Daphne

Daphne ran through the forest with Apollo close behind her. She was the daughter of the river god Peneus and had chosen a life of celibacy, devoted to hunting. Her father had often lamented that she rejected every suitable young man, but he yielded when she asked to live like Artemis. Daphne was a swift runner, yet Apollo gradually gained on her.

Apollo had seen her while she was hunting. Her short dress, bare arms, and disordered hair did nothing to lessen her beauty in his eyes. He pursued her, overcome by desire. In one account, this pursuit began after Apollo mocked Eros for using a bow and arrows. Eros answered by striking Apollo with a golden arrow that inspired love, while he struck Daphne with a leaden arrow that caused aversion.

As Apollo was about to seize her, Daphne called on her father for help. A divine power changed her into a laurel tree. Her body became enclosed in bark, her feet took root, her hair became leaves, and her arms became branches. Apollo still loved her after the transformation. He claimed the laurel as his sacred tree and wore a wreath of its leaves. The laurel was later associated with prophecy, purity, poetry, music, healing, and victory. Its leaves were also used for wreaths awarded to winners of the Pythian Games.

Another account gives a different cause. Parthenius and Pausanias say that Eros played no part. Apollo became jealous because Daphne had grown close to Leucippus, son of Oenomaus, king of Pisa. Leucippus loved Daphne and disguised himself as a maiden to gain her confidence. The account in the passage ends when this disguise was exposed. Another version says that Gaea carried Daphne to Crete as Pasiphae and left the laurel tree in her place.