▁with ▁Apol lo ▁and ▁Hel ios ▁into ▁one ▁Sol ▁Inv ict us , ▁with ▁con gl omer ated ▁r ites ▁and ▁comp ound ▁attributes . ▁Apol lo ▁might ▁be ▁increasing ly ▁identified ▁in ▁religion ▁with ▁Hel ios ▁or ▁even ▁D ion ys us , ▁but ▁texts ▁ret elling ▁his ▁myth s ▁s eld om ▁reflected ▁such ▁develop ments . ▁The ▁traditional ▁literary ▁myth ology ▁was ▁increasing ly ▁dis soci ated ▁from ▁actual ▁religious ▁practice . ▁The ▁worship ▁of ▁Sol ▁as ▁special ▁prote ctor ▁of ▁the ▁em per ors ▁and ▁of ▁the ▁emp ire ▁remained ▁the ▁chief ▁imperial ▁religion ▁until ▁it ▁was ▁replaced ▁by ▁Christian ity . ▁ ▁The ▁surv iving ▁ 2 nd - century ▁collection ▁of ▁Or ph ic ▁H ym ns ▁( second ▁century ▁AD ) ▁and ▁the ▁Sat urn alia ▁of ▁Mac rob ius ▁Am bro si us ▁The odos ius ▁( fif th ▁century ) ▁are ▁influenced ▁by ▁the ▁theories ▁of ▁rational ism ▁and ▁the ▁syn cret izing ▁tr ends ▁as ▁well . ▁The ▁Or ph ic ▁H ym ns ▁are ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁pre - class ical ▁po etic ▁compos itions , ▁attributed ▁to ▁Or phe us , ▁himself ▁the ▁subject ▁of ▁a ▁ren owned ▁myth . ▁In ▁reality , ▁these ▁po ems ▁were ▁probably ▁composed ▁by ▁several ▁different ▁po ets , ▁and ▁contain ▁a ▁rich ▁set ▁of ▁cl ues ▁about ▁pre histor ic ▁European ▁myth ology . ▁The ▁stated ▁purpose ▁of ▁the ▁Sat urn alia ▁is ▁to ▁transmit ▁the ▁H ellen ic ▁culture ▁Mac rob ius ▁has