fibi ducks
Active Member
I was reading Robert Graves' account of how Apollo persued Daphne and her escape from him. I checked his sources as I have a copy of Apollodorus and also Hygnus here. And not all of what he says is there in the source texts. Perhaps some of it was direct revelation? But I find his account has less to offer than Hyginus'.
Graves says that mother earth spirited Daphne away to Crete to save her from Apollo, where she became Pasiphea (and so later on the mother of the Minotaur I suppose). In her Daphna's place she put a laurel tree, which is what Apollo found in front of him, and he broke off a branch and wore it on his head.
But Hyginus tells a simpler story: that other earth transformed her into a laurel bush so as to save her. And that Apollo too a branch from her and wore it as Graves says.
But Daphne is supposed to mean 'the Bloody One' and I imagine a drop of blood dripping form the torn stem of the branch.
And laurel is cooked with meat, so it is fitting that is is associated with blood.
These are my musings - any additions?
Graves says that mother earth spirited Daphne away to Crete to save her from Apollo, where she became Pasiphea (and so later on the mother of the Minotaur I suppose). In her Daphna's place she put a laurel tree, which is what Apollo found in front of him, and he broke off a branch and wore it on his head.
But Hyginus tells a simpler story: that other earth transformed her into a laurel bush so as to save her. And that Apollo too a branch from her and wore it as Graves says.
But Daphne is supposed to mean 'the Bloody One' and I imagine a drop of blood dripping form the torn stem of the branch.
And laurel is cooked with meat, so it is fitting that is is associated with blood.
These are my musings - any additions?