In
Greek mythology, the name
Branchus refers to the following characters, who may or may not be identical:
1.
Branchus, son of
Apollo (or son of Smycrus and lover of Apollo); his mother was a woman from
Miletus, who, while she was pregnant with him, had a vision of being pierced with a ray of light. Branchus received prophetic abilities from
Apollo and introduced the worship of the god at
Didyma. He also founded a shrine at
Miletus. His descendants, the Branchides, were an influential clan of prophets.