"the slopes of Mount Cnacadion near the Spartan frontier, had her own sacred laurel trees. At Eretria the identity of an excavated 7th- and 6th-century BCE temple to ""Apollo Daphnephoros"", ""Apollo, laurel-bearer"", or ""carrying off Daphne"", a ""place where the citizens are to take the oath"", is identified in inscriptions. Daphne Daphne (; , meaning ""laurel"") a minor figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. She is said by ancient sources variously to have been a daughter of the river god Peneus and"
"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. ""Why should she wish to escape? Because she is Artemis Daphnaia, the god's sister,"" observed the Freudian anthropologist Géza Róheim, and Joseph Fontenrose concurs; boldly stating such a one-to-one identity doubtless oversimplifies the picture: ""the equation of Artemis and Daphne in the transformation myth itself clearly cannot work"". The laurel became sacred to Apollo, and crowned the victors"
"curse made by 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 his wish. Just before being overtaken by him, Daphne pleaded to her rivergod father for help, 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"
"which Apollo fashioned wreaths out of to console himself. Other versions of the myth, including that of the Roman poet Ovid, state that Daphne was transformed directly into a laurel tree. Bay laurel was used to fashion the laurel wreath of ancient Greece, a symbol of highest status. A wreath of bay laurels was given as the prize at the Pythian Games because the games were in honor of Apollo, and the laurel was one of his symbols. According to the poet Lucian, the priestess of Apollo known as the Pythia reputedly chewed laurel leaves from a sacred tree growing"
"Acantha Acantha (Ancient Greek: Ἀκάνθα, English translation: ""thorny"") is often claimed to be a minor character in Greek mythology whose metamorphosis was the origin of the ""Acanthus"" plant. The tale goes that Acantha was a nymph loved by the god Apollo. Acantha however rebuffed Apollo's advances and scratched his face. As a result, Apollo transformed her into the Acanthus, a plant with spiny leaves. The story has, over the years, been retold in books, encyclopedias, and journals. Compilers have, however, often omitted reference to classical sources. For instance the first edition of John Lemprière's ""Bibliotheca Classica"", an early encyclopaedia of"
"Pitys (mythology) In Greek mythology— or more particularly in Ancient Greek poetry— Pitys (Πίτυς; English translation: ""pine"") was an Oread nymph who was pursued by Pan. According to a passage in Nonnus' ""Dionysiaca"" (ii.108) she was changed into a pine tree by the gods in order to escape him. Pitys is mentioned in Longus' ""Daphnis and Chloe"" (ii.7 and 39) and by Lucian of Samosata (""Dialogues of the Dead"", 22.4). Pitys was chased by Pan as was Syrinx, who was turned into reeds to escape the god who then used her reeds for his panpipes. The flute-notes may have frightened"
"earth to enclose me, or change my form, which has brought me into this danger! Let me be free of this man from this moment forward!"" Peneus answered her plea and “a heavy numbness [seized] her limbs; her soft breasts [were] surrounded by a thin bark, her hair [changed] into the foliage, her forearms [changed] into branches; her foot, just now swift, now [clinged] because of sluggish roots.” She was turned into a laurel tree. Apollo vowed to honor her forever: “Always my hair will have you, my lyres will have you, my quivers will have you, laurel tree. You"
"Roman poet Ovid does a retelling of this Greek legend, which appears in his work Metamorphoses. The pursuit of a local nymph by an Olympian god, part of the archaic adjustment of religious cult in Greece, was given an arch anecdotal turn in the ""Metamorphoses"" by the Roman poet Ovid (died AD 17). According to this version Apollo's infatuation was caused by a golden-tipped arrow shot at him by Cupid, son of Venus, 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?"", and"
"The myth explains the origin of the laurel and connection of Apollo with the laurel and it's leaves, which his priestess employed at Delphi. The leaves became the symbol of victory and laurel wreaths were given to the victors of the Pythian games. Apollo is said to have been the lover of all nine Muses, and not being able to choose one of them, decided to remain unwed. He fathered the Corybantes by the Muse Thalia, Orpheus by Calliope, Linus of Thrace by Calliope or Urania and Hymenaios(Hymen) by either Terpsichore or Clio or Calliope. Cyrene, was a Thessalian princess"
"built a temple to his father Apollo in the city of Oeta, which he founded. Here the nymphs came to converse with Dryope, who had become a priestess of the temple. Fond of her, they took her with them and placed a poplar tree in her place. They then turned her into a nymph. In Ovid's version of the story, Dryope was wandering by a lake, suckling her baby Amphissus, when she saw the bright red flowers of the lotus tree, formerly the nymph Lotis who, when fleeing from Priapus, had been changed into a tree. Dryope wanted to give"
"took their laurel branches withered in 68 AD, which contemporary augurs associated with Nero's death. Daphnomancy Daphnomancy is a form of pyromancy whereby the future is predicted by burning bay laurel leaves. A loud crackling from the fire is a positive omen, whereas silence is a negative one. ""Daphno"" is thought to be a tribute to Daphne, an ancient Greek nymph turned into the first laurel tree by Apollo. Originally, the leaves were selected from the Sacred Grove of Apollo, but as time moved on the practice of daphnomancy spread to pre-Christian era Rome and Greece and was thought to"
"""Metamorphoses"". When Apollo taunts Cupid as the lesser archer, Cupid shoots him with the golden arrow, but strikes the object of his desire, the nymph Daphne, with the lead. Trapped by Apollo's unwanted advances, Daphne prays to her father, the river god Peneus, who turns her into a laurel, the tree sacred to Apollo. It is the first of several unsuccessful or tragic love affairs for Apollo. A variation is found in ""The Kingis Quair"", a 15th-century poem attributed to James I of Scotland, in which Cupid has three arrows: gold, for a gentle ""smiting"" that is easily cured; the"
"pursues Myrrha. She flees across Arabia and, after nine months, turns to the gods for help. They take pity on her and transform her into a myrrh tree. While in plant form, Myrrha gives birth to Adonis. According to legend, the aromatic exudings of the myrrh tree are Myrrha's tears. The most familiar form of the myth was recounted in the ""Metamorphoses"" of Ovid, and the story was the subject of the most famous work (now lost) of the poet Helvius Cinna. Several alternate versions appeared in the ""Bibliotheca"", the ""Fabulae"" of Hyginus, and the ""Metamorphoses"" of Antoninus Liberalis, with"
"Cyparissus In Greek mythology, Cyparissus or Kyparissos (Ancient Greek: Κυπάρισσος, ""cypress"") was a boy beloved by Apollo, or in some versions by other deities. In the best-known version of the story, the favorite companion of Cyparissus was a tamed stag, which he accidentally killed with his hunting javelin as it lay sleeping in the woods. The boy's grief was such that it transformed him into a cypress tree, a classical symbol of mourning. The myth is thus aetiological in explaining the relation of the tree to its cultural significance. Cyparissus was the son of Telephus, and his story is set"
"immediately commenced her transformation into a laurel tree (""Laurus nobilis""): Even this did not quench Apollo's ardour, and as he embraced the tree, he felt her heart still beating. He then declared: Upon hearing his words, Daphne bends her branches, approving his decision. A version of the attempt on Daphne's sworn virginity that has been less familiar since the Renaissance was narrated by the Hellenistic poet Parthenius, in his ""Erotica Pathemata"", ""The Sorrows of Love"". Parthenius' tale, based on the Hellenistic historian Phylarchus, was known to Pausanias, who recounted it in his ""Description of Greece"" (2nd century AD). In this,"
"Elder listed a variety of conditions which Laurel oil was supposed to treat: paralysis, spasms, sciatica, bruises, headaches, catarrhs, ear infections, and rheumatism. Laurel oil is a main ingredient, and the distinguishing characteristic of Aleppo soap. In ancient Greece, the plant was called ""daphne"", after the mythic mountain nymph of the same name. In the myth of Apollo and Daphne, the god Apollo fell in love with Daphne, a priestess of Gaia (Mother Earth), and when he tried to seduce her she pled for help to Gaia, who transported her to Crete. In Daphne's place Gaia left a laurel tree,"
"Daphnomancy Daphnomancy is a form of pyromancy whereby the future is predicted by burning bay laurel leaves. A loud crackling from the fire is a positive omen, whereas silence is a negative one. ""Daphno"" is thought to be a tribute to Daphne, an ancient Greek nymph turned into the first laurel tree by Apollo. Originally, the leaves were selected from the Sacred Grove of Apollo, but as time moved on the practice of daphnomancy spread to pre-Christian era Rome and Greece and was thought to be commonly practiced by augurs of both empires. The original grove from which the Romans"
"""Metamorpheses"", Syrinx was a Naiad, a water nymph, who ran away from Pan after he tried to woo her. While she fled, she came upon an uncrossable river and prayed to her sisters to transform her so that she may escape Pan. Her Nymph sisters transformed Syrinx into a bundle of reeds which Pan found and fashioned an instrument out of, the pan pipe or syrinx. Aulos: According to Pindar's ""Twelth Pythian Ode"", after Perseus beheaded Medusa, Athena 'found' or 'invented' the aulos in order to reproduce the lamentation of Medusa's sisters. Since the same Greek word is used for"
"Syrinx In classical Greek mythology, Syrinx (Greek Σύριγξ) was a nymph and a follower of Artemis, known for her chastity. Pursued by the amorous god Pan, she ran to a river's edge and asked for assistance from the river nymphs. In answer, she was transformed into hollow water reeds that made a haunting sound when the god's frustrated breath blew across them. Pan cut the reeds to fashion the first set of pan pipes, which were thenceforth known as ""syrinx"". The word ""syringe"" was derived from this word. The story of the syrinx is told in Achilles Tatius' ""Leukippe and"
"that Apollo walked to Delphi from the north and stopped at Tempe, a city in Thessaly, to pick laurel (also known as bay tree) which he considered to be a sacred plant. In commemoration of this legend, the winners at the Pythian Games received a wreath of laurel picked in the temple. Delphi became the site of a major temple to Phoebus Apollo, as well as the Pythian Games and the prehistoric oracle. Even in Roman times, hundreds of votive statues remained, described by Pliny the Younger and seen by Pausanias. Carved into the temple were three phrases: (""gnōthi seautón"""
"that of Apollon and Hyacinthus, and may indeed be a variation thereof. In his translation of Nonnos' ""Dionysiaca"", W.H.D. Rouse describes the tale of Crocus as being from the late Classical period and little-known. Crocus (mythology) In Classical mythology, Crocus () was a mortal youth who, because he was unhappy with his love affair with the nymph Smilax, was turned by the gods into a plant bearing his name, the crocus (saffron). Smilax is believed to have been given a similar fate and transformed into bindweed. In another variation of the myth, Crocus was said to be a companion of"
"The winners received a wreath of bay laurel, sacred to Apollo, from the city of Tempe, in Thessaly. Smaller versions of the Pythian Games were celebrated in many other cities of the Levant and Greece. The Pythian Games supposedly start with the mythical serpent, Python. It had been sent to chase the pregnant goddess Leto by a jealous Hera. Leto managed to escape and gave birth to Artemis and Apollo. Despite being only a few days old, Apollo swore vengeance on Python and vowed to kill him. Meanwhile, Python had fled to Delphi and hidden himself there. Apollo followed him"
"the maenads running from his woodland in a ""panic."" The subject is illustrated in paintings of (roughly chronologically) Nicolas Poussin, Jacob Jordaens, François Boucher, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Annibale Carracci, Andrea Casali, Arnold Bocklin, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, and Maxfield Parrish. Pitys (mythology) In Greek mythology— or more particularly in Ancient Greek poetry— Pitys (Πίτυς; English translation: ""pine"") was an Oread nymph who was pursued by Pan. According to a passage in Nonnus' ""Dionysiaca"" (ii.108) she was changed into a pine tree by the gods in order to escape him. Pitys is mentioned in Longus' ""Daphnis and Chloe"" (ii.7 and 39) and by"
"Laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of victory and honor. It is a round wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (""Laurus nobilis""), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen, or later from spineless butcher's broom (""Ruscus hypoglossum"") or cherry laurel (""Prunus laurocerasus""). It is worn as a chaplet around the head, or as a garland around the neck. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head. In ancient Greece wreaths were awarded to victors, both in athletic competitions, including the ancient Olympics—for which they were made of wild olive-tree known as"
"Castalia Castalia (; Ancient Greek: Κασταλία), in Greek mythology, was a nymph whom Apollo transformed into a fountain at Delphi, at the base of Mount Parnassos, or at Mount Helicon. Castalia could inspire the genius of poetry to those who drank her waters or listened to their quiet sound; the sacred water was also used to clean the Delphian temples. Apollo consecrated Castalia to the Muses (""Castaliae Musae""). The 20th century German writer Hermann Hesse used Castalia as inspiration for the name of the futuristic fictional utopia in his 1943 magnum opus, ""The Glass Bead Game"". Castalia is home to"
"under pretext of consecrating a temple which Dion had built for him. But Lyco and Orphe, suspecting a love affair between Dionysus and their sister, guarded Carya to prevent her from having intercourse with the god. By doing so they committed a violation of the restrictions imposed by Apollo, so Dionysus, after several warnings and threats, drove the two sisters mad, in which state they ran off to Mount Taygetus, where they were transformed into rocks. Carya was changed by Dionysus into a walnut tree (Greek ""karya""). From these circumstances later arose the local cult of Artemis Caryatis. Carya of"
"jumped into the sea. To avoid her death, Apollo turned her into a nymph and let her go. Castalia was a nymph whom Apollo loved. She fled from him and dove into the spring at Delphi, at the base of Mt. Parnassos, which was then named after her. Water from this spring was sacred; it was used to clean the Delphian temples and inspire the priestesses. Cassandra, was a daughter of Hecuba and Priam. Apollo wished to court her. Cassandra promised to return his love on one condition - he should give her the power to see the future. Apollo"
"stained the flower petals with the interjection , meaning ""alas"". He was later resurrected and taken to heaven. The festival Hyacinthia was a national celebration of Sparta, which commemorated the death and rebirth of Hyacinthus. Another male lover was Cyparissus, a descendant of Heracles. Apollo gave him a tame deer as a companion but Cyparissus accidentally killed it with a javelin as it lay asleep in the undergrowth. Cyparissus was so saddened by its death that he asked Apollo to let his tears fall forever. Apollo granted the request by turning him into the Cypress named after him, which was"
"the most innovative and influential twists that he gives to the tradition of fin’ amors: this poet's love for his lady is, by design, all but indistinguishable from his literary ambition, his love of the laurel crown. The symbolic focus of that coincidence is the story of Daphne's transformation into Apollo's tree. Petrarch made the story in the ""Metamorphoses"" the dominant myth of the longest poem in the sequence, Canzoniere 23. This poem is a virtuoso sequence of a half dozen Ovidian myths, from Apollo and Daphne to Actaeon and Diana, offered up as figuration of the poet's own subjective"
"Daphnis In Greek mythology, Daphnis (; , from , ""daphne"", ""Bay Laurel"") was a Sicilian shepherd who was said to be the inventor of pastoral poetry. According to tradition, he was the son of Hermes and a nymph, despite which Daphnis himself was mortal. Daphnis is also described and shown as an eromenos. His mother was said to have exposed him under a laurel tree, where he was found by shepherds and named after the tree under which he was found. He was also sometimes said to be Hermes' favourite or beloved rather than his son. A naiad (possibly Echenais"
"serpent named Typhon: ""The narrators seem to have confused the dragon of Delphi, Python, with Typhon or Typhoeus, the adversary of Zeus"". The enemy dragoness ""... actually became an Apollonian serpent, and Pythia, the priestess who gave oracles at Delphi, was named after him. Many pictures show the serpent Python living in amity with Apollo and guarding the Omphalos, the sacred navel stone and midpoint of the earth, which stood in Apollo's temple"" (Kerenyi 1951:136). This myth has been described as an allegory for the dispersal of the fogs and clouds of vapor which arise from ponds and marshes (Python)"
"Callisto (mythology) In Greek mythology, Callisto or Kallisto (; ) was a nymph, or the daughter of King Lycaon; the myth varies in such details. She was one of the followers of Artemis, or Diana for the Romans, who attracted Zeus (Jupiter). He transformed himself into the figure of Artemis and seduced her in this disguise. She became pregnant and when this was eventually discovered, she was expelled from Artemis's group, after which a furious Hera (Juno, wife of her seducer) transformed her into a bear. Later, just as she was about to be killed by her son when he"
"Apollo used his his bow and golden arrow to shed light upon the island Anafi, where the Argonauts soon took shelter. Apollo helped the Greek hero, Diomedes, to escape from a great tempest. As a token of gratitude, Diomedes built a temple in honor of ""Apollo Epibaterius"", ""Apollo the embarker"". Periphas, a noble king, was honoured to the same extent as Zeus by mortals. Due to this Zeus wished to destroy him. But Apollo requested his father not to do so, since Periphas was a virtuous man. Zeus agreed and metamorphosed Periphas into an eagle and made the eagle his"