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) | Article about Daphne (Greek mythology) by The Free Dictionary Daphne (Greek mythology) | Article about Daphne (Greek mythology) by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Medical , Wikipedia . Daphne (dăf`nē), 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 betrayed his sex while bathing, the nymphs tore him to pieces.

Apollo then pursued Daphne, who prayed to Gaea for aid and was changed into a laurel tree. daphne, common name for, and genus name of, certain low deciduous or evergreen shrubs native to Eurasia. In the United States several naturalized species are cultivated for their handsome foliage and fragrant flowers, e.g., D. mezereum and D. laureola, commonly called spurge-laurel and olive-spurge respectively but unrelated to the true spurge or laurel. The dried bark of D. mezereum was used medicinally, but the plant is poisonous. D. genkwa has been used in China as an effective abortifacient. Daphnes are classified in the division Magnoliophyta Magnoliophyta , division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and roots, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem). ..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Myrtales, family Thymelaeaceae. Daphne a genus of plants of the family Thymeleaceae.

There are about 80 species, growing mainly in the temperate belt of Europe and Asia. In the USSR there are more than 15 species. All of them are small shrubs with few branches. The flowers are white, rose, or yellow, with four petals grown together at the base in the shape of a tube that are similar in appearance to lilac flowers. The species most widely occurring in the USSR is the spurge olive, or dwarf bay. The rose daphne grows in Poles’e, and the closely related Julian daphne grows on the cretaceous slopes of the Central Russian uplands. Daphne in Greek mythology, a nymph. Pursued by Apollo, who was enamored of her. Daphne begged her father—the river god Peneus—for help, and he turned her into a laurel tree (Greek, dáphnè—laurel). The myth of Daphne has served as a subject in poetry (Metamorphoses of Ovid), painting, and sculpture (N. Poussin and G. L. Bernini, among others).

Daphne Daphne | Greek mythology | Britannica.com Greek mythology Dionysus Daphne, in Greek mythology , the personification of the laurel (Greek daphnē), a tree whose leaves, formed into garlands, were particularly associated with Apollo . Traditionally, the special position of the laurel was connected with Apollo’s love for Daphne, the beautiful daughter of a river god (probably Ladon) who lived a pastoral existence in either Thessaly, the Peloponnese, or Syria. She rejected every lover, including Apollo. When the god pursued her, Daphne prayed to the Earth or to her father to rescue her, whereupon she was transformed into a laurel. Apollo appropriated the laurel for poets and, in Rome, for triumphs. Daphne was also loved by Leucippus, who was killed because of Apollo’s jealousy. Learn More in these related articles: Apollo (Greek mythology) in Greek religion, a deity of manifold function and meaning, after Zeus perhaps the most widely revered and influential of all the Greek gods.

Though his original nature is obscure, from the time of Homer onward he was the god of divine distance, who sent or threatened from afar; the god who made... in myth: Approaches to the study of myth and mythology ...in the natural world but instead appeared to describe the “irrational” activities of gods, heroes, nymphs, and others. For instance, one Greek myth related the pursuit of the nymph Daphne by the god Phoebus Apollo. Since—in Müller’s interpretation of the evidence of comparative linguistics—“Daphne” originally meant “dawn,” and... in religious symbolism and iconography: Phytomorphic motifs ...deity comes forth from the plant, as the Egyptian goddess Hathor from the sycamore or the bodhisattva from the lotus, or the god unites with or is transformed into the plant, as the Greek heroine Daphne changed into the laurel tree, which thus became sacred to Apollo. The genealogy of Christ from “the root of Jesse,” the father of the Israelite king David, is represented as a tree...

3 References found in Britannica Articles Assorted References Daphne - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) In Greek mythology, Daphne was a nymph who was turned into a laurel tree while attempting to escape the advances of the god Apollo. Daphne was the beautiful daughter of a river god. She refused all lovers. According to some legends, it was the love god Eros (Cupid) who caused Apollo to fall in love with Daphne but mischievously caused her to be filled with loathing for Apollo. Apollo pursued Daphne and she fled. Just as he was about to grasp her, she called to her father (or to the Earth, Gaea) for help. Daphne was transformed into a laurel tree as Apollo looked on. Thereafter, he proclaimed, the tree would be sacred to him. Wreaths and garlands associated with the god were woven of laurel. (See also mythology, "Greek Mythology.") Article History Corrections? Updates? Help us improve this article! Contact our editors with your feedback. MEDIA FOR: You have successfully emailed this. Error when sending the email. Try again later.

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Close Date Published: July 20, 1998 URL: Access Date: January 18, 2017 Share 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 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) NYMPHS Page 4 - Greek Mythology Nymph, Nymphs Apollo and Daphne, Greco-Roman mosaic from Antioch C2nd-3rd A.D., Hatay Archeology Museum THE NYMPHAI (Nymphs) were nature spirits responsible for the care of plants and animals in the wild. Many metamorphosis myths describing the origin of plants feature nymphs. The most famous of these were Daphne, Apollon's beloved laurel, and the Heliades, the amber-weeping poplar trees of the sun. Curiously, in plant metamorphosis myths, maidens were usually transformed into trees while youths became flowers. For a summary of plants in myth see Flora - the Plants of Ancient Greek Myth . CLASSICAL LITERATURE QUOTES LOCALE: Vale of Tempe, Thessaly (Northern Greece) or Arcadia (Southern Greece) Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 7. 8 (trans.

Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "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 2nd A.D.) : "[In Antiokhos (Antioch) in Asia Minor is] the temple of Apollon Daphnaios (Daphnaeus), 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 riving 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 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' (Parnassus') 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 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! 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." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 33. 210 ff (trans.

Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "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 Gaia (the Earth) 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 (the Earth) for swallowing the girl before she knew marriage." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 42.

386 ff : "How the daughter [Daphne] of Ladon, 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." For MORE information on this Nymph see DAPHNE PHILYRA THE LINDEN TREE LOCALE: Mount Pelion, Magnesia (Northern Greece) Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 138 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "When Saturn [Kronos (Cronus)] was hunting Jove [Zeus] throughout the earth, assuming the form of a steed he lay with Philyra, daughter of Oceanus. By him she bore Chiron the Centaur, who is said to have been the first to invent the art of healing.

After Philyra saw that she had borne a strange species, she asked Jove [Zeus] to change her into another form, and she was transformed into the tree which is called the linden." For MORE information on this Nymph see PHILYRE PITYS THE CORSICAN PINE LOCALE: perhaps Mount Lycaeus (Lykaios), Arcadia (Southern Greece) Nonnus, Dionysiaca 42. 257 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "Sing also of Pitys who hated marriage, who fled fast as the wind over the mountains to escape the unlawful wooing of Pan, and her fate--how she disappeared into the soil herself; put the blame of Ge (the Earth)!" For MORE information on this Nymph see PITYS SYRINX THE RIVER REED LOCALE: Mount Nonacris (Nonakris), Arcadia (Southern Greece) Ovid, Metamorphoses 1. 689 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C.

to C1st A.D.) : "Once there lived on the cold mountainsides of Arcadia a Naias (Naiad), who among the Hamadryades Nonacrinae (Hamadryads of Nonacris) was the most renowned. Syrinx the Nymphae (Nymphs) called her. Many a time she foiled the chasing Satyri and those gods who haunt the shady copses and the coverts of the lush countryside. In her pursuits--and in her chastity--Syrinx revered Ortygia [Artemis]; girt like her she well might seem, so easy to mistake, Diana's [Artemis'] self, were not her bow of horn, Latonia's [Artemis'] gold. Indeed she was mistaken.

Pan returning from Mount Lycaeus, crowned with his wreath of pine, saw Syrinx once and said--but what he said remained to tell, and how the scornful Nympha fled through the wilderness and came at last to Ladon's peaceful sandy stream, and there, her flight barred by the river, begged her Watery Sisters (sorores liquidae) to change her; and, when Pan thought he had captured her, he held instead only the tall marsh reeds, and, while he sighed, the soft wind stirring in the reeds sent forth a thin and plaintive sound; and he, entranced by this new music and its witching tones, cried ‘You and I shall stay in unison!’ And waxed together reeds of different lengths and made the pipes that keep his darling's name." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 16. 332 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "Pan cried out : ‘. . . I alone, Kythereia (Cytherea) [Aphrodite], must suffer. Alas for love!

Syrinx [transformed into a reed] escaped from Pan's marriage and left him without a bride, and now she [i.e. the pipes made from her plant] cries Euoi to the newly-made marriage of Dionysos with melodies unasked; while Syrinx gives voice, and to crown all, Ekho (Echo) chimes in with her familiar note.’" Nonnus, Dionysiaca 42. 363 ff : "You know how Syrinx disregarded fiery Kythera (Cythera) [Aphrodite], and what price she paid for her too-great pride and love for virginity; how she turned into a plant with reedy growth substituted for her own, when she had fled from Pan's love, and how she still sings Pan's desire!" For MORE information on this Nymph see SYRINX LOTIS THE LOTUS TREE LOCALE: Mount Othrys, Malis (Northern Greece) Ovid, Metamorphoses 9. 334 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C.

to C1st A.D.) : "There is a lake [in Oikhalia (Oechalia)] whose shelving sides had shaped a sloping shore, and myrtles crowned the ridge . . . Near the lakeside was a lotus flowered, its crimson blooms like Tyrian dye, fair hope of fruit to come. Dryope picked a posy of these flowers to please her boy . . . [and she] saw drops of blood drip from the blossoms of the boughs shiver in horror. For this shrub, you see (too late the peasants told us), was the Nymphe Lotis who fled Priapus's lechery and found changed features there but kept her name. Nothing of this my sister knew. She'd said prayers to the Nymphae (Nymphs) and now in terror tried to turn away and leave, but found her feet rooted [and was herself transformed into a tree]." For MORE information on this Nymph see LOTIS CLYTIE THE HELIOTROPE LOCALE: Unspecified Ovid, Metamorphoses 4. 256 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C.

to C1st A.D.) : "Clytie loved Sol (the Sun) [Helios] beyond all measure . . . [but] the Lord of Light no longer visited; his dalliance was done. She pined and languished, as love and longing stole her wits away. Shunning the Nymphae (Nymphs), beneath the open sky, on the bare ground bare-headed day and night, she sat dishevelled, and for nine long days, with never taste of food or drink, she fed her hunger on her tears and on the dew. There on the ground she stayed; she only gazed upon her god's bright face as he rode by, and turned her head to watch him cross the sky. Her limbs, they say, stuck fast there in the soil; a greenish pallor spread, as part of her changed to a bloodless plant, another part was ruby red, and where her face had been a flower like a violet [i.e. a heliotrope] was seen.

Though rooted fast, towards the sun she turns; her shape is changed, but still her passion burns." For MORE information on this Nymph see KLYTIE HELIADES THE POPLAR TREES LOCALE: River Eridanus, Hyperborea (Mythical North) or River Po (Northern Italy) Philoxenus of Cythera, Fragment 834 (from Pliny, Natural History) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric V) (C5th to 4th B.C.) : "When Phaethon was struck by the thunderbolt, his sisters were changed into poplar trees in their grief and every year shed tears of amber by the banks of the river Eridanos (Eridanus), which we call the Padus (Po); the amber is known as electrum, since the Sun is called Elector (elektor, the shiner). Many poets have told this." Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 598 ff (trans. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) : "The Argo sped on under sail, up the Eridanos (Eridanus) as far as ships can go.

They reached the outfall of that deep lake where Phaethon, struck in the breast and half-consumed by a blazing thunderbolt . . . All around, the Heliades (Daughters of the Sun), encased in tall poplars, utter their sad and unavailing plaint. Shining drops of amber fall from their eyes onto the sands and are dried by the sun. But when the wailing wind stirs the dark waters of the lake to rise above the beach, all the tersr that have collected there are swept by the overflow into the river." Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 619 ff : "At night they [the Argonauts] had to listen to the loud lament of the shrill-voiced Heliades (Daughters of Helios), whose tears were borne along on the stream like drops of oil [i.e. amber]." Strabo, Geography 5. 1. 9 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C.

to C1st A.D.) : "I must disregard most of the mythical or false stories [about the River Eridanos, now the Po, in Italy], as, for example, the stories of Phaethon, and of the Heliades that were changed into poplar-trees near the Eridanos--the Eridanos that exists nowhere on earth, although it is spoken of as near the Pados--, and of the Elektrides (Amber) Islands that lie off the Pados." Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 4. 1 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "Through their [the Gaul's] country flows the river Eridanos, on the bank of which the daughters of Helios are supposed to lament the fate that befell their brother Phaethon." Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 5. 23. 2 (trans. Oldfather) (Greek historian C1st B.C.) : "[Phaethon lost control of the chariot of the sun and set the earth ablaze :] Zeus smote Phaethon with a thunderbolt and brought back the sun to its accustomed course.

And Phaethon fell to the earth at the mouths of the river which is now known as the Pados [river Po], but in ancient times was called the Eridanos, and his sisters [the Heliades] vied with each other in bewailing his death and by reason of their exceeding grief underwent a metamorphosis of their nature, becoming poplar trees. And these poplars, at the same season each year, drip tears (or sap), and these, when they harden, for what men call amber, which in brilliance excels all else of the same nature and is commonly used in connection with the mourning attending the death of young." Philostratus the Elder, Imagines 1. 11 (trans. Fairbanks) (Greek rhetorician C3rd A.D.) : "[Description of an ancient Greek painting :] Golden are the tears of the Heliades. The story is that they are shed for Phaethon; for in his passion for driving this son of Helios (the Sun) ventured to mount his father's chariot, but because he did not keep a firm rein he came to grief and fell into the Eridanos . . .

The women on the bank, not yet completely transformed into trees, men say that the Heliades on account of their brother's mishap changed their nature and became trees, and that they shed tears. The painting recognizes the story, for it puts roots at the extremities of their toes, while some, over here, are trees to the waist, and branches have supplanted the arms of others. Behold the hair, it is nothing but poplar leaves! Behold the tears, they are golden! While the welling tide of tears in their eyes gleams in the bright pupils and seems to attract rays of light, and the tears on the cheeks glisten amid the cheek's ruddy glow, yet the drops tricking down their breasts have already turned into gold." Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 153 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Phaethon, son of Sol (the Sun) [Helios] and Clymene, who had secretly mounted his father's car, and had been borne too high above the earth, from fear fell into the river Eridanus. When Jupiter [Zeus] struck him with a thunderbolt, everything started to burn .

. . The sisters of Phaethon, because they had yoked the horses without the orders of their father, were changed into poplar trees." Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 154 : "The sisters of Phaethon, too, in grieving for their brother, were changed into poplar trees. Their tears, as Hesiod tells, ‘hardened into amber' in spite of the change they are called Heliades." Ovid, Metamorphoses 2. 319 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Phaethon, flames ravaging his auburn hair, falls headlong down [from the chariot of the sun] . . . Eridanus receives him, far from home, in his wide waters half a world away. And bathes his burning face. The Naides Hesperiae (Hesperian Naiads) bury his smouldering body in a tomb . . .

His sisters' too, the three Heliades, wept sad tears, their futile tribute to the dead, and long lay prostrate on their brother's tomb, bruising their breasts and calling day and night Phaethon who never more would hear their moans. Four times the waxing crescent of the moon had filled her orb, in their wonted way, wailing was now their wont, they made lament, when Phaethusa, eldest of the three, meaning to kneel upon the ground, complained her feet were rigid, When Lampetie, her lovely sister, tried to come to her, she found herself held fast by sudden roots; the third, reaching to tear her hair, instead plucked leaves. One, in dismay, felt wood encase her shins and one her arms become long boughs. And while they stood bewildered, bark embraced their loins and covered, inch by inch, their waists, breasts, shoulders, hands, till only lips were left, calling their mother. She, what can she do but dart distractedly now here, now there, and kiss them while she may. It's not enough.

She tries to tear the bark away and breaks the tender boughs, but from them bloody drops ooze like a dripping wound. ‘Stop, mother, stop!’ each injured girl protests; ‘I beg you, stop, the tree you tear is me. And now, farewell!’ The bark lapped her last words. So their tears still flow on, and oozing from the new-made boughs, drip and are hardened in the sun to form amber and then the clear stream catches them and carries them for Roman brides to wear." Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 5. 428 ff (trans. Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) : "His poplar sisters [the Heliades] were weeping for young Phaethon, while the charred lump fell into the terrified waters of Eridanus." Statius, Thebaid 12. 412 ff (trans.

Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) : "His sisters [the Heliades] lave the smoking Phaethon, Hyperion's son, in the heated Padus [river Po]: scarce was he interred, when a weeping grove rose by the river-side." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 2. 150 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) : "Let me be one of the Heliades beside the stream of mourning Eridanos: often will I drop amber from my eyelids; I will spread my leaves to entwine with the dirge-loving clusters of my neighbouring poplar, bewailing my maidenhood with abundant tears--for Phaethon." Nonnus, Dionysiaca 38.

99 ff : "The Olympian tale which the Celts of the west know well: how Phaethon tumbled over and over through the air, and why even the Heliades (Daughters of Helios) were changed into trees beside the moaning Eridanos, and from their leafy trees drop sparkling tears into the stream." For MORE information on these Nymphs see the HELIADES SPERCHEIDES THE POPLAR TREES LOCALE: River Spercheus (Sperkheios), Malis (Northern Greece) Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 22 (trans. Celoria) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "Poseidon, for lust of one of them [the nymphs of Mount Othrys and the River Sperkheios], Diopatre (Diopatra), had made her sisters put down roots and turned them into poplars until, satiated with his desires, he had returned them to their original shapes." For MORE information on these Nymphs see the SPERKHEIDES SIDE THE POMEGRANATE LOCALE: (Greek Aegean) Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.

25 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) : "His [the giant Orion's] first wife was Side, who for vying with Hera in shapeliness was thrown by her into Haides' realm." N.B. Sidê is the ancient Greek word for pomegranate. Apollodorus' brief account implies she was metamorphosed into a pomegranate plant. "Thrown into Haides' realm" probably alludes to the pomegranate orchard of Haides whose seeds the goddess Persephone tasted. LEUCE THE WHITE POPLAR LOCALE: River Acheron (Akheron), Thesprotia (Northern Greece) According to Servius--Scholia on Virgil's Eclogues 4.250--Leuke was a nymph carried abducted by Haides who was transformed into a white poplar tree after her death. Pausanias, Description of Greece 5. 14. 2 (trans.

Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) : "Herakles found the white poplar (leukê) growing on the banks of the Akheron (Acheron), the river in Thesprotia, and for this reason Homer calls it Akherois." For MORE information on this Nymph see LEUKE MINTHE THE SPEAR MINT LOCALE: Mount Mintha, Elis (Southern Greece) Strabo, Geography 8. 3. 14 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) : "Near Pylos, towards the east, is a mountain named after Minthe, who, according to myth, became the concubine of Haides, was trampled under foot by Kore (Core) [Persephone], and was transformed into garden-mint, the plant which some call Hedyosmos. Furthermore, near the mountain is a precinct sacred to Haides." Oppian, Halieutica 3. 485 ff (trans.

Mair) (Greek poet C3rd A.D.) : "Mint (Mintha), men say, was once a maid beneath the earth, a Nymphe of Kokytos (Cocytus), and she lay in the bed of Aidoneus [Haides]; but when he raped the maid Persephone from the Aitnaian hill [Mount Etna in Sicily], then she complained loudly with overweening words and raved foolishly for jealousy, and Demeter in anger trampled upon her with her feet and destroyed her. For she had said that she was nobler of form and more excellent in beauty than dark-eyed Persephone and she boasted that Aidoneus would return to her and banish the other from his halls : such infatuation leapt upon her tongue. And from the earth spray the weak herb that bears her name." Ovid, Metamorphoses 10. 728 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C.

to C1st A.D.) : "Persephone of old was given grace to change a woman's [Mintha's] form to fragrant mint." For MORE information on this Nymph see MINTHE PSALACANTHA THE PLANY PLANT LOCALE: Icaria (Ikaria) (Greek Aegean) Ptolemy Hephaestion, New History Book 5 (summary from Photius, Myriobiblon 190) (trans. Pearse) (Greek mythographer C1st to C2nd A.D.) : "As for the psalakanthos, it's an Egyptian plant which gains health and victory when used to decorate horses.

It is said, on the other hand, that Psalakantha (Psalacantha) was a Nymphe of the isle of Ikaros (Icarus) who, captured by Dionysos, helped him to obtain Ariane (Ariadne) on the condition that he should also belong to her, and Dionysos refused; Psalakantha took herself to Ariane and the irritated god turned her into a plany; then, feeling remorse, he wanted to honour this plant by placing it in the crown of Ariadne, who took her place among the celestial constellations. As for the plant, some say it resembles the armoise, others the melilot." PLANTS GALLERY France, 17th and 18th centuries Author(s): Montalbetti Valérie The sculpture group of Daphne (by Guillaume I Coustou) and Apollo (by Nicolas Coustou) illustrates a passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses, in which the nymph Daphne is chased by the sun god and transformed into a laurel tree in order to escape him.

Each statue was placed in the center of one of the ornamental ponds in the park at Marly, around 1713-14. The group was installed in a grove in the Tuileries Gardens from 1798 to 1940. A desperate chase The group of Apollo by Nicolas Coustou and Daphne by Guillaume I Coustou illustrates a passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses (a work written in the early 1st century, recounting the transformations of gods and mortals into animals or plants). For having mocked Cupid, Apollo was struck by a golden arrow, and fell desperately in love with Daphne; Cupid then fired an arrow of lead at the nymph, so that she would spurn his love. The scorned sun god set off in pursuit of Daphne, who fled as fast as she could. Just as he caught up with her, she was transformed into a laurel tree. The laurel (Daphne, in Greek) then became Apollo's favorite tree.

The running figures at Marly These statues were two of the four running figures commissioned by the administration of the king's buildings for the park at the Château de Marly, together with the Hippomenes by Guillaume I Coustou (in the Louvre) and the Atalanta by Pierre Lepautre (also in the Louvre). Each statue was placed on a pedestal in the center of one of the ornamental ponds (Bassins des Carpes) around 1713-14: the running figures seem to be leaping above the water. We know how they were arranged thanks to a watercolor drawing in the Archives Nationales in Paris - the sculptures were designed to be placed so that they echoed each other's movements and met each other's eyes. They were installed in a grove in the Tuileries Gardens from 1798-1940, before entering the Louvre. They are representative of the evolution of sculpture during the late reign of Louis XIV. The majesty and colossal dimensions of the statuary of Versailles gave way to sculptures that were full of grace and movement, and smaller in size (these examples are slightly smaller than life-size).

In opposition to the pomp of Versailles, Marly represented the freedom of the rural life; dignity gave way to naturalism. Impetuous dynamism The vigorous modeling and dynamic movement of these sculptures recall Bernini's virtuoso work of 1625 on the same theme (Villa Borghese, Rome). But whereas Bernini sculpted the moment of transformation, the Coustou brothers chose to portray the prodigious speed of the desperate chase. Apollo almost topples forward, intent on his goal, his body forming a diagonal with his outstretched arm and leg. His speed is also expressed by his billowing drapery and windblown hair. Daphne is about to be caught, and shows her fear: her expression is theatrical and her body looks dislocated, its limbs in all directions. She reaches out imploringly, the disarray of her tunic reflecting her plight. A tree trunk stabilizes the sculptures - a veritable technical feat in view of the fragility of marble. These statues have all the impetuousness of Roman Baroque, without its dramatic strength.

Their slender elegance and vivacity suggest the advent of rocaille, the graceful, decorative style that emerged in early 18th-century France. Bibliography The Naiad Nymph – Daphne – and Immortal Monday | Debra Kristi's Blog The Naiad Nymph – Daphne – and Immortal Monday Posted on October 15, 2012 by Debra Kristi Oh, to love without return. To be pursued without end. This is the story of our immortals, Daphne and Apollo. We explored Apollo a few weeks ago on Immortal Monday, and at that time some interest was expressed in learning more about Daphne. Image via Wikipedia Daphne, the daughter of the river god, Peneus, was a lovely Naiad Nymph – a female spirit who presided over bodies of running water: brooks, streams, wells, fountains, springs and the like. The Greek gods would have viewed her as a minor nature deity. But nymphs were often depicted as beautiful, young women who loved to dance and sing. A loving nature that set them apart from the restricted and decorous wives of the Greek people and their gods.

A nature that made the nymphs most attractive to many men. I think it’s safe to assume Daphne fit into this category. A nymph, such as Daphne, was typically bound to a particular place – a stream or pond. And it’s possible that she would have lived out her days in such a place. As a nymph, she is considered to be ageless. She would stay forever beautiful and young, and may never die. But that does not necessarily make her, or any nymph, immortal. They are not truly impervious. But if a nymph were to mate with a god, their offspring could be fully immortal. Daphne would never have children to test that theory. She was a sweet, vivacious virgin when Apollo angered Eros enough for what came next. Eros, irritated with Apollo’s boosts of being better with the bow and arrow, took two arrows – one tipped in gold and sharp at the edge, another dull and dipped in lead. With the gold he shot Apollo, creating an undying love for Daphne. With the other he shot Daphne, causing unconditional hate where Apollo was concerned.

Apollo could chase Daphne to the ends of the nine realms, Daphne would never return his love. Tired and fearful of Apollo, Daphne prayed and begged for her father’s help. He answered, turning the young Daphne into a laurel tree. Still enamored with the beautiful nymph, Apollo declared the laurel tree sacred and took leaves from its branches to adorn his attire. One can learn an important lesson or two from the myth of Daphne and Apollo. Had Apollo not insulted Eros in the first place the whole mess may have been avoided. And even though Apollo was a little out of his mind at this point, had he not relentlessly stalked Daphne, she may not have had to ditch the life she knew for that of a tree. The situation definitely could have been handled better. For fun, a little short depicting the story between Apollo and Daphne. Given the choice, would you pick the life of a nymph? Dancing barefoot in nature sounds pretty good to me! What do you think of the myth regarding Daphne and Apollo? Considering the lessons here, should it be required reading for every high school student?

Did you know that nymphs who mated with the god Poseidon, were believed to give birth to the mythical creatures, Cyclops? Also, the words nymphomania and nymphet are derived from the word nymph. …………………………………………………………………………………………… Reminders: It’s never too late to jump on the Thor tour. All you need to do is drop me a line. Thor has his own page now, by which you can track his progress, catch up on older updates, or just check out fun trivia, videos, and pictures that will be added to on a regular basis. Check it out! Find the link at the top of the page. We should be hearing from our guy real soon. Look for the next check-in this Wednesday, the 17th. Also, this blog will be relocating to a self-hosted site at some point during the month of November. I hope you’ll follow us to the new digs. My fabulous designer, Laird Sapir , and I have some pretty amazing ideas (I think) and I hope you’ll enjoy what we create there. …………………………………………………………………………………………… ~oOo~ I love hearing from you!

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Question: The nymph Daphne became a laurel tree escaping which Greek god?
Answer: Apollo