The Myth of Apollo And Daphne With Moral Lesson And Summary

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THE MYTH OF APOLLO AND DAPHNE – What if the one you love hates you? With a moral lesson and summary, our myth about Apollo and Daphne will be about the passionate love that was never reciprocated.

In Greek mythology, mortals cannot resist the love of a god, but that’s not the case with Daphne. She died trying to run away from the god Apollo because she didn’t love him.

The Myth of Apollo and Daphne with Moral Lessons and Summary
The Myth of Apollo and Daphne with Moral Lessons and Summary

The Myth of Apollo and Daphne

The mythical story of Daphne and Apollo started when Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto, killed Python, the giant snake that victimized humankind. He killed the Python by piercing it with 1000 arrows.

After it, Apollo, the god of light and music, became boastful and arrogant. When he saw Eros, the god of love who was famous for bow and arrow, he mocked him.

He told Eros that he was most worthy of having a bow, for he defeated the great Python with it alone. Eros was offended by Apollo, and so he did something unexpected.

The god of love came next to him and shot him in the chest with a golden arrow with a sharp end. It didn’t kill or hurt Apollo, but the genuine injury was sentimental.

The golden arrow that struck Apollo made him fall in love with Daphne. Daphne is a beautiful nymph and daughter of the river god, Peneus. With a blunt lead tip, the second arrow struck the nymph, creating an intense loathing of love in her heart.

Apollo couldn’t contain himself when he saw Daphne hunting and went after her. However, the arrow that hit Daphne filled her heart with disgust for the god.

He approached Daphne, who was now more beautiful in his eyes and couldn’t control his emotions. Apollo started praising her and showing his love, but he didn’t get a word from Daphne.

The nymph was irritated with Apollo, so she escaped him, but the god kept following her. He tried to explain that his intentions were good.

Apollo became paranoid in chasing Daphne. He worried that she might fall and get hurt, but Daphne didn’t stop. He also tried to explain who he was, but nothing changed.

He was getting closer to Daphne at some point, but she escaped him each time. Finally, Apollo caught Daphne. Being exhausted, she asks help from his father, Peneus, to change her and destroy her beauty.

Peneus helped her daughter, who was caught firmly by Apollo. Daphne started to transform into a tree. Her legs became roots, her arms branches, and her hair leaves.

The only thing that Apollo held was a beautiful laurel tree. Since then, Apollo’s love for Daphne has never failed. He didn’t let the tree wither; each time, he took the tree leaves and kissed the wood.

The laurel tree became the sacred tree of the god Apollo. The oracle of Delphi would constantly chew a laurel leaf before giving the prophecy. And, with every winner of the Pythian game, the winner was given a crown of laurel.

Story Analysis of the Myth of Apollo and Daphne

The endearing myth about the magical love of the god Apollo to the alluring nymph, Daphne, gives us a glimpse of how too much love will kill someone. The chase of Apollo exhausted Daphne; therefore asked her father to change her into someone no man could ever have.

All of these are because Apollo mocks the god of love, Eros. If not because of his arrogance, nothing could have ever happened to him and Daphne.

The Myth of Apollo and Daphne Moral Lesson

  • Love is not selfish, so learn to let go.
    • It would have been better if Apollo accepted that Daphne didn’t like him. She would have been okay and had a life of her own, happily at her own pace, if he had learned to let her go.
  • We must not act as the best person because there is always someone greater than us.
    • Because of his arrogance, Eros shoots Apollo, and the worst was the woman she deeply loved hated him. We should respect others and live a simple life without stepping on someone’s foot.

The Myth of Apollo and Daphne Summary

In the myth, Apollo killed Python, a giant snake that victimized humankind. He became arrogant and mocked Eros that he was the most excellent archer among them.

Eros retaliated and shot a golden arrow with a sharp end to Apollo, making him deeply in love with the nymph, Daphne. Another arrow is fired at Daphne with a blunt lead tip, making her hate Apollo.

Under the spell, the god of light, Apollo, chased Daphne, who also rejected him. Apollo tried to explain his love for her, but as Daphne became exhausted, she asked her father, the river god, Peneus, to help him.

By the time Apollo held the hands of Daphne, she had turned into a laurel tree. Her legs became roots, her arms branches, and her hair leaves.

Apollo’s love for Daphne never failed. Since then, the laurel tree has become the sacred tree of Apollo. Each time the oracle of Delphi gave his prophecy, he would constantly chew a laurel leaf.

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