Daphne

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This article is about the Greek mythological character. For other uses, see Daphne (disambiguation).

Daphne - From the painting by Deverial.

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 transformed her into a Lauraceae tree, which became sacred to Apollo. See Ovid. Metamorphoses. Book I: 452-567, and Apollo and Daphne.