| Daphne | |
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Real Name |
Daphne |
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First Appearance |
Greek Myth |
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Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Daphne, a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater.
Sources variously claim Daphne to have been a daughter of the Thessalian river god Peneus by the nymph Creusa, or of another Arcadian river-deity Ladon (Orontes) by Gaia (Earth) and Stymphalis, or lastly, King Amyclas of Amyclae.
There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but the general narrative, found in Greco-Roman mythology, is that due to a curse made by the fierce wrath of the god Cupid, son of Venus, on the god Apollo (Phoebus), she became the unwilling object of the infatuation of Apollo, who chased her against her wishes. Just before being kissed by him, Daphne invoked her river god father, who transformed her into a laurel tree, thus foiling Apollo.
Thenceforth Apollo developed a special reverence for laurel. 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. Hence it later became customary to award prizes in the form of laurel wreaths to victorious generals, athletes, poets and musicians, worn as a chaplet on the head. The Poet Laureate is a well-known modern example of such a prize-winner, dating from the early Renaissance in Italy.
According to Pausanias 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)". Most artistic depictions of the myth focus on the moment of Daphne's transformation.
In his Dialogues of the Gods, satirical author Lucian of Samosata has Apollo call Daphne and Hyacinthus 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. Eros also mentions to Zeus about Daphne not falling for Apollo.
Public Domain Appearances[]
All published appearances of Daphne from before January 1, 1930 are public domain in the US.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Love Romances
- Description of Greece
- Life of Apollonius of Tyana
- Dionysiaca
- Fabulae
- Metamorphoses
- Heroides
- Thebaid
- Dialogues of the Gods
Public Domain Stage Appearances[]
- Dafne (1598)
- La Dafne (1608)
- Die Dafne (1627)
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Zoo Funnies v1 #8: After speaking with her father Zeus, Diana the Huntress helps her brother Apollo who after angering Cupid is hated by the nymph he has fallen in love with Daphne. Diana convinces Cupid to give her his love arrows and she reverses the curse of hate on Daphne so she can fall in love with Apollo. Later the serpent Python captures Daphne, but with Cupid's help Diana and Apollo rescue her from the giant snake.