daphne

     

Accoring to Greek myth, Apollo chased the nymph Daphne (Greek: Δάφνη, meaning "laurel"), daughter either of Peneus and Creusa, or of Ladon. His infatuation was caused by an arrow from Eros, who wanted to make Apollo pay for making fun of his archery skills. Eros also claimed to be irritated by Apollo's singing. Daphne prayed to the river god Peneus to help her and he transformed her into a laurel (Laurus nobilis), which became sacred to Apollo. Many artistic impressions focus on the moment that Apollo reaches Daphne, as she transforms into a laurel tree. See Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book I: 452-567, and Apollo and Daphne.

Trivia about daphne

  • Nymph seen here turning into a tree to escape Apollo, in a Bernini sculpture:
  • Giovanni Bernini sculpted "Apollo and" this nymph for Cardinal Borghese in the 1620s
  • In Greek mythology, she was transformed into a laurel tree by her father to protect her from Apollo's advances

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