Daphne and Apollo
conceptThe nymph who escaped Apollo's pursuit by transforming into a laurel tree, which became sacred to the god and the symbol of poetic and athletic victory.
The Myth
Daphne was a nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus (or Ladon), who had sworn virginity and devoted herself to Artemis. Eros, angry at Apollo for mocking his archery, shot Apollo with a gold-tipped arrow of desire and Daphne with a lead-tipped arrow of repulsion. Apollo, mad with love, pursued her through the forests. As he was about to catch her, Daphne called out to her father (or to Gaia) for help. Her skin became bark, her hair became leaves, her arms became branches, and her feet rooted into the earth. She became the laurel tree. Apollo, embracing the tree, declared the laurel sacred to himself. He wore laurel wreaths, and the laurel became the prize at the Pythian Games at Delphi. Victorious Roman generals wore laurel crowns in their triumphs. The Pythia chewed laurel before prophesying, connecting the tree to Apollo's oracular power.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The word "laureate" — as in Nobel Laureate, Poet Laureate — comes directly from Daphne's laurel tree. "Baccalaureate" literally means "laurel berry." Every Nobel Prize, every university degree ceremony, and every Poet Laureate appointment unconsciously re-enacts Apollo's declaration that the laurel crown signifies the highest achievement. A nymph's desperate escape from an unwanted pursuer became the world's most prestigious symbol of success.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Pythian Games
conceptOne of the four Panhellenic Games held at Delphi every four years in honour of Apollo, unique for...
Daphne
heroA nymph who prayed to be transformed rather than submit to Apollo's pursuit. She became the laurel...
Peneus
godRiver god of the Peneus in Thessaly, father of Daphne.
Apollo
godGod of light, music, poetry, and prophecy. Apollo embodied the Greek ideal of youthful masculine...
Apollo (Light)
godApollo was the most complex Olympian — god of light, music, poetry, prophecy, healing, plague, and...
Eros (Olympian)
godThe Olympian Eros was the mischievous winged god of love — son of Aphrodite, whose golden arrows...
Eros
conceptIn the oldest myths, Eros was a primordial force — one of the first beings to emerge from Chaos,...
Apollo Loxias
godAn epithet of Apollo meaning "the Oblique One," referring to the deliberately ambiguous nature of...
Artemis
godTwin sister of Apollo and goddess of the hunt. Artemis roamed the wild forests with her band of...
Artemis Brauronia
godAn epithet of Artemis worshipped at Brauron in Attica, where young girls performed bear dances as a...
Delphi
placeThe most important oracle in ancient Greece, where the Pythia delivered Apollo's prophecies. The...
Delphi Treasury of Athens
placeThe marble treasury built by Athens at Delphi from Marathon spoils, the best-preserved building on...