古典時代、民衆の宗教における主な役割は魔除けであり、そのため彼は「アポトロパイオス」(ἀποτρόπαιος、「魔除け」)、「アレクシカコス」(ἀλεξίκακος「病気を防ぐ」、v. ἀλέξω + n. κακόνから)と呼ばれていた<ref>Pausanias VIII 41, 8-IV 34, 7-Sittig. Nom P. 48. f-Aristoph. Vesp. V. 61-Paus. I 3, 4. Martin Nilsson (1967) Vol I, pp. 540, 544</ref>。アポローンはまた、癒し手としての機能に関連する多くの諡号を持っていた。よく使われる例としては、「パイオン」(παιών、文字通り「癒し手」「助け手」<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=paean-harpers]: Harper's Dictionary of classical antiquity</ref>)、「エピクーリョス」(Đπικούριος、「助ける」)、「オウリオ」(οὔλιος、「癒し手、悪意」<ref>LSJ, ou/lios、οὔλιος、shortref.</ref>)、「ロイミオ」(λοίμιος、「ペストの」)等がある。後世の作家は、"paion"(通常 "Paean "と綴る)という言葉は、癒しの神としてのアポロンの単なる諡号になったと考えている<ref>Graf, Fritz, https://books.google.com/books?id=it9n9_I-UOkC&pg=PA66, Apollo, Taylor & Francis, 2008, isbn:978-0-203-58171-1, page66</ref>。
「癒し手」としての側面を持つアポロンは、独自の信仰を持たなかった原始神パイアン(Παιών-Παιήων)に通じるものがある。パイアンは『イーリアス』の中で神々の癒し手として活躍しており、ギリシャ以前の宗教に起源を持つと思われる。Παιήων)に通じるものがある<ref>Paieon (Παιήων) puts pain-relieving medicines on the wounds of Pluton and Ares ( Ilias E401). This art is related with Egypt: (Odyssey D232): M. Nilsson Vol I, p. 543</ref>。パイアンは『イーリアス』の中で神々の癒し手として活躍しており、ギリシャ以前の宗教に起源を持つと思われる。ミケーネ時代の神pa-ja-wo-neとの関連が指摘されている<ref>The Mycenaeans, https://books.google.com/books?id=QXwzT1048Z4C&pg=PA160, page160, Louise Schofield, 2007, The British Museum Press, isbn:978-0-89236-867-9</ref><ref>http://minoan.deaditerranean.com/linear-b-transliterations/knossos/kn-v/kn-v/#toc-kn-v-52|title=KN V 52+, Deaditerranean: Minoan Linear A & Mycenaean Linear B, 17 March 2014, 18 March 2016, https://web.archive.org/web/20160318004206/http://minoan.deaditerranean.com/linear-b-transliterations/knossos/kn-v/kn-v/#toc-kn-v-52</ref><ref name="Chawick">John Chadwick, The Mycenaean World|location=Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 1976, isbn:978-0-521-29037-1, https://archive.org/details/mycenaeanworld00chad, registration, [https://archive.org/details/mycenaeanworld00chad/page/89 89] At Google Books.</ref> Paean was the personification of holy songs sung by "seer-doctors" (ἰατρομάντεις), which were supposed to cure disease.<ref>Ἐπὶ καταπαύσει λοιμῶν καὶ νόσων ᾄδόμενος. ''Which is sung to stop the plagues and the diseases''. Proklos: Chrestom from Photios Bibl. code. 239, p. 321: Martin Nilsson. Die Geschicthe der Griechischen religion. Vol I, p. 543</ref> 。
Apollo in his aspect of "healer" has a connection to the primitive god [[Paean (god)|Paean]] ({{lang|grc|Παιών-Παιήων}}), who did not have a cult of his own. Paean serves as the healer of the gods in the ''[[Iliad]]'', and seems to have originated in a pre-Greek religion.<ref>Paieon ({{lang|grc|Παιήων}}) puts pain-relieving medicines on the wounds of Pluton and Ares ( [[Iliad|Ilias]] E401). This art is related with Egypt: ([[Odyssey]] D232): M. Nilsson Vol I, p. 543</ref> It is suggested, though unconfirmed, that he is connected to the [[Mycenaean Greece|Mycenaean]] figure ''pa-ja-wo-ne'' (Linear B: {{lang|gmy|𐀞𐀊𐀺𐀚}}).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Mycenaeans|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QXwzT1048Z4C&pg=PA160|page=160|first=Louise|last=Schofield|year=2007|publisher=The British Museum Press|isbn=978-0-89236-867-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://minoan.deaditerranean.com/linear-b-transliterations/knossos/kn-v/kn-v/#toc-kn-v-52|title=KN V 52+|website=Deaditerranean: Minoan Linear A & Mycenaean Linear B|access-date=17 March 2014|archive-date=18 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318004206/http://minoan.deaditerranean.com/linear-b-transliterations/knossos/kn-v/kn-v/#toc-kn-v-52|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Chawick">{{cite book|last=Chadwick|first=John|author-link=John Chadwick|title=The Mycenaean World|location=Cambridge, UK|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1976|isbn=978-0-521-29037-1|url=https://archive.org/details/mycenaeanworld00chad|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/mycenaeanworld00chad/page/89 89]}} At Google Books.</ref> Paean was the personification of holy songs sung by "seer-doctors" ({{lang|grc|ἰατρομάντεις}}), which were supposed to cure disease.<ref>{{lang|grc|Ἐπὶ καταπαύσει λοιμῶν καὶ νόσων ᾄδόμενος}}. ''Which is sung to stop the plagues and the diseases''. Proklos: Chrestom from Photios Bibl. code. 239, p. 321: Martin Nilsson. Die Geschicthe der Griechischen religion. Vol I, p. 543</ref>
Homer illustrated Paeon the god and the song both of [[apotropaic]] thanksgiving or triumph.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Homer|first=750? BCE-650? BCE|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2199|title=The Iliad|date=2000-06-01|language=en|translator-last=Butler|translator-first=Samuel}}</ref> Such songs were originally addressed to Apollo and afterwards to other gods: to [[Dionysus]], to Apollo [[Helios]], to Apollo's son [[Asclepius]] the healer. About the 4th century BCE, 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 had become recognized as the god of music. Apollo's role as the slayer of the [[Python (mythology)|Python]] led to his association with battle and victory; hence it became the [[Ancient Rome|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.