Daphne mythology. Daphne - myths of ancient Greece

The bright, joyful god Apollo knows sadness, and grief befell him. He experienced grief shortly after defeating Python. When Apollo, proud of his victory, stood over the monster killed by his arrows, he saw near him the young god of love Eros, pulling his golden bow. Laughing, Apollo said to him:

What do you need, child? formidable weapon? It’s better for me to send the smashing golden arrows with which I just killed Python. Can you be equal in glory to me, Arrowhead? Don't you really want to achieve greater glory, than me?

The offended Eros proudly answered Apollo: “Your arrows, Phoebus-Apollo, do not miss, they strike everyone, but my arrow will strike you.”

Eros flapped his golden wings and in the blink of an eye flew up to high Parnassus. There he took two arrows from the quiver: one that wounded the heart and evoked love, with which he pierced the heart of Apollo, the other that killed love, which he shot into the heart of the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus.

Stop, beautiful nymph, - cried Apollo, - why are you running from me, like a lamb pursued by a wolf, like a dove fleeing from an eagle, you rush! After all, I’m not your enemy! Look, you hurt your feet on the sharp thorns of the thorns. Oh wait, stop! After all, I am Apollo, the son of the thunderer Zeus, and not a mere mortal shepherd.

But the beautiful Daphne ran faster and faster. As if on wings, Apollo rushes after her. He's getting closer. It's about to catch up! Daphne feels his breath. Her strength is leaving her. Daphne prayed to her father Peneus:

Father Penei, help me! Open up quickly, earth, and swallow me up! Oh, take this image away from me, it causes me nothing but suffering!

As soon as she said this, her limbs immediately went numb. The bark covered her tender body, her hair turned into leaves, and her arms raised to the sky turned into branches. Apollo stood sadly in front of the laurel for a long time and finally said:

Let a wreath of only your greenery adorn my head, let you from now on decorate both my cithara and my quiver with your leaves. May your greenery never wither, O laurel. Stay forever green!

And the laurel quietly rustled in response to Apollo with its thick branches and, as if in agreement, bowed its green top.

Laurels of Apollo

Daphne's transformation

The laurels with which poets and winners are crowned owe their origin to the transformation of the nymph Daphne into a laurel tree. The following ancient Greek myth arose about this.

Proud of the victory he has just won over Python, Apollo meets the son of Venus, Eros (Cupid, Cupid), pulling the string of his bow, and laughs at him and his arrows. Then Eros decides to take revenge on Apollo.

Eros's quiver contains various arrows: some instill love and passionate desire in the wounded, others - disgust. The God of love knows that the lovely nymph Daphne lives in the neighboring forest; Eros also knows that Apollo must pass through this forest, and he wounds the mocker with an arrow of love, and Daphne with an arrow of disgust.

As soon as Apollo saw the beautiful nymph, he immediately became inflamed with love for her and approached her to tell Daphne about his victory, hoping to thus win her heart. Seeing that Daphne was not listening to him, Apollo, wanting to seduce her at all costs, began to tell Daphne that he was the god of the sun, revered by all of Greece, the powerful son of Zeus, a healer and benefactor of the entire human race.

But the nymph Daphne, feeling disgusted with him, quickly runs away from Apollo. Daphne makes her way through the thicket of forests, jumping over stones and rocks. Apollo follows Daphne, begging her to listen to him. Finally Daphne reaches the Penea River. Daphne asks the river god, her father, to deprive her of her beauty and thereby save her from the persecution of Apollo, who she hates.

The river god Peneus heeded her requests: Daphne begins to feel how her limbs are going numb, her body is covered with bark, her hair turns into leaves, her legs grow to the ground: Daphne turned into a laurel tree. Apollo, who has come running, touches the tree and hears Daphne’s heartbeat. Apollo weaves a wreath from the branches of a laurel tree and decorates his golden lyre (kifhara) with it.

In ancient Greek the word Daphne(δάφνη) just means laurel.

Several picturesque images of Daphne's transformation have been preserved in Herculaneum.

From newest artists the sculptor Coustu sculpted two beautiful statues depicting Daphne running and Apollo pursuing her. Both of these statues are in the Tuileries Gardens.

Among the painters who painted pictures on this subject were Rubens, Poussin and Carlo Maratte.

Modern researchers of ancient myths believe that Daphne personified the dawn; Therefore, the ancient Greeks, wanting to express that the dawn disappears (extinguishes) as soon as the sun appears, poetically said: the beautiful Daphne runs away as soon as Apollo wants to approach her.

The Despair of the Nymph Clytia

Apollo, in turn, rejected the love of the nymph Clytia.

Unhappy Clytia, suffering from Apollo's indifference, spent days and nights in tears, not taking any food except the dew of heaven.

Clytia's eyes were constantly fixed on the sun and followed it until sunset. Little by little, Clytia’s legs turned into roots, and her face into a sunflower flower, which still continues to turn towards the sun.

Even in the form of a sunflower, the nymph Clytia never ceases to love the radiant Apollo.

Lyre (kifhara) and flute

The lyre (kifhara) is the constant companion of Apollo, the god of harmony and poetic inspiration, and as such he bears the name of Apollo Musagete (leader of the muses) and is depicted by artists crowned with laurels in a long Ionic robe and holding a lyre in his hands.

The lyre (kithara), just like the quiver and arrows, is features god Apollo.

For the ancient Greeks, the lyre (kifhara) was an instrument representing national music, in contrast to the flute, which personified Phrygian music.

Ancient Greek word kithara(κιθάρα) lives in European languages in its descendant - the word guitar. Yes, myself musical instrument the guitar is nothing more than an ancient Greek cithara that has changed over the centuries - belonging to Apollo Musagetas.

Silenus Marsyas

Marcia's punishment

Phrygian Silenus (satyr) Marsyas found a flute that the goddess Athena threw away, having once seen how her face was distorted when she played it.

Marsyas brought the art of playing the flute to high perfection. Proud of his talent, Marsyas dared to challenge the god Apollo to a competition, and it was decided that the loser would be completely at the mercy of the winner. The muses were chosen as judges for this competition; they decided in favor of Apollo, who thus gained victory. Apollo tied the defeated Marsyas to a tree and flayed him.

The satyrs and nymphs shed so many tears for the unfortunate Phrygian musician that from these tears a river was formed, which was later named after Marcia.

Apollo ordered the skin of Marsyas to be hung in a cave in the city of Kelenach. An ancient Greek legend says that Marsyas’ skin trembled as if with joy when the sounds of a flute were heard in the cave, and remained motionless when the lyre was played.

The execution of Marsyas was very often reproduced by artists. The Louvre houses a beautiful antique statue, depicting Marcyas tied by his outstretched arms to a tree; Under Marcia's feet is the head of a goat.

The competition between Apollo and Marsyas also served as a subject for many paintings; Among the newest, paintings by Rubens are famous.

The rivalry between West and East manifested itself in ancient greek myths in a variety of forms, but most often in the form of a musical competition. The myth of Marcia ends very cruelly, which is quite consistent with the savage morals of primitive peoples. However, subsequent ancient poets do not seem to be amazed at the cruelty shown by the god of music.

Comic poets very often depict the satire Marsyas in their works. Marsyas is a type of arrogant ignorant in them.

The Romans gave this myth a completely different meaning: it was recognized as an allegory of inexorable but fair justice, and that is why the myth of Marsyas is so often reproduced on monuments of Roman art. Statues of Marsyas were placed in all squares where trials took place, and in all Roman colonies - in courthouses.

Ears of King Midas

A similar competition, but ending in a lighter and wittier punishment, took place between Apollo and the god Pan. All those present spoke in favor of Apollo's game and recognized him as the winner; only Midas challenged this decision. Midas was the same king whom the gods had already punished once for his exorbitant greed for gold.

Now the angry Apollo turned Midas’s ears into long donkey ears for uninvited criticism.

Midas carefully hid his donkey's ears under a Phrygian cap. Only Midas's barber knew about this, and he was forbidden on pain death penalty talk about it to anyone.

But this secret weighed terribly on the soul of the talkative barber; he went to the river bank, dug a hole and said several times, bending over it: “King Midas has donkey ears.” Then, having carefully buried the hole, he went home relieved. But reeds grew in that place, and they, swayed by the wind, whispered: “King Midas has donkey ears,” and this secret became known to the whole country.

In the Madrid Museum there is a painting by Rubens depicting The Trial of Midas.

ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from Latin and ancient Greek; all rights reserved.

(Greek Daphne - laurel), daughter of the river god Peneus. She evaded the pursuit of the lover Apollo and was, at her request, turned into a laurel tree when the god overtook the fleeing nymph. Since that time in Greek. In myths, the laurel is dedicated to Apollo. D.'s transformation was often depicted in art (Bernini's sculptures, paintings by Giorgione, Tiepolo), in literature (drama by G. Sachs), in music (opera by Schutz, as well as Handel and R. Strauss).

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Daphne

Greek Daphne)

* * *V Greek mythology nymph, daughter of Gaia and the river god Peneus. Pursued by Apollo, who was in love with her, she turned into a laurel.

(I.A. Lisovy, K.A. Revyako. Ancient world in terms, names and titles: Dictionary-reference book on history and culture Ancient Greece and Rome / Scientific. ed. A.I. Nemirovsky. - 3rd ed. - Mn: Belarus, 2001)

“laurel” is a nymph, the daughter of Gaia and the Thessalian river god Peneus. Pursued by the loving Apollo, D. begged her father for help, and he turned her into a laurel tree. In memory of D. Apollo made the laurel his sacred plant.

(Mythological Dictionary / G.V. Shcheglov, V.Archer - M.: ACT: Astrel: Transitbook, 2006)

A Greek mountain nymph who was constantly harassed by Apollo and who, in response to a plea for help, was transformed by Mother Earth into a laurel tree. (During the time of the ancient Greeks, there was a famous sanctuary of Apollo in the laurel forest on the island of Daphne, where visitors, including Pausanias, were shown the first laurel tree.) As a consolation, Apollo made himself Laurel wreath. In this regard, such a wreath began to be awarded to the winner of the Pythian Games in honor of Apollo - as a symbol of victory. It was worn by Julius Caesar and Virgil (as described by Dante). The story of Daphne's transformation was well known in the Middle Ages thanks to Ovid. This plot was used by Chaucer in A Knight's Tale, although the name there is distorted - Dana. Daphne can be interpreted as a spirit that is threatened by a demon and finds salvation through the power of prayer. For Petrarch, her image had special meaning, since thanks to the consonance (laurel) she could symbolize his Laura. Petrarch was also very proud of the laurel wreath, which he received at the Capitol in Rome for his poetic skill.

The basis of the text is N.A. Kun. "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece"
Plot source - Ovid, "Metamorphoses"

When the bright god Apollo, proud of his victory over Python, stood over the monster killed by his arrows, he saw near him the young god of love Eros, pulling his golden bow. Laughing, Apollo said to him:
- What do you need, child, such a formidable weapon? It’s better for me to send the smashing golden arrows with which I just killed Python. Can you be equal in glory to me, Arrowhead? Do you really want to achieve greater glory than me?
The offended Eros proudly answered Apollo:
“Your arrows, Phoebus-Apollo, never miss, they strike everyone, but my arrow will strike you too.” Eros flapped his golden wings and in the blink of an eye flew up to high Parnassus. There he took two arrows from the quiver: one - wounding the heart and evoking love, with which he pierced the heart of Apollo, the other - killing love, he shot into the heart of the nymph Daphne, daughter of the river god Peneus and the earth goddess Gaia.

Once he met the beautiful Daphne Apollo and fell in love with her. But as soon as Daphne saw the golden-haired Apollo, she began to run with the speed of the wind, because the arrow of Eros, killing love, pierced her heart. The silver-bowed god hurried after her.
“Stop, beautiful nymph,” he cried, “why are you running from me, like a lamb pursued by a wolf, like a dove fleeing from an eagle, you rush!” After all, I’m not your enemy! Look, you hurt your feet on the sharp thorns of the thorns. Oh wait, stop! After all, I am Apollo, the son of the thunderer Zeus, and not a mere mortal shepherd.
But the beautiful Daphne runs faster and faster. As if on wings, Apollo rushes after her. He's getting closer. It's about to catch up! Daphne feels his breath, but her strength leaves her. Daphne prayed to her father Peneus:
- Father Penei, help me! Make way quickly, Mother Earth, and swallow me up! Oh, take this image away from me, it causes me nothing but suffering!

As soon as she said this, her limbs immediately went numb. The bark covered her tender body, her hair turned into leaves, and her arms raised to the sky turned into branches. Sad Apollo stood for a long time in front of the laurel and finally said:
- Let a wreath of only your greenery adorn my head, let you from now on decorate both my cithara and my quiver with your leaves. May your greenery never wither, O laurel, remain forever green!
The laurel quietly rustled in response to Apollo with its thick branches and, as if in agreement, bowed its green top.

Hobbyist Robert Graves writes:
5. Apollo's pursuit of Daphne, a mountain nymph who was the daughter of the king of the river Peneus and priestess of the earth mother, probably correlates with the Hellenic conquest of the Tempean valley, where the goddess Daphoine (Daphne - laurel) was served by orgiastic, laurel-chewing maenads (see 46.2 and 51.2 ). After the eradication of this cult - according to Plutarch, the priestesses fled to the island of Crete, where Pasiphae was the moon goddess (see 88. e) - the laurel passes to Apollo, and since then only the Pythia has the right to chew it. As at Figalia, in the Tempean Valley Dafoina probably had the head of a mare (see 16.5); Leucippus ("white horse") was the king-priest of the local horse cult, who was annually torn to pieces by enraged women who took cleansing baths after the murder, and not before it (see 22.1 and 150.1).

But the Jungist Joseph K uh mpbell
a mysterious voice is heard in the call greek god Apollo, addressed to the girl Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus, running away from him, after whom he runs across the field. “Nymph, I pray, Penaeid, wait,” God shouts after her, as in a fairy tale the young king of the frogs calls to the princess. - The enemy is not behind you. Run, I beg you, more quietly, slow down your run, and I will pursue you more quietly! Still, who fell in love with you, ask.”

It's amazing how sometimes they don't go together popular names and Latin. When you hear the name Daphne, you imagine something beautiful and sublime. And the wolf's bast is completely "from a different opera." But this is precisely what intrigues and makes you want to find out what kind of strange plant this is? More more interest appears when it turns out that the bush overwinters in our climate. So far this is a rarity in our gardens, and we especially love rarities.

The history of the origin of the name of this plant is interesting. Daphne was a beautiful nymph, the daughter of the earth goddess Gaia and the river god Peneus. She took a vow of celibacy and not to marry. The insidious Eros shot her in the heart with an arrow that kills love, and in the heart of Apollo with an arrow that kindles love. Suffering from unrequited love Apollo pursued Daphne everywhere, but her heart remained cold. She trembled for fear of being overtaken by the passionate Apollo. And the nymph begged, turning to Peneus: “Father! Help your daughter! Hide me, change my appearance so that the pursuer cannot even touch me!”

And Daphne felt her legs grow stiff and grow roots into the ground, her arms become branches. Instead of a beautiful nymph, Apollo in love sees a laurel tree.

But the name Daphne was not given to the laurel (in Latin it is called Laurus), but to a genus of perennial plants from the wolf family. This is probably due to the fact that the leaves of some species of daphne resemble bay leaves.

According to another version, Carl Linnaeus (who assigned this name to the plant) knew this legend and named the bush that way because all its parts are poisonous. God Peneus fulfilled his daughter’s request; he turned her into a poisonous plant that “cannot even be touched.”

WHAT IS SHE DAPHNE?

Daphne (Daphne), or Wolfberry, is a deciduous or evergreen small shrub up to 1.5 m tall. The leaves are alternate, on short petioles, lanceolate or elliptic, smooth and hard. The flowers are tubular, with four petals, and in some species resemble lilac flowers. The color of the corolla is bright pink, less often white or light pink.

Flowers are formed on last year's shoots; they are sessile, numerous, and often very fragrant. U different types the flavors are different. As Professor A. Kerner wrote, “...Daphne alpina smells of vanilla, Daphne striata of lilac, Daphne philippi of violets, and Daphne blagayana of cloves.”

Daphne blooms in early spring, on almost bare branches. It looks very touching and gentle. It is not for nothing that the plant was given the name of a beautiful nymph.

At the end of summer, red fruits ripen and stay on the branches for a long time. Like the rest of the plant, the fruits are poisonous.

The Russian name wolfberry (or wolf's bast) is given precisely for the poisonousness of the plant. Everything connected with wolves incited fear in Russia: a wolf berry means don’t you dare touch it!

The genus includes up to 50 species distributed in Eurasia. There are 14 (according to some sources 17) species found in Russia.

In the conditions of the Middle Zone, the most reliable species are Altai wolfberry, Yulia wolfberry, Pontic wolfberry, and common wolfberry.

WHAT IS THE DANGER?

Common wolfberry is popularly called deadly, or wolf's bast (Daphne mezereum L.). The name is given for the strength of the strips of its bark (bast), which are difficult to tear.

And the terrifying epithet “deadly” suggests that poisoning with this plant can really lead to death. 1015 fruits is already a lethal dose!

In nature, wolf bast grows in forest areas of the northern and middle parts European Russia, V Western Siberia, in the Caucasus and in Western Europe. It is considered one of the pearls among the beautiful flowering shrubs of our flora. Sometimes with good lump land, the plant is transferred from the forest to the garden. With good watering, the bush takes root, but it should be remembered that the plant is rare and is listed in the Red Book.

Wolf's bast rarely exceeds 1 m in height. The species is remarkable for its early flowering, before the leaves bloom. The flowers are small, very fragrant, in bunches of 25 or single, lilac-pink or pink-lilac in color. The bush grows slowly and is frost-resistant. Sometimes it self-sows. Seedlings are planted at a young age.

Garden forms and varieties with white and double flowers have been created on the basis of the species plants of the deadly wolfberry.

In autumn, the shrub is no less decorative due to its bright berries. However, it must be remembered that they are very poisonous. In culture, the toxicity of plants is usually lower than in nature, and yet when growing in gardens where there are children, you need to be vigilant and remove the fruits, since they are the ones that attract the most.

REPRODUCTION OF DAPHNE

Daphnes are propagated by sowing fresh seeds in the fall. Before sowing, they must be freed from pulp and soaked. Sowing depth 1 cm.

Wolfweed can be easily propagated by cuttings from annual shoots. It does not like transplanting, so it is better to cut it directly into containers.

Planting material in containers began to appear in garden centers. But, as a rule, these are seedlings from warm Europe, and they can freeze. Plants grown from seeds are more winter-hardy. Seeds should be sought in botanical gardens or from collectors. Moreover, you need to order fresh seeds to receive them in the fall.

PLANTING AND CARE OF DAPHNE

Daphnes prefer loose soil with sufficient humus content. They do not tolerate drought well. Shade-tolerant, but do not bloom in dense shade. It is better to plant in a semi-shaded place, for example, in light shade under a tree. (Daphne Yulia can also be done in an open place).

Care consists of regular watering, weeding and mulching the roots with leaf litter. Mulch will not only protect the bush from snowless frosts, but will eliminate the need for loosening, since the plant reacts painfully to damage to the roots.

Daphnes are perfect for rock gardens, rockeries, and look good in combination with coniferous crops. Twigs cut in winter and placed in water can bloom in the house.

Despite their attractiveness, wolfberries are not very common in gardens. The reason is the poisonousness of the plant. True, the berries have a very unpleasant taste, so poisoning occurs extremely rarely. But birds eat the fruits without harm to themselves, which contributes to the spread of species.

M.B. Sharova, biologist

Photo by T.A. Novinskaya from the collection of the Solovetsky Botanical Garden and T.R. Khrynova from the research institute Botanical Garden UNN

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