The story of Daphne is similar to many other Greek myths-- a god, this time Apollo, is chasing a woman, and something doesn't go to plan.
According to the story, Apollo did something to anger Eros, possibly related to archery skill. Eros retaliated by shooting Apollo with a gold-plated arrow, allegedly making him absolutely possessed by lust. I'm not sure if that word works quite right there, but I'm going with it. The nearest convenient outlet for this lust was a nymph named-- drumroll-- Daphne. To further spite Apollo, Eros shot Daphne with a leaden arrow, totally removing any romantic ambitions she may have had, and preventing her from returning Apollo's affections. In true Greek deity fashion, Apollo chased her all over the place, but just as he was on the verge of catching her, she prayed to her father(?) to help her. So she got turned into a tree. A tree. A laurel tree, to be specific. Seeing as she was no longer available, Apollo took some of the leaves, and put together a wreath. This is how the Laurel Wreaths at the Olympics came to be.
Eternal youth would be pretty cool, but I would want to age a bit more before I was to receive it. Being 17 for all eternity has the benefit of a body that isn't in danger of falling apart, but at the same time, you would always be overlooked and/or ignored because of your perceived age.
Newman, Dara. "Greek Mythology." Haverford.edu. University of Haverford, 9 Apr. 2000. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.haverford
No comments:
Post a Comment