Daphne
According to Greek myth Apollo chased the dryad Daphne (Greek: Δάφνη, meaning "laurel"), daughter of Peneus. His infatuation was caused by an arrow from Eros, who was jealous because Apollo had made fun of his archery skills. Eros also claimed to be irritated by Apollo's singing. Daphne prayed to the river god Peneus to help her and he changed her into a laurel tree, which became sacred to Apollo. See Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book I: 452-567.
Things named after Daphne
- Daphne is also the title of an opera by Richard Strauss based on the myth of the nymph Daphne.
- Dafne is the name of an opera by Jacopo Peri (1597), no longer extant, and is considered to be the first opera ever composed.
- Daphne is also a genus of shrubs in the plant family Thymelaeaceae, noted for their scented flowers and poisonous berries.
- 41 Daphne is the name of an asteroid.
- Many cities and villages in Greece are named Dafni
- Daphne is the name of a city in the U.S. state of Alabama.
- SS Daphne was a ship which sank disastrously in 1883.
- Daphne Blake is a character in the televison cartoon Scooby-Doo.
- Daphne Broon is a character in the Scottish cartoon strip The Broons.
- "Daphne Descends" is a song on the Smashing Pumpkins' Adore album.
- DAPHNE is an emulator of Laserdisc Arcade Games.
External links
- Apollo and Daphne - statue by Gian Lorenzo Bernini
