included in this literary canon are works such as the Odyssey, the Aenied, and the Iliad. As the god of poetry, Apollo is referenced by the poets who conceived of these works. Additionally, Apollo is the very personification of verses of poetry, which means that it is by his grace that the poets were able to receive the inspiration for their works. Finally, it is noteworthy to mention that all poetry was attributed to Apollo -- as such the classic literature conceived of and which defines western culture is a testament to Apollo's greatness.
Apollo was also worshipped in ancient Greece as the god of the sun. In ancient Greece and even in contemporary times (albeit to a lesser extent), the sun is considered a harbinger of light and learning and the spread of knowledge. Thus, a great deal of scholasticism and scholarship in Western civilization has its roots in Apollo's status as the god of the sun. Another cultural aesthete of a particular civilization is the degree of knowledge it has encompassed and produced. Greece was long renowned as a center of learning, and with advancements in technology, contemporary western culture leads the world in this application of knowledge. Thus, the aspect of knowledge associated with the sun and of a renowned body of literature associated with Apollo's association with poetry is certainly more influential than the drunken revelry for which Dionysus is known.
