The Sacred Mice of Apollo Smintheus

Apollo was first referred to as “smintheus” by the poet Homer and was known as a god who took revenge on enemies through epidemics. This belief persisted throughout the Ancient Times. Mice have always been associated with Apollo Smintheus and were seen as the god's sacred animals. According to ancient sources, mice were specially protected and fed at Smintheion (the cult site of Apollo Smintheus). White mice, in particular, which ran freely around the altar of Apollo Smintheus, were considered sacred and protected. The worship of Apollo as Smintheus (Apollo of the Mice) in the Troad region and at his saanctuary in Gülpınar is also attributed, according to ancient texts, to his protection of farmers' crops from harmful field mice. Apollo, under the epithet Smintheus, appears to have been worshipped primarily in the Troad region, as well as along the eastern shores of the Aegean Sea and its islands. It is said that he punished kings, rulers, and priests with mice, but then rewarded those who made these gestures to him by killing the harmful mice and saving people's crops after sacrifices were made and temples were built in his name. For this reason, mice were considered sacred to the god, and he was worshipped as Apollo Smintheus in regions where agriculture was predominant. However, recent research in Smintheion suggests that it was the raven, not the mouse, that was the sacred animal of Apollo Smintheus. This is because Smintheion was primarily an oracle center during the Roman period.