| Daphne | |
|---|---|
The LaurelNymph | |
 Antique fresco of Apollo and Daphne from Pompeii, 1st century | |
| Abode | Thessaly orArcadia orLaconia |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | (1)Peneus andCreusa (2)Ladon andGaia (3) Ladon and Stymphalis (4)Amyclas |
| Siblings | (1)Menippe,Stilbe andHypseus (2, 3)Metope |
Daphne (/ˈdæfni/;DAFF-nee;Ancient Greek:Δάφνη,Dáphnē,lit. 'laurel'),[1] a figure inGreek mythology, was in various retellings a mortal woman or anymph, daughter of ariver god. The godApollo fell in love with Daphne and chased her against her wishes, but before he caught her, Daphne prayed for escape, and was transformed into a laurel tree. Thenceforth Apollo developed a special reverence for laurel.
At thePythian Games, which were held every four years inDelphi in honour of Apollo, awreath of laurel gathered from theVale of Tempe inThessaly was given as a prize. Hence it later became customary to award prizes in the form of laurel wreaths to victorious generals, athletes, poets and musicians, worn as achaplet on the head. ThePoet Laureate is a well-known modern example of such a prize-winner, dating from the earlyRenaissance in Italy. According toPausanias the reason for this was "simply and solely because the prevailing tradition has it that Apollo fell in love with the daughter of Ladon (Daphne)".[2] Most artistic depictions of the myth focus on the moment of Daphne's transformation.
Sources variously claim Daphne to have been a daughter of the (1)Thessalian river godPeneus[3] by thenymphCreusa, or of (2) anotherArcadian river-deityLadon (Orontes)[4] byGe (Earth)[5][AI-generated source?] or lastly, KingAmyclas ofAmyclae.[6]
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The earliest source of the myth of Daphne and Apollo isPhylarchus, quoted byParthenius of Nicaea. Later, the Roman poetOvid does a retelling of this Greek legend, which appears in his workMetamorphoses.
The pursuit of a local nymph by anOlympian god, part of the archaic adjustment of religious cult in Greece, was given an arch anecdotal turn in theMetamorphoses[7] by the Roman poetOvid (died AD 17). According to this version Apollo's infatuation was caused by a golden-tipped arrow shot at him byCupid, son ofVenus, who wanted to punish Apollo for having insulted his archery skills by commenting "What hast thou to do with the arms of men, thou wanton boy?",[8] and to demonstrate the power of love's arrow. Eros also shot Daphne, but with a leaden-tipped arrow, the effect of which was to make her flee from Apollo.
Elated with sudden love, Apollo chased Daphne continually. He tried to make her cease her flight by saying he did not wish to hurt her. When she kept fleeing, Apollo lamented that even though he had the knowledge of medicinal herbs, he had failed to cure himself from the wound of Cupid's arrow. When Apollo finally caught up with her, Daphne prayed for help to her father, the river godPeneus ofThessaly,[9] who immediately commenced her transformation into a laurel tree (Laurus nobilis):
a heavy numbness seized her limbs, thin bark closed over her breast, her hair turned into leaves, her arms into branches, her feet so swift a moment ago stuck fast in slow-growing roots, her face was lost in the canopy. Only her shining beauty was left.[10]
Even this did not quench Apollo's ardour, and as he embraced the tree, he felt her heart still beating. He then declared:
"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."[11]
Upon hearing his words, Daphne bends her branches, unable to stop it.
A version of the attempt on Daphne's sworn virginity that has been less familiar since theRenaissance was narrated by theHellenistic poetParthenius, in hisErotica Pathemata, "The Sorrows of Love", which he attributes to Hellenistic historianPhylarchus.[12] In this, which is the earliest written account, Daphne is a mortal girl, daughter ofAmyclas,[13] fond of hunting and determined to remain a virgin; she is pursued by the boyLeucippus ("white stallion"), who disguises himself in a girl's outfit in order to join her band of huntresses. He is also successful in gaining her innocent affection. This makes Apollo angry and he puts it into the girl's mind to stop to bathe in the river Ladon; there, as all strip naked, the ruse is revealed, as in the myth ofCallisto, and the affronted huntresses plunge their spears into Leucippus. At this moment Apollo's attention becomes engaged, and he begins his own pursuit. Daphne, fleeing to escape Apollo's advances, prays to Zeus to help. Zeus turns her into laurel tree. Parthenius' modern editor remarks on the rather awkward transition, linking two narratives.[14]
Parthenius' tale was known toPausanias, who recounted it in hisDescription of Greece (2nd century AD). According to him, Leucippus was a son of the prince ofPisa, whose attempts to woo her by open courtship all failed, as Daphne avoided all males.[15] Leucippus then thought of the following trick; he grew his hair and wore women's clothes, and this way managed to get close to Daphne, to whom he introduced himself as a daughter of the prince. As he was the highest-ranking and best huntsman of Daphne's company, he became good friends with her.[16]Apollo, himself in love with Daphne too,[17] was jealous of Leucippus' success in love, however Leucippus' ruse was soon discovered when the girls took a bath in a lake; they stripped a reluctant Leucippus naked, and upon discovering his true sex, killed him with javelins and daggers.[18]
WhenApollo pursued the virgin Daphne, who inHyginus' version is a daughter of theriver godPeneus, it was the earthgoddessGaia to whom she begged for protection. Gaia then received her, changing her into a laurel tree, while Apollo created a wreath with one of its branches.[19]
Philostratus in hisLife of Apollonius of Tyana says theAssyrians, who worshippedApollo Daphnaeus ("Apollo of the Laurel") place the site of Daphne's transformation fromArcadia toAntioch (modern dayAntakya in Turkey).[20]
Nonnus also placed Daphne's dwellings near theOrontes River, and says that it wasGaia who swallowed up the girl before she knew marriage; Apollo always blamed Gaia for this.[21]
In hisDialogues of the Gods, satirical authorLucian ofSamosata has Apollo call Daphne andHyacinthus his two greatest loves, and regret losing them both; he declares himself unlucky in love, especially since Daphne found the option of becoming a tree more attractive than him.[22]Eros also mentions toZeus Daphne not falling for Apollo.[23]
A sixth century AD poet,Dioscorus of Aphrodito, composed a poem where Apollo calls Daphne and Hyacinthus his two greatest loves, and mourns their loss.[24]
The name Daphne, in Greek Δάφνη, means "laurel".[25]
While the story of Daphne is traditionally connected with the bay laurel (Laurus nobilis),Carl Linnaeus named a different genus of nearly 90 species of evergreen shrubs, some of whose leaves have a similar appearance to laurel leaves,Daphne. These plants are noted for their scented flowers and poisonous berries, and include the garland flower (Daphne cneorum); the February Daphne or mezereon (Daphne mezereum); and the spurge-laurel or wood-laurel (Daphne laureola). These species are in the familyThymelaeaceae and are native to Asia, Europe and North Africa.
Artemis Daphnaia, who had her temple among the Lacedemonians, at a place called Hypsoi[26] in antiquity, on the slopes of Mount Cnacadion near the Spartan frontier,[27] had her own sacred laurel trees.[28]
AtEretria the identity of an excavated 7th- and 6th-century BCE temple[29] toApollo Daphnephoros, "Apollo, laurel-bearer", or "carrying off Daphne", a "place where the citizens are to take the oath", is identified in inscriptions.[30]
Other women pursued by gods:
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