DAPHNE - Laurel Nymph of Greek Mythology DAPHNE Laurel (daphnê) Apollo and Daphne, Greco-Roman mosaic from Antioch C2nd-3rd A.D., Hatay Archeology Museum DAPHNE was a Naiad-nymph of the river Ladon of Arkadia or the Peneios (Peneus) in Thessalia. She was loved by the god Apollon who pursued her until she grew exhausted and cried out to Gaia (Gaea) for help. The goddess transformed into a laurel tree which Apollon then adopted as his sacred plant. In a festival at Delphoi (Delphi), a branch of a sacred laurel tree was brought to the shrine from the Thessalian vale of Tempe. This rite would suggest that the Thessalian version of the Daphne myth was the oldest. The Delphians also had a closely related myth about a certain Daphnis who they describe as the Oreiad-nymph prophetess of Gaia at the shrine before Apollon assumed control.

FAMILY OF DAPHNE PARENTS [1] LADON (Pausanias 10.7.8, Philostrarus Life of Apoll. of Tyana 1.16, Statius Thebaid 4.289, Nonnus Dionysiaca 42.386) [2] PENEIOS (Hyginus Fabulae 203, Ovid Metamorphoses 1.452) [3] AMYCLAS (Diodorus of Elaea Frag, Phylarchus Frag, Parthenius Love Romances 15) ENCYCLOPEDIA DAPHNE (Daphnê), a fair maiden who is mixed up with various traditions about Apollo. According to Pausanias (x. 5. § 3) she was an Oreas and an ancient priestess of the Delphic oracle to which she had been appointed by Ge. Diodorus (iv. 66) describes her as the daughter of Teiresias, who is better known by the name of Manto. She was made prisoner in the war of the Epigoni and given as a present to Apollo.

A third Daphne is called a daughter of the rivergod Ladon in Arcadia by Ge (Paus. viii. 20. § 1; Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 6; Philostr. Vit. Apollon. i. 16), or of the river-god Peneius in Thessaly (Ov. Met. i. 452; Hygin. Fab. 203), or lastly of Amyclas. (Parthen. Erot. 15.) She was extremely beautiful and was loved and pursued by Apollo. When on the point of being overtaken by him, she prayed to her mother, Ge, who opened the earth and received her, and in order to console Apollo she created the ever-green laurel-tree (daphnê), of the boughs of which Apollo made himself a wreath. Another story relates that Leucippus, the son of Oenomaüs, king of Pisa, was in love with Daphne and approached her in the disguise of a maiden and thus hunted with her. But Apollo's jealousy caused his discovery during the bath, and he was killed by the nymphs. (Paus. viii.

20. § 2; Parthen. l. c.) According to Ovid (Met. i. 452, &c.) Daphne in her flight from Apollo was metamorphosed herself into a laurel-tree. Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES Apollo and Daphne, Athenian red-figure hydria C5th B.C., British Museum Parthenius, Love Romances 15 (trans. Gaselee) (Greek poet C1st B.C.) : "From the elegiac poems of Diodoros of Elaia [unknown date] and the twenty-fifth book of Phylarkhos (Phylarchus) [Greek historian C3rd B.C.] : This is how the story of Daphne, the daughter of Amyklas (Amyclas), is related. She used never to come down into the town, nor consort with the other maidens; but she got together a large pack of hounds and used to hunt, either in Lakonia (Laconia), or sometimes going into the further mountains of the Peloponnese.

For this reason she was very dear to Artemis, who gave her the gift of shooting straight. On one occasion she was traversing the country of Elis, and there Leukippos (Leucippus), the son of Oinomaus (Oenomaus), fell in love with her; he resolved not to woo her in any common way, but assumed women's clothes, and, in the guise of a maiden, joined her hunt. And it so happened that she very soon became extremely fond of him, nor would she let him quit her side, embracing him and clinging to him at all times. But Apollon was also fired with love for the girl, and it was with feelings of anger and jealousy that he saw Leukippos always with her; he therefore put it into her mind to visit a stream with her attendant maidens, and there to bathe. On their arrival there, they all began to strip; and when they saw that Leukippos was unwilling to follow their example, they tore his clothes from him: but when they thus became aware of the deceit he had practiced and the plot he had devised against them, they all plunged their spears into his body.

He, by the will of the gods, disappeared; but Daphne, seeing Apollon advancing upon her, took vigorously to flight; then, as he pursued her, she implored Zeus that she might be translated away from mortal sight, and she is supposed to have become the bay tree which is called daphne after her." Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 20. 2 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "The Ladon [of Arkadia (Arcadia)] is the most lovely river in Greece, and is also famous for the legend of Daphne that the poets tell . . . Leukippos (Leucippus) fell in love with Daphne, but despaired of winning her to be his wife by an open courtship, as she avoided all the male sex. The following trick occurred to him by which to get her. Leukippos was growing his hair long for the river Alpheios (Alpheus).

Brading his hair as though he were a maiden, and putting on woman's clothes, he came to Daphne and said that he was a daughter of Oinomaos (Oenomaus), and would like to share her hunting. As he was thought to be a maiden, surpassed the other maidens in nobility of birth and skill in hunting, and was besides most assiduous in this attentions, he drew Daphne into a deep friendship. The poets who sing of Apollon's love for Daphne make an addition to the tale; that Apollon became jealous of Leukippos because of his success in his love. Forthwith Daphne and the other maidens conceived a longing to swim in the Ladon, and stripped Leukippos in spite of his reluctance. Then, seeing that he was no maid, they killed him with their javelins and daggers." Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 7. 8 : "The reason why a crown of laurel is the prize for a Pythian victory is in my opinion simply and solely because the prevailing tradition has it that Apollon fell in love with the daughter of Ladon [i.e.

Daphne]." Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 1. 16 (trans. Conybeare) (Greek biography C1st to C2nd A.D.) : "[In Antiokhos (Antioch), Asia Minor is] the temple of Apollon Daphnaios (Daphnaeus, Of the Laurel), to which the Assyrians attach the legend of Arkadia (Arcadia). For they say that Daphne, the daughter of Ladon, there underwent her metamorphosis, and they have a river flowing there, the Ladon, and a laurel tree is worshipped by them which they say was substituted for the maiden." Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 203 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "When Apollo was pursuing the virgin Daphne, daughter of the river Peneus, she begged for protection from Terra (Earth) [Gaia], who received her, and changed her into a laurel tree. Apollo broke a branch from it and placed it on his head." Ovid, Metamorphoses 1. 452 ff (trans.

Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Daphne Peneia (Daughter of Peneus) was the first love of great Phoebus [Apollon], a love not lit by chance unwitting, but by Cupido's (Love's) [Eros'] spiteful wrath. Delius [Apollon], proud in victory saw Cupido [Eros] draw his bow's taut arc, and said : ‘Mischievous boy, what are a brave man's arms to you? That gear becomes my shoulders best. My aim is sure; I wound my enemies, I wound wild beasts; my countless arrows slew but now the bloated Python, whose vast coils across so many acres spread their blight. You and your loves! You have your torch to light them Let that content you; never claim my fame!’ And Venus' [Aphrodite's] son [Eros] replied : ‘Your bow, Phoebus, may vanquish all, but mine shall vanquish you.

As every creature yields to power divine, so likewise shall your glory yield to mine.’ Then winging through the air his eager way he stood upon Parnasos' shady peak, and from his quiver's laden armoury he drew two arrows of opposing power, one shaft that rouses love and one that routs it. The first gleams bright with piercing point of gold; the other, cull and blunt is tipped with lead. This one he lodged in Nympha Peneis' [Daphne's] heart; the first he shot to pierce Apollo to the marrow. At once he loves; she flies the name of love, delighting in the forest's depths, and trophies of the chase, a Nympha to vie with heaven's virgin huntress Phoebe [Artemis]; a careless ribbon held her straying hair. Many would woo her; she, rejecting them all, manless, aloof, ranged the untrodden woods nor cared what love, what marriage rites might mean.

Often her father [the River-God Peneios (Peneus)] said, ‘My dearest daughter, it is my due to have a son-in-law.’ Often her father said, ‘It is my due, child of my heart, to be given grandchildren.’ She hated like a crime the bond of wedlock and, bashful blushes tingeing her fair cheeks, with coaxing arms embraced him and replied : ‘My dear, dear father grant I may enjoy virginity for ever; this Diana [Artemis] was granted by her father.’ He, indeed, yielded, but Daphne--why, her, loveliness thwarts her desire, her grace denies her prayer. Phoebus saw her, loved her, wanted her--her for his bride, and, wanting, hoped--deceived by his own oracles; and, as the stubble flames in the harvest fields or as a hedge catches alight when some late wayfarer chances his torch too close or, in the dawn, discards its smouldering embers, so love's fire consumed the god, his whole heart was aflame, and high the hopes that stoked his fruitless passion.

He sees the loose disorder of her hair and thinks what if it were neat and elegant! He sees her eyes shining like stars, her lips--but looking's not enough!--her fingers, hands, her wrists, her half-bare arms--how exquisite! And sure her hidden charms are best! But she flies swifter than the lightfoot wind nor stops to hear him calling : ‘Stay, sweet Nympha Peneis (Peneid Nymph)! Oh, stay! I am no foe to fear. Lambs flee from wolves and hinds from lions, and the fluttering doves from eagles; every creature flees its foes. But love spurs my pursuit. Oh, you will fall and briars graze your legs--for shame!--and I, alas, the cause of your distress! The ground you race across is rough. You run too fast! Check your swift flight, and I'll not chase so fast. Yet ask who loves you. No rough forester am I, no unkempt shepherd guarding his flocks an herds. You do not know--you fly, you madcap girl, because you do not know.

I am the lord of Delphi; Tenedos and Patara and Claros are my realms. I am the son of Juppiter [Zeus]. By me things future, past and present are revealed; I shape the harmony of songs and strings. Sure are my arrows, but one surer still has struck me to the heart, my carefree heart. The art of medicine I gave the world and all men call me "Healer"; I possess the power of every herb. Alas! That love no herb can cure, that skills which help afford to all mankind fail now to help their lord!’ More he had tried to say, but she in fear fled on and left him and his words unfinished. Enchanting still she looked--her slender limbs bare in the breeze, her fluttering dress blown back, her hair behind her streaming as she ran; and flight enhanced her grace. But the young god, could bear no more to waste his blandishments. And (love was driving him) pressed his pursuit.

And as a beagle sees across the stubble a hare and runs to kill and she for life--he almost has her; now, yes now, he's sure she's his; his straining muzzle scrapes her heels; and she half thinks she's caught and, as he bites, snatches away; his teeth touch--but she's gone. So ran the god and girl, he sped by hope and she by fear. But he, borne on the wings of love, ran faster, gave her no respite, hot on her flying heels and breathing close upon her shoulders and her tumbling hair. Her strength was gone; the travail of her flight vanquished her, and her face was deathly pale. And then she was at the river, swift Peneus, and called : ‘Help, father, help!

If mystic power dwells in your waters, change me and destroy my baleful beauty that has pleased too well.’ Scarce had she made her prayer when through her limbs a dragging languor spread, her tender bosom was wrapped in thin smooth bark, her slender arms were changed to branches and her hair to leaves; her feet but now so swift were anchored fast in numb stiff roots, her face and had became the crown of a green tree; all that remained of Daphne was her shining loveliness. And still Phoebus loved her; on the trunk he placed his hand and felt beneath the bark her heart still beating, held in his embrace her branches, pressed his kisses on the wood; yet from his kisses the wood recoiled. ‘My bride,’ he said, ‘since you can never be, at least, sweet laurel, you shall be my tree. My lure, my locks, my quiver you shall wreathe.’ . . . Thus spoke the god; the laurel in assent inclined her new-made branches and bent down, or seemed to bend, her head, her leafy crown." Ovid, Heroides 15. 23 ff (trans.

Showerman) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Take up the lyre and quiver--you will be Apollo manifest . . . Phoebus [Apollon] loved Daphne." Statius, Thebaid 4. 289 ff (trans. Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) : "Ladon, almost, O Pythian [Apollon], the father of thy bride [Daphne]." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 15. 310 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "Ah, how many a song sang Phoibos (Phoebus) [Apollon]! While Daphne heard him, but felt no pleasure at heart." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 16. 356 ff : "[The nymph Nikaia (Nicaea), who was raped by Dionysos in her sleep, accuses the Nymphs of failing to warn her :] ‘Alas for maidenhead, stolen by that vagabond Bakkhos (Bacchus)!

Hamadryas Nymphai (Hamadryad Nymphs), whom shall I blame for Hypnos (Sleep), Eros (Love), trickery and wine, are the robbers of my maiden state! . . . Why did not Daphne (the Laurel) speak out--"Maiden, beware, drink not the deceiving water!"?’" Nonnus, Dionysiaca 33. 210 ff : "She told how the knees of that unwedded Nymphe [Daphne] fled swift on the breeze, how she ran once from Phoibos (Phoebus) [Apollon] quick as the north wind, how she planted her maiden foot by the flood of a longwinding river, by the quick stream of Orontes, when the Earth (Gaia) opened beside the wide mouth of a marsh and received the hunted girl into her compassionate bosom . . . the god never caught Daphne when she was pursued, Apollon never ravished her . . . and [he] always blamed Gaia (Earth) for swallowing the girl before she knew marriage." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 42.

255 ff : "Sing first Daphne, sing the erratic course of Ekho (Echo), and the answering note of the goddess who never fails to speak, for these two despised the desire of gods." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 42. 386 ff : "How the daughter of Ladon [Daphne], that celebrated river, hated the works of marriage and the Nymphe became a tree with inspired whispers, she escaped the bed of Phoibos (Phoebus) [Apollon] but she crowned his hair with prophetic clusters." ANCIENT GREEK & ROMAN ART Daphne (Greek mythology) - Memidex dictionary/thesaurus New World Dictionary: Daphne a feminine name | [Greek mythology] a nymph who is changed by her father into a laurel tree so that she may escape Apollo's advances | any of a genus ... (28 of 51 words, 3 definitions, pronunciation, 1 image ) Collins Dictionary: daphne | Daphne any shrub of the Eurasian thymelaeaceous genus "Daphne", such as the ...

| [Greek mythology] a nymph who was saved from the amorous attentions of ... (24 of 396 words, 2 definitions, 5 usage examples, pronunciations) Columbia Encyclopedia: Daphne in Greek mythology, a nymph. She was loved by Apollo and by Leucippus, a mortal who disguised himself as a nymph to be near her. When Leucippus ... (27 of 58 words, pronunciation) Random House Dictionary: Daphne [classical mythology] a nymph who, when pursued by Apollo, was saved by being changed into a laurel tree. | "daphne": [botany] any Eurasian shrub ... (23 of 51 words, 3 definitions, pronunciation) Daphne Daphne by Melissa Lee The story of Daphne is an example of an etiological myth , one that is strongly explanatory of why certain things in their culture were a certain way. There are many examples of Greek myths that explain why certain religious rituals were performed, why some peoples may be named what they are, or even why varying objects, plants and animals were symbols of their gods.

The gods were known for punishing mortals for offending them, but occasionally they punished each other. The gods were a vengeful folk, and they did not take kindly to being insulted, by mortal or god. Apollo made the mistake of insulting one of his fellow immortal. Apollo was a great archer, but sometimes he was a little full of himself. One day he caught sight of Eros , the son of Aphrodite . Eros was also an archer, and his arrows were responsible for instilling the twists and turns of love and lust in a person's heart. Apollo teased young Eros, putting down his abilities as an archer, claiming that one so small could make no difference with his arrows. Angry at this insult, Eros shot two arrows, one tipped in gold, one blunted and tipped with lead. The arrow dipped in gold had the power to create insatiable lust in a person, while the other created absolute abhorrence towards all things romantic and passionate. The unfortunate soul who was struck with that arrow would have no desire to love anyone. The arrow dipped in gold struck Apollo, but the arrow dipped in lead struck fair Daphne. Daphne was the daughter of the river god Peneus .

Apollo chased down the maiden, desperate for her love, but she wanted nothing to do with him, and she ran from him endlessly. Soon, she grew weary in her running and that Apollo would ultimately catch her. Fearful, she called out to her father for help. As all gods of water posses the ability of transformation, Peneus transformed his daughter into a laurel tree. Suddenly her legs took root, and her arms grew into long and slender branches. Apollo reached the laurel tree, and, still enamored with Daphne, held the tree in a special place in his heart. He claimed the tree the as his special tree, and adorned himself with some of it's leaves. And that is why the laurel was, and still is, a symbol of the god Apollo. Article details: 1000+ images about Daphne on Pinterest | Greek mythology, Nymphs and Goddesses Forward DAPHNE was a Naiad nymph of the river Peneios in Thessalia. There are several versions of the myth, but the general narrative is that because of her beauty, Daphne attracted the attention and ardor of the god Apollo.

Apollo pursued her and just before being overtaken, Daphne pleaded to her father, the rivergod Ladon for help. So he then transformed Daphne into a laurel tree. In other versions of the myth, Daphne called out to and was helped by Gaia instead See More What does daphne mean? a nymph of Diana, fabled to have been changed into a laurel tree Origin: [L., a laurel tree, from Gr. da`fnh.] Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Daphne Daphne is a minor figure in Greek mythology known as a Naiad—a type of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth, but the general narrative is that because of her beauty, Daphne attracted the attention and ardor of the god Apollo. Apollo pursued her and just before being overtaken, Daphne pleaded to her mother Gaia to be rescued. Gaia then swallowed her in the earth, and subsequently created the laurel tree tree to console Apollo's grief. The laurel is sacred symbol connected to Apollo throughout Greek myth.

Pausanias identified Daphne as the daughter of the rivergod Ladon and Ge. In Metamorphoses by Roman poet Ovid, she is identified as the daughter of the rivergod Pineios in Thessaly. At the Pythian Games which were held every four years in Delphi in honour of Apollo, a wreath of laurel gathered from the Vale of Tempe in Thessaly was given as a prize. According to Pausanias the reason for this "simply and solely because the prevailing tradition has it that Apollon fell in love with the daughter of Ladon" Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Daphne daf′nē, n. a genus of shrubs or small trees. [Gr.] The Nuttall Encyclopedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Daphne a nymph chased by Apollo, transformed into a laurel as he attempts to seize her; henceforth sacred to the god. U.S. National Library of Medicine(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Daphne A plant genus of the family THYMELAEACEAE.

They are evergreen shrubs much cultivated in garden borders and rock gardens in mild climates. Members contain mezerein, flavonoids, and COUMARINS such as daphnetin and daphnin. Numerology The numerical value of daphne in Chaldean Numerology is: 1 Pythagorean Numerology Apollo, god of light and the sun, rider of the golden chariot - Greek Gods, Mythology of Ancient Greece Apollo Apollo (Apollon) Apollo was known as a god of light and sun. He was also known as a god of music and poetry and as a leader of the choir of muses. Apollo was also credited to be prophetic, as the patron of the city of Delphi . The ancient Greeks have built him a temple on Mount Parnassus in Delphi after he slew the dragon which occupied the sacred shrine. He was even known as a master of healing and protector of the young. According to some sources, Apollo was also responsible for bringing plague and diseases to the lands. As the god of the sun, he represented the light time of a day in contrast to her sister Artemis who represented the night time.

Apollo was also very loyal and friendly to his family as well as very creative and had a preference for music. But, on the other hand, he could also be selfish, arrogant and cruel, as it can be acknowledged in a myth of music contest with Marsyas and in a myth of Niobe and her children. Appearance in the works of art Usually, he was depicted as a young beardless handsome man with long healthy hair, holding a lyre in one hand and a branch of laurel in the other. Sometimes, he is depicted holding a bow and a quiver of arrows. Avenging his mother Apollo was a son of Zeus and titan goddess Leto and had a twin sister Artemis who is said to had helped at his birth. It happened on the island of Delos which was believed to be his mother`s sister Asteria who had turned herself into an island to escape Zeus. It was the only place safe for Leto to give birth to Apollo and his sister Artemis, because she was relentlessly chased by Hera and her minions. In the next myth, Leto, after the birth of the twins, travelled to the Oracle of Delphi for guidance.

During the trip, she was assaulted by a giant called Tityus who wanted to abduct her for his own pleasure. However, Apollo came to rescue and slain the monster on site with his archery expertise and a golden sword, with which he finished him off. Allegedly, several days after his birth, Apollo traveled to Delphi to avenge his mother for being pursued by Python, another minion of Hera. Succesful at killing Python, he also freed people of Delphi from being constantly harassed by this draconian monster that was sent by Gaea to occupy and protect the magical shrine. During creature`s first expeditions, it pillaged houses and farms of the people living there and killed some of them in the process. But in a second attempt, the beast was intercepted by Apollo and slain on site with a single powerful shot from his bow. The god was also involved in the darkest of his myths. It all started when Niobe, the queen of Thebes , insulted the mother of the twins at the ceremony in honor of Leto, by bragging in front of everyone how blessed she was by having fourteen children and the goddess Leto only had two.

Leto did not take this lightly and sent her children to slaughter all of Niobe`s children. In matter of seconds Apollo killed seven sons with his arrows, while Artemis killed seven daughters, also with a bow and arrows. However, according to several sources at least one of her children was spared which Niobe took with her when she escaped to Mount Sypilus, where she turned to stone and formed a rock of continuous tears. Mount Sipylus, nowadays, indeed has a natural rock formation which resembles a female face and it has been associated with Niobe since ancient times. Birth of Asclepius Coronis was one of the lovers of Apollo and got pregnant with Asclepius. While he was away, she fell in love with a mortal and had an affair with him. However, this affair had not gone unnoticed. Apollo left behind a crow to watch over Coronis while he was away and the crow promptly informed him about this affair. Apollo was so outraged at crow, for not pecking her lover`s eyes out upon approach to Coronis, that he casted a spell on it so fierce that it scorched its feathers and made the crow black instantly.

He then sent Artemis to kill her but the goddess captured her instead and waited for her brother to come back and do it himself. Later, Coronis was put on a pyre at the funeral where Apollo finally felt sorrow and gave a hint to Hermes to save the child. Hermes then cut Asclepius from her mother`s body while she was already aflame. And the child proved himself worthy of saving by becoming a grandmaster of healing. Asclepius eventually perfected his skills to the point where he defied Zeus. He was able to restore life from death and this was a crime against natural law and order, and thereafter Asclepius was destroyed by Zeus` thunderbolt and put among stars. Music contest Apollo was once challenged by a satyr called Marsyas who was the first to compose tunes for a flute. He got the instrument from Athena who invented it, but later abandoned it because she thought that the instrument was not precious enough for the gods. Anyway, Marsyas dared Apollo to a contest in hubristic pride over the new-found music. The rules were set that the winner could treat the loser in any way he wanted.

In the first round, the satyr`s music was equal to the god`s tunes of lyre. Apollo was surprised and bit threatened by the performance of Marsyas and therefore demanded that the second round is played with the instrument turned upside down. The god was playing his song normally with his lyre, while Marsyas got stuck by his "one-sided" flute. After losing, Apollo had Marsyas tied to a tree and flayed him alive for his insolence. The rustic deities then, in their pity, transformed this poor creature into a mountain stream. Trojan war During the Trojan war, Apollo sided with Trojans mostly because Agamemnon had captured an ocean nymph called Chryseis who happened to be a daughter of one of the Apollo`s priests. Therefore, the god shot an arrow infected with plague into the Greek encampment, spreading the disease among Greeks. Agamemnon then had no choice but to return Chryseis to the god, to prevent further wrath from the god. Apollo also helped Paris, a prince of Troy, in killing Achilles by presenting him the secret of his vulnerability. It is said the reason behind such decision was because Achilles killed one of his sons in the god`s own temple.

Other myths In a love myth, it is said that Apollo had chased a beautiful rustic nymph Daphne. She was his first love and the god wouldn`t accept no for an answer. But Daphne was not interested in him and tried to flee. It was all in vain because he eventually caught her and forcefully embraced her with his arms. In despair, she prayed to her mother Gaea, asking her to make her disappear. Her request was granted and Daphne vanished into thin air. Well almost as on the spot, that she was seen for the last time, a sacred laurel tree grew. He was also involved in a myth where himself and west-wind god Zephyrus competed for the love of a young man, called Hyacinth. Wanting to impress Hyacinth, Apollo threw the discus with all of his force and accidentally killed the young man who wanted to catch it. Apollo also wrestled Heracles over the Delphic tripod, when Heracles stole it after not being satisfied with the answer of Pythia. All the gods joined to watch the battle, supporting their favourite. They had great entertainment until Zeus came and sentenced Heracles into one-year slavery.

greek-gods.org (c) Copyright 2013 - 2016, all rights reserved Apollo - Greek Mythology Link About • Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag. Apollo advanced Apollo. 1614: Roman statue by Apollonius. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen. "The lyre and the curved bow shall ever be dear to me, and I will declare to men the unfailing will of Zeus ." (Apollo. Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo 131). Apollo is the god of prophecy, of musical and artistic inspiration, of archers and of healing. Leto persecuted When the Titaness Leto had been seduced by Zeus , she was hunted over the whole earth by the jealousy of the god's wife Hera . And having wandered through many countries Leto came to the rocky island of Delos, which is one of the so called Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea, where she gave birth to her twins, first to Artemis and soon after to Apollo.

This island came about, they say, when Leto 's sister Asteria 1 cast herself into the sea in order to escape the amorous advances of Zeus , who transformed her into a quail. From her a floating island sprang which was first called Ortygia and later Delos, although some have said that Ortygia and Delos are two different islands, and that Artemis was born in the former and Apollo in the latter. Birth This happened, some say, with great difficulty, for after nine days of travail the goddess of childbirth Ilithyia had not yet arrived, since she was kept in heaven by the envy of Hera . But the goddesses who kept Leto company bribed the heavenly messenger Iris 1 with a necklace strung with golden threads, and she brought Ilithyia to Delos. On her arrival, Leto cast her arms around a palm tree or an olive tree and, kneeling on the meadow, gave birth first to Artemis and then, with the help of Artemis ' midwifery, to Apollo.

The Lycian peasants Leto 's troubles did not stop after giving birth, for it is said that she, having arrived with her newborns to a certain place in Lycia in Asia Minor where there was a lake, was forbidden by the inhospitable locals to quench her thirst. No matter how much she begged them to let her drink, they would still forbid her to touch the water, and as Leto insisted the Lycian peasants threatened her and soil the pool with their feet and hands, stirring up the mud from the bottom. Seeing them so tight-fisted and mean, and at the same time so in love with the pool, Leto turned them into frogs so that they could live in its depth for ever enjoying the water and the mud. Python Others say that the twins, so soon they were born, punished all the men of that time who, when Leto was pregnant and in the course of her wanderings, refused to receive her when she came to their land. And it is said that only four days after his birth Apollo went to Mount Parnassus and killed Python, the dragon that gave oracular responses and that had followed the pregnant Leto in order to kill her.

Prophecy It was then that Apollo took over Themis ' oracle in Delphi . He then appointed Cretan sailors as the sanctuary first priests. For having seen a Cretan ship sailing from Cnossos in Crete to Pylos in the Peloponnesus, he turned himself into a dolphin and brought the ship into the Crisaean Gulf (the Phocian section of the northern coast of the Gulf of Corinth ). So from Crisa, the Cretan sailors came to Parnassus, conducted by Apollo. Having become priests of Apollo, they called the city Delphi , for the god, having appeared to them in the shape of a dolphin, told them: "I sprang upon the ship in the form of a dolphin, pray to me as Apollo Delphinius; also the altar itself shall be called Delphinius ..." (Apollo to the Cretan sailors. Homeric Hymn to Pythian Apollo 493). Concerning the oracle, says a Pythian priestess of Delphi that the first to have prophetic powers was Gaia , who appointed Daphnis 4, a Mountain Nymph (Oread), as prophetess.

After her came Themis , and then the Titaness Phoebe 1, who gave her seat at Delphi to Phoebus Apollo, called after her. Others say that Gaia and Poseidon had the oracle in common and that it was Themis who gave the oracle to Apollo as a gift, and that Poseidon was compensated receiving Calaureia, that lies off Troezen , in exchange for the oracle. It is told that Phemonoe was the first prophetess of Apollo at Delphi . A Delphian woman, Boeo, affirms that the Hyperboreans Pagasus 1, Olen and Agyieus established the oracle of Apollo at Delphi , and that Olen was Apollo's first prophet. The seat of the oracle has been described as a cave hollowed out deep down in the earth with a narrow mouth, from which arose a breath which inspired a divine frenzy. Over the mouth a high tripod was placed, and when the Pythian priestess mounted it she received the breath and uttered oracles in both prose and verse.

The oracle at Delphi was believed to be the most truthful, also because it was placed in the geographical center of Hellas or, as some claimed, in the centre of the inhabited world. For this reason it has been regarded as "the navel of the earth". Many riches were deposited in treasure-houses at Delphi , and these were offerings dedicated, for example, from spoils of war (see also Delphi ). 6819: Reconstruction of an ancient sevenstringed lyre. It has a turtle shell sound box (cheloneio). Made by artist G. Polyzos. Archaeological Museum, Leucas. The Bow Archers regard Apollo as their lord, for this is the god who strikes from afar. And when Philoctetes , for example, came to Italy after the Trojan War , he founded a sanctuary of Apollo to whom he dedicated his bow. This bow had been Heracles 1 's, but the one used by Odysseus to massacre the SUITORS OF PENELOPE had been first given to King Eurytus 4 of Oechalia by Apollo.

But Eurytus 4 (who was son of the archer Melaneus 5, himself son of Apollo) challenged Apollo to a contest with the bow and was killed by the wrath of the god. Others say that Eurytus 4 was slain by Heracles 1 for quite another reason. In any case, when Eurytus 4 died he left the bow to his son Iphitus 1 who, before being thrown down by Heracles 1 from the walls of Tiryns , gave Odysseus the bow. With its help Odysseus ended the SUITORS ' pestering of Penelope , bathing his halls in their blood. The Bow, Healing and Music But when the god himself shoots his arrows with his silver bow another is usually the result, as when he and his sister, punishing the boasts and insults of Amphion 1 's wife Niobe 2, caused the Royal House of Thebes to be left desolate by plague after shooting the NIOBIDS from afar.

Likewise, in the tenth year of the Trojan War , Apollo came down from heaven darker than night (although he is usually called the bright one) and, in order to punish the arrogance of Agamemnon , who had humiliated and dismissed one of his priests, the god let his arrows rain on the Achaean camp, decimating the army by means of a pestilence that took many lives. Such is the power of Apollo on the subject of health, which otherwise could be thought to be preserved by following the counsels of the same god which were engraved upon a column at Delphi : "Know yourself" and "Nothing in excess". For these counsels are believed to preserve balance and harmony, which maintain health. Similarly, by bringing the same kind of consonance and agreement among the sounds, the harmony of music is created, just like the balance between the fast and the slow appropriately combined produces its rhythm. All these agreements, in both medicine and music, although the works of Love , are ruled by Apollo, who has been called Musegetes (Leader of the MUSES ) on account of his musical and inspiring gifts.

Apollo, who is a primary source of healing, transmitted his powers to his son Asclepius , who in turn carried the art among men to such a great pitch that he not only prevented some from dying, but even raised up the dead. This, they say, was not approved by Zeus , who fearing that mortals might acquire the healing art from him and so come to the rescue of each other, smote Asclepius with a thunderbolt. Grieved at the death of his beloved son, and not being able to raise his hand against his own father, Apollo, in revenge, slew the CYCLOPES , who had fashioned the thunderbolt with which Zeus smote Asclepius . Because of this, Zeus , who would have hurled Apollo to Tartarus if Leto had not intervened, ordered Apollo, as a penalty for having destroyed the CYCLOPES , to serve as a thrall to a mortal man for one year. This man came to be King Admetus 1 of Pherae, whom Apollo served as herdman.

And since Apollo found he had been kindly treated when given in servitude to Admetus 1, he provided him with the wild beasts, with which Admetus 1 won Alcestis in marriage. But in offering a sacrifice at his marriage, Admetus 1 forgot to sacrifice to Artemis , and consequently found his marriage chamber full of coiled serpents. Apollo bade King Admetus 1 appease the goddess and meanwhile, because Admetus 1 was such a kind master towards him, he obtained a special favor of the MOERAE , which was that when Admetus 1 should be about to die, he might be released from death if someone else should choose voluntarily to die for him (see Alcestis ). The Lyre Daphne 1 escapes Apollo by turning into a laurel tree. 3824: Jean-Etienne Liotard 1702-1789: Apollo and Daphne. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. In the process of recovering the cattle that the newborn Hermes had stolen from him, Apollo discovered the lyre that Hermes had invented and was willing to give Hermes the cattle in exchange for the musical instrument.

So they did, and Hermes went pasturing the cattle and he now made a shepherd's pipe for himself. This pipe was so amazing that Apollo desired it too, so he offered to give Hermes the golden wand which he used while he herded cattle, but in the bargain Hermes received from Apollo, besides the wand, the art of divining by pebbles. The golden wandthe Caduceusis a splendid staff of riches and wealth, which keeps Hermes scatheless. Although Hermes invented the three-stringed lyre, it was Apollo, some say, who added four strings to it. Yet when Apollo quickly repented for what he had done to Marsyas , he, being distressed at his horrible deed, broke the four strings of the lyre that he had discovered. These, however, were later rediscovered by the MUSES , when they added a middle string, by one Linus, who added the string struck with the forefinger, and by Orpheus and Thamyris 1, who discovered the remaining two strings that Apollo had broken.

Otherwise it is told that it was Apollo who taught Orpheus to play the lyre, and they add that after Orpheus ' death the instrument was put by the MUSES among the stars (see also CONSTELLATIONS ). Concerning the musical contest between Apollo and Marsyas some have said that the latter was departing as victor when Apollo turned his lyre upside down, and played the same tune, a prowess that Marsyas could not do with the flute. But others tell that Marsyas was defeated when Apollo added his voice to the sound of the lyre. Marsyas , they say, protested arguing that the skill with the instrument was to be compared, not the voice. However, Apollo replied that when Marsyas blew into the pipes he was doing almost the same thing as himself. The argument presented by Apollo was judged by the Nysaeans or by the MUSES to be the most just. Accordingly, after comparing their skills again, Marsyas was defeated, and subsequently flayed alive by the god. Some have said that it was on this occasion that King Midas got the ears of an ass for having judged against Apollo: "You will have ears to match the mind you have in judging" ( Apollo to Midas .

Hyginus, Fabulae 191). The Laurel Since Daphne 1 , pursued by Apollo, changed into a Laurel tree, the god is associated with the Laurel. For it is said that while Apollo pursued her, she implored to Zeus to disappear from sight, and as her prayers were heard, she was turned into a laurel tree. That was all that remained of her, but Apollo broke a branch from the tree and placed it on his head declaring: "Since you cannot be my bride, you shall at least be my tree. My hair, my lyre, my quiver shall always be entwined with you, O laurel." (Apollo. Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.557). Amours impossibles Daphne 1 was not the only girl to refuse Apollo: Marpessa 1 chose Idas 2 (the man who killed Castor 1, one of the DIOSCURI ) before Apollo as husband of fear that Apollo might desert her in her Old Age . Coronis 2 preferred Ischys to Apollo, who learned about it when a crow told him that she had wedded Ischys.

Then the god cursed the crow, which became black instead of white, and killed the still pregnant Coronis 2, snatching Asclepius (her child by Apollo) from the funeral pyre as she was burning in it. Also Cassandra refused Apollo although she had promised to consent if he would teach her the art of prophecy. So when she, though having received the gift, still refused, Apollo deprived her prophecy of the power to persuade, thus making his gift vain. And so when later Cassandra warned the Trojans about the nature of the WOODEN HORSE , nobody listened and Troy was destroyed. Love for young men Apollo loved Hymenaeus 2 and this distraction gave Hermes a chance to steal his brother's cattle. He also loved Hyacinthus 1 , but him the god involuntarily killed with the cast of a quoit, and in the place where his blood had stained the grass there sprang a flower. The Cypress Apollo Of Cyparissus it is told that he could not find consolation after the death of a stag who was dear to him. Having asked Apollo for permission to grieve for ever, the god turned him into a cypress, deciding that his place would always be where others grieve.

This is still so since cypresses are a common sight in many cemeteries. Some interventions related to Troy It was Apollo and Poseidon who fortified Troy , wishing to put King Laomedon 1 to the test. Assuming the likeness of mortal men, they undertook to fortify the city for wages. Yet when they had accomplished their work, the king would not pay their wages, and that is why Apollo sent a pestilence, and Poseidon a sea-monster which snatched away the people of the plain. Later, during the Trojan War , Apollo destroyed by pestilence a large part of the Achaean army to punish Agamemnon , who, while refusing to give Chryseis 3 back to her father Chryses 3, humiliated him who was a priest of Apollo. And in the tenth year of the war Apollo, in conjunction with the archer Paris , killed Achilles . The god is also remembered for his warning to Diomedes 2 , who wounded Aphrodite when she protected Aeneas . The goddess then handed over Aeneas to Apollo, and as Diomedes 2 persisted in his attack, Apollo shouted at him: "... Give way!

Do not aspire to be the equal of the gods. The immortals are not made of the same stuff as men that walk on the ground!" (Apollo to Diomedes 2 . Homer, Iliad 5.440). Apollo is also held responsible for the death of Laocoon 2 (who threw his spear against the WOODEN HORSE ) and his sons, having sent snakes to kill them. Trying to help his sons, Laocoon 2 was also killed. But others say that these serpents were sent by Athena . Family Amphiaraus "a)", "b)", etc. = different versions. Hypermnestra 2 is daughter of Thestius 1. For Amphiaraus see also SEVEN AGAINST THEBES and Robe & Necklace of Harmonia 1 . Dryope 1 For Dryope 1 see NYMPHS . Acalle Amphithemis 1 Acalle was loved by Apollo in the house of Carmanor. Fearing the wrath of her father King Minos 2 of Crete , who drove her from home to dwell in Libya, she exposed her son Miletus.

Rhoeo Anius Apollo lay with Rhoeo but her father, believing that her seduction was due to a man, was angry and he shut up her in a chest and cast her into the sea. However she gave birth at Delos, where the chest was washed up. Anius was King of Delos and priest of Apollo. --- Apis 2 Apis 2 took over power in the Peloponnesus, which he called after himself Apia, but being a stern tyrant he was conspired against and probably slain by his son Thelxion. Stilbe Centaurus Stilbe is a daughter of the River God Peneus. For Centaurus, who is also said to be the offspring of Ixion and Nephele 1, see CENTAURS . Thero 2 Chaeron Thero 2 is daughter of Phylas 2, son of Antiochus 1, son of Heracles 1 . Chaeron is the eponym of Chaeronea in Boeotia. Chryseis 3 Chryses 4 Chryseis 3 is the daughter of the priest of Apollo Chryses 3.

She is the one Agamemnon refused to give back when her father demanded her. Because of that refusal Apollo punished the Achaean army which besieged Troy with pestilence. Chryses 4 is also said to be son of Agamemnon . This Chryses 4, on account of his family ties, intervened to save Orestes 2 , son of Agamemnon , by killing King Thoas 3 of Tauris, who threatened his life. Chrysorthe Hyrie Cycnus Cycnus 7 was loved by Phylius who brought him many gifts but. Cycnus 7 commanded him often to perform several tasks. But as Phylius refused one of them he cast himself from a cliff and was turned into a swan. Hyrie melted away in tears or else threw herself into a lake and was also turned into a swan. a) Celaeno 3 c) Melaena Delphus After Delphus the city of Delphi was named. Celaeno 3 is daughter of Hyamus, son of Lycorus, son of Apollo.

Thyia 1 was Priestess of Dionysus 2 and the first to celebrate orgies in his honour; she was daughter of the Phocian Castalius. Melaena is daughter of the River God Cephisus. Phthia 2 Dorus 2 Dorus 2 is father of Xanthippe 1, wife of Pleuron, after whom the city in Aetolia was named. Pleuron is son of Aetolus 2 & Pronoe 2 and brother of Calydon. Aetolus 2, who was king of Elis , killed Dorus 2. Aethusa Eleuther 1 Aethusa is daughter of Poseidon & Alcyone 1. Eleuther 1 was a singer who won a Pythian victory for his loud and sweet voice. --- Urania 2 Linus 1 Urania 2 is one of the MUSES . Linus 1 (Oetolinus) won great reputation as a musician and master of eloquent speech. Some say Apollo killed him, for being his rival in singing.

It is also said that Linus 1 was son of Amphimarus (son of Poseidon ) & Urania 2. Psamathe 2 Linus 3 Psamathe 2 is daughter of Crotopus, a king in Argolis . Linus 3 was exposed by his mother and destroyed by the sheep-dogs of Crotopus. Because of his death Apollo sent Poine (Vengeance) to punish the Argives. Calliope Linus 4 Calliope is one of the MUSES . Linus 4 taught Heracles 1 to play the lyre, but Heracles 1 killed him with a blow of the lyre. Parthenope 2 Lycomedes 3 Parthenope 2 is a Lelegian, daughter of Ancaeus 2, son of Poseidon and King of Samos. The Lelegians lived about the river Satnioeis in Asia Minor. Otherwise they were scattered over parts of Greece and Asia Minor. Corycia c) Philonis Philammon Both Apollo and Hermes fell in love with Chione 2 at the same time. Hermes touched her face with his sleep-compelling wand and then made love to her at once.

But Apollo waited until night had come and, assuming an old woman's form, made love to her. Artemis killed Chione 2 for having criticized the goddess' beauty. Leuconoe 3 is daughter of Eosphorus, who is Lucifer, that is the morning and evening star (Venus). Philonis is sister of Chione 2, daughter of Daedalion, a cruel man. Philammon was famous for his song and zither. He was killed by an armed force of Phlegyans that marched against the sanctuary at Delphi . Acalle The child Philander was suckled by a goat. --- A priestess of Athena , wife of Polydeuces, one of the DIOSCURI . Acalle Phylacides was as a baby suckled by a goat. Phthia 2 Apollo Apollo by Ron Leadbetter The son of Zeus and Leto , and the twin brother of Artemis . Apollo was the god of music (principally the lyre, and he directed the choir of the Muses ) and also of prophecy, colonization, medicine, archery (but not for war or hunting), poetry, dance, intellectual inquiry and the carer of herds and flocks.

He was also a god of light, known as "Phoebus" (radiant or beaming, and he was sometimes identified with Helios the sun god). He was also the god of plague and was worshiped as Smintheus (from sminthos, rat) and as Parnopius (from parnops, grasshopper) and was known as the destroyer of rats and locust, and according to Homer's Iliad, Apollo shot arrows of plague into the Greek camp. Apollo being the god of religious healing would give those guilty of murder and other immoral deeds a ritual purification. Sacred to Apollo are the swan (one legend says that Apollo flew on the back of a swan to the land of the Hyperboreans, he would spend the winter months among them), the wolf and the dolphin. His attributes are the bow and arrows, on his head a laurel crown, and the cithara (or lyre) and plectrum. But his most famous attribute is the tripod, the symbol of his prophetic powers.

When the goddesss Hera , the wife of Zeus (it was he who had coupled with Leto) found out about Leto's pregnancy, she was outraged with jealousy. Seeking revenge Hera forced Leto to roam the earth in search of a place to give birth. Sicne Hera had forbidden Leto to stay anywhere on earth, either on terra-ferma or an island at sea, the only place to seek shelter was Delos, being in the center of the Aegean, and also difficult to reach, as there were strong under-currents, because it was said to be a floating island. Because it was a floating island, it was not considered either of Hera's prohibitions, and so Leto was able to give birth to the divine twins Apollo and Artemis (before Leto gave birth to Apollo, the island was encircled by a flock of swans, this is why the swan was sacred to him). As a gesture of thanks Delos was secured to the sea-bed by four columns to give it stability, and from then on it became one of the most important sanctuaries to Apollo.

(A variation of Apollo's birth was that the jealous Hera had incarcerated Ilithyia , the goddess of childbirth, but the other gods intervened forcing Hera to release Ilithyia, which allowed Leto to give birth ). Apollo's first achievement was to rid Pytho ( Delphi ) of the serpent (or dragon) Python . This monstrous beast protected the sanctuary of Pytho from its lair beside the Castalian Spring. There it stood guard while the "Sibyl" gave out her prophecies as she inhaled the trance inducing vapors from an open chasm. Apollo killed Python with his bow and arrows (Homer wrote "he killed the fearsome dragon Python, piercing it with his darts"). Apollo not only took charge of the oracle but rid the neighboring countryside of widespread destruction, as Python had destroyed crops, sacked villages and polluted streams and springs. However, to make amends for killing Python, as the fearsome beast was the son of Gaia , Apollo had to serve king Admetus for nine years (in some versions eight) as a cowherd.

This he did, and when he returned to Pytho he came in the guise of a dolphin bringing with him priests from Crete (Apollo's cult title "Delphinios" meaning dolphin or porpoise, is probably how Delphi was so named). After killing Python and taking possession of the oracle, the god of light (Phobus) became known as "Pythian Apollo". He dedicated a bronze tripod to the sanctuary and bestowed divine powers on one of the priestesses, and she became known as the "Pythia". It was she who inhaled the hallucinating vapors from the fissure in the temple floor, while she sat on a tripod chewing laurel leaves. After she mumbled her answer, a male priest would translate it for the supplicant. Delphi became the most important oracle center of Apollo, there were several including Clarus and Branchidae. Apollo, as with Zeus his father, had many love affairs with goddesses and mortals. Apollo's infatuation for the nymph Daphne , which had been invoked by the young god of love Eros , because Apollo had mocked him, saying his archery skills were pathetic, and Apollo's singing had also irritated him.

Daphne was the beautiful daughter of the river god Ladon, and she was constantly pursued by Apollo. To escape from Apollo's insistent behavior, she fled to the mountains, but the persistent Apollo followed her. Annoyed by this, she asked the river god Peneus for help, which he did. As soon as Apollo approached Daphne, he tried to embrace her, but when he stretched out his arms she transformed into a laurel tree. Apollo, distraught by what had happened, made the laurel his sacred tree. Apollo also loved Cyrene , she was another nymph, and she bore Apollo a son: Aristaeus , a demi-god, who became a protector of cattle and fruit trees, and a deity of hunting, husbandry and bee-keeping. He taught men dairy skills and the use of nets and traps in hunting. The most famous mortal loves of Apollo was Hecuba , she was the wife of Priam , the king of Troy. She bore him Troilius. Foretold by an oracle, as long as Troilius reached the age of twenty, Troy could not be defeated.

But the hero Achilles ambushed and killed him, when the young prince and his sister Polyxena secretly visited a spring. Apollo also fell in love with Cassandra , the sister of Troilius, and daughter of Hecuba and Priam. He seduced Cassandra on the promise that he would teach her the art of prophecy, but having learnt the prophetic art she rejected him. Apollo, being angry of her rejection punished her, by declaring her prophecies never to be accepted or believed. Asclepius , the god of healing, was also Apollo's offspring, after his union with Coronis , who was daughter of Phlegyas , king of the Lapiths. While she was pregnant by Apollo, Coronis fell in love with Ischys, son of Elatus, but a crow informed Apollo of the affair. Apollo sent his twin sister Artemis to kill Coronis, and Artemis carried out he brothers wishes. While her body was burning on the funeral pyre, Apollo removed the unborn child, and took him to Chiron , who raised the child Asclepius. Apollo also, as did his father Zeus, fall in love with one of his own gender, Hyacinthus , a Spartan prince.

He was very handsome and athletic, which inflamed the passions of Apollo. One day while Apollo and Hyacinthus were practicing throwing the discus, Zephyrus , the god of the west wind, who was also attracted to the young prince, and jealous of Apollo's amorous affection towards the boy, made the discus veer off course by blowing an ill wind. The discus, which Apollo had thrown, hit Hyacinthus, smashing his skull. Apollo rushed to him, but he was dead. The god was overcome with grief, but to immortalize the love he had for the beautiful youth, he had a flower grow were his blood had stained the earth. Apollo also loved the young boy Cyparissus , a descendant of Heracles . The impassioned Apollo gave Cyparissus a sacred deer, as a love token. The young deer became tame, and was the constant companion of the boy, until a tragic accident occurred. As the young deer lay sleeping in the shade of the undergrowth, Cyparissus threw his javelin, which by chance hit, and killed the deer. Grief-stricken by what had happened, Cyparissus wanted to die.

He asked Apollo to let his tears fall for all eternity. With apprehension Apollo transformed the boy into a tree, the cypress, which became the symbol of sorrow, as the sap on its trunk forms droplets, like tears. Apollo could also be ruthless when he was angered. The mortal Niobe , boasted to Apollo's mother Leto, that she had fourteen children (in some versions six or seven), which must make her more superior than Leto, who had only bore two. Apollo greatly angered by this slew her sons, and Artemis killed Niobe's daughters. Niobe wept so much that she turned into a pillar of stone. Apollo was infuriated when the satyr Marsyas challenged Apollo to music contest. After winning the competition, Apollo had Marsyas flayed alive, for being so presumptuous, as to challenge a god. Apollo was worshiped throughout the Greek world, at Delphi every four years they held the Pythian Games in his honor. He had many epithets, including "Pythian Apollo" (his name at Delphi), "Apollo Apotropaeus" (Apollo who averts evil), and "Apollo Nymphegetes" (Apollo who looks after the Nymphs).

As the god of shepherds he also had the cult titles "Lukeios" (from lykos; wolf), protecting the flocks from wolfs, and "Nomius" (of pastures, belonging to shepherds). Being the god of colonists, Apollo influenced his priests at Delphi to give divine guidance, as to where the expedition should proceed. This was during the height of the colonizing era circa 750-550 BCE. Apollo's title was "Archigetes" (leader of colonists). According to one legend, it was Apollo who helped either Cretan or Arcadian colonists found the city of Troy. In art Apollo is at most times depicted as a handsome young man, clean shaven and carrying either a lyre, or his bow and arrows. There are many sculptures of Apollo and one of the most famous is the central figure from the west pediment of the Temple of Zeus, at Olympia, showing Apollo declaring victory in favor of the Lapiths in their struggle against the Centaurs . A song sung in honor of Apollo is called a paean. Article details:

Question: In Greek myth into what was Daphne turned whilst being pursued by Apollo?
Answer: LAUREL TREE