Apollo and Daphne

Apollo and Daphne

Story Summary

Daphne turned into a laurel tree to avoid Apollo's pursuit, which tells the importance of respecting others' wishes.

In the mythological world of ancient Greece, there was a handsome and powerful sun god named Apollo. Every day, he drove his golden chariot across the sky, bringing light and warmth to the earth. One day, by chance, he caught sight of Daphne who was playing by the stream. Daphne was a beautiful and elf - like nymph. Her eyes sparkled like stars, and her smile was as charming as spring flowers.

Apollo was immediately deeply attracted to Daphne, and a passionate love fire burned in his heart. He decided to pursue Daphne and make her his wife. So, Apollo began to chase Daphne. His steps were full of strength, and wherever he went, a cloud of dust was raised.

Daphne running in panic

Daphne noticed that Apollo was chasing her, and she was extremely frightened. She didn't want to be pursued by Apollo. She loved her carefree life. She wanted to play in the forest without worry, accompanied by small animals. Daphne ran desperately. Her long hair flew in the wind, and her eyes were full of fear. She ran across the grass, over the stream, and towards the depths of the forest.

However, Apollo didn't realize Daphne's unwillingness. He was just carried away by love and continued to chase. As he chased, he loudly expressed his love to Daphne, saying that he would give her endless glory and happiness.

Daphne asking her father for help

Daphne ran to her father, the river god, and asked him for help. Her voice was choked with sobs. She hugged her father tightly, begging him to help her get rid of Apollo's pursuit. The river god, seeing his daughter so frightened, took pity on her and decided to help Daphne.

The river god cast a spell. Just as Apollo was about to catch up with Daphne, a wonderful change began to happen to Daphne's body.

Daphne turning into a laurel tree

Her feet took root deeply in the ground, her body gradually turned into a trunk, her arms into branches, and her hair into leaves. In the blink of an eye, Daphne became a beautiful laurel tree.

Apollo was stunned when he saw this. He stopped in his tracks, regretting that he hadn't respected Daphne's wishes and had only blindly pursued his own love. He gently stroked the trunk of the laurel tree, his heart full of regret.

Since then, Apollo has used the branches and leaves of the laurel tree to adorn his head and lyre, in memory of Daphne. This story tells us that it is very important to respect the wishes of others. No matter how strong our ideas or feelings are, we should not impose them on others.