渴望飞翔的小笨鱼

                         Apollo and Daphne

     Daphne was a beautiful nymph, the daughter of a river god. She liked hunting in the woods so much that she did not want to give up her freedom and marry.

     One day, Apollo saw Eros (Cupid), the boy god of love playing with his bow and arrows; and being himself the god of archery, he laughed at the boy, and told him to play with his toys, not the weapons Apollo had used to kill the great serpent Python. Deeply offended by Apollo’s insulting words, Eros shot both Daphne and Apollo with arrows. He shot Apollo with a golden arrow through the heart, causing him to fall madly in love with Daphne. He shot the nymph with a leaden one, making her hate all suitors. Apollo followed Daphne everywhere, trying to catch her. He begged her not to be frightened and told her it was a god who loved her, but she did not stop. When he was finally about to take her in his grasp, Daphne called her father, the river-god for help. Her father immediately changed her into a laurel tree. Her hair became leaves; her arms became branches; her foot stuck fast in the ground, as a root. Apollo was very sad, but he said that the laurel would be his sacred tree and he would wear the leaves on his head as his crown.

     This is said to be the reason why the Greeks gave wreaths of laurel to the winners of games held in honour of Apollo. In Rome, great conquerors were crowned with laurel wreaths