This set of Apollo prayer beads consists of three groups of twelve beads, to represent the Greek dodecatheon of twelve gods (there are many more than twelve Greek gods, but most cities had their own group of twelve) and the mythic division of the world into three realms--the sea, the heavens, and the underworld. Separating these sections are three hanging pendants, each a symbol representing the god:
The lyre - As god of music and the arts, the lyre is a worthy symbol of Apollo.
The wolf - Apollo is associated with the wolf by way of his mother Leto, who was guided by wolves to the River Xanthos in Lykia to bathe her babies once they were born.
The bow and arrow - Apollo, like his sister Artemis, is well known as a skillful archer. He was also said to send death and disease by use of his arrows--as a healing god, he was also believed capable of bringing about its opposite.
It is made with 10mm gold-colored fire-polished Czech glass beads, separated by silver-toned metal spacer beads, and glass seed beads to provide a comfortable transition from one bead to the next and to make the piece lightweight, supple, and easy to handle. The string itself is approximately 29" (73.6cm) in circumference and can be worn if desired, although it is designed to be used in prayer and meditation, to decorate an altar or shrine, and/or to adorn a statue; the last photo is of the piece on a necklace display to show how the three pendants hang when worn.
The beads come with a prayer to Apollo, written specifically to be used with this prayer bead design (you can, of course, use the beads with any prayers, or for any god or gods, that you choose or that resonate with you) and with a cotton muslin bag for storage.
