Before going into the myth, here is a little information about the three characters. There are three main characters in this myth, Apollo, Daphne, and Cupid. Apollo is a Greek god and is the son of Zeus. He is the god of healing, medicine, archery, music, the sun, and poetry. Daphne is a Naiad nymph in Greek mythology and was a goddess of fountains, wells, and springs. She is the daughter of the river god, Peneus, and was really known for her beauty. Lastly, Cupid is an interesting character that is a Roman god of love who is either fatherless or the sun of Mars. In the Mercury genealogy (not the most common), there are three cupids, and two of them are the sons of Mercury.[1] In the Greek tradition, Eros was also the son of Chaos at first and is either the third oldest god or is a young god that is the son of Aphrodite or simply her follower.
The myth “Phoebus honours Daphne” is one that entails a one-sided love story between two individuals, Apollo and Daphne, that does not end up working because of the spell Cupid has put on the two.
Apollo’s journey of chasing his love starts as Cupid was enraged by his interaction with Apollo. With that anger, Cupid uses his bow to shoot a leaden arrow at Daphne and a golden arrow that was directed at Apollo. This little twist with the arrows changed the fates of both of their lives as the golden arrow shot at Apollo made him fall madly in love with Daphne, while the leaden arrow shot at Daphne made her repulse Apollo from any actions, he was attempting in partaking to win her.
Cupid had made life difficult for the brave god, but it was Apollo’s boasting that had started getting things out of hand. Apollo had just slain the Python (dragon) and was very vocal with his victory and it made Cupid angry to a certain point where he had to take action and made his life difficult.
Apollo could not resist his love towards the beautiful Daphne, but she just kept on pushing him away and left towards the river where her father transforms her into a laurel tree in hopes that Apollo’s love would retract. To her surprise, the heartbroken Apollo still saw her beauty through her trunk and branches and promised her that since she could not be his wife, “she would be his chosen tree.”[2]
It is a very interesting myth and when looking at Ovid’s version compared to other sources there are more details on the way Apollo pursued Daphne with an emotional and physical response such as the affection of love and despair. Ovid’s version also states how there would be a slight chance of Apollo and Daphne’s relationship working out although she is turned into a tree and is now different from him. Comparing his beauty to her new appearance, Apollo responds to Daphne by affirming that his “young beauty of hair”[3] is no different than “her undying leaves”.[4] The persistent chase for love is a journey for Apollo and his pursuit ends as he ends up not getting the love he pursued.
The myth was also very important and significant for Ovid as him being a Roman poet and writing many myths has solidified his point that love is not granted and with disgust/fear from an individual can result in actions taken from another individual to the highest extent. We see Ovid’s point come across in this myth when Daphne turns into a tree and tries to get away from Apollo. In general, this myth demonstrated to readers that desires can lead to destruction and the revenge that Cupid wanted was because of intimidation/jealousy. Throughout Ovid’s 250 myths that he has written in the Metamorphoses, there have been many that displayed these emotions and actions from individuals facing a situation or journey ahead of them.
This myth has a painting of Apollo and Daphne that was displayed in ancient art as a Greek vase painting. The painting was dated back in the Classical Period of ca 450 B.C. and it is in a museum collection located in London. The painting portrays Apollo pursuing Daphne as he was crowned with a wreath of laurel and held a laurel-branch in his hand. This is an iconic art piece that accurately portrays both individuals and displays how Apollo was trying his best to find the love he wanted with the goddess Daphne. In conclusion, Apollo and Daphne was a love story that was never meant to happen. Due to Apollo’s overjoy of victory of his slain of the dragon, Cupid was enraged with jealousy and acted on emotions changing the lives of both Apollo and Daphne. The beautiful Daphne was loyal to the forests, the hunt, and to being a virgin. Although Daphne had avoided the chase of Apollo and called to the river god for a quick transformation and was granted, her symbol of victory and triumph was temporarily halted by Apollo as his love never vanished. Daphne did pity Apollo and made him a laurel wreath out of her leaves, but their relationship would never work out due to the cruel spell Cupid had put on the both of them. The result of this myth is seen as a story of “chase one’s tail” by the Greek god Apollo and is never accomplished as the beautiful Daphne was always determined to remain unmarried and untouched by any man for the rest of her life.
[1] Cicero on the nature of the gods, 3.59-60
[2] Ovid, Metamorphoses, 1.558-560, translated by Lombardo
[3] Ovid, Metamorphoses, 1.549-551, translated by Lombardo
[4] Ovid, Metamorphoses, 1.550-552, translated by Lombardo
Bibliography
Evelyn, White (transl.) Hesiod, Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica. Harvard University Press, 1914. Accessed online at: https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Apollon.html
Kuiper, Kathleen (transl.) Cupid. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020. Accessed online at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cupid
Longus, Daphnis (transl.) Parthenius, Love Romances. Harvard University Press, 1916. Accessed online at: https://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NympheDaphne.html.
Lotha, Gloria (transl.) Daphne. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019. Accessed online at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Daphne-Greek-mythology
MacCoull, Leslie S. B. “TWO LOVES I HAVE: DIOSCORUS, APOLLO, DAPHNE, HYACINTH.” Byzantion vol. 77 (2007): 305–314.
Mozley, J H. (transl.) Statius, Thebaid, Achilleid. Harvard University Press, 1928. Accessed online at: https://www.theoi.com/Gallery/O25.1.html
Lombardo, Stanley (transl.) Ovid: Metamorphoses. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc, 2010.
Schumm, Laura. “Who Is Cupid?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2014. Accessed online at: www.history.com/news/who-is-cupid
Taylor, Thomas (transl.) The Hymns of Orpheus. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1999. Accessed online at: https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Eros.html
Young Grace (transl.) Ovid. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020. Accessed online at:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ovid-Roman-poet
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