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Daphne

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Nymph who fled Apollo’s pursuit and was transformed into a laurel, sacred to him; symbol of chastity and poetic victory.

Detailed Definition
Daphne, devoted to Artemis, fled Apollo’s advances and was changed into a laurel by her father, the river god Peneus. Apollo then made the laurel sacred. Her myth, told by Ovid, symbolizes chastity, metamorphosis, and the poetic appropriation of loss into enduring symbols.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells how Daphne, fleeing Apollo, becomes a laurel tree; In Pausanias, her cult is linked to Apollo’s sacred groves; Later Roman poetry uses Daphne as a symbol of chastity preserved through transformation; Renaissance sonnets invoke her as an emblem of unattainable beauty; In allegorical verse, Daphne represents the soul’s escape from desire.
Additional Notes
Daphne, pursued by Apollo, becomes a laurel tree (Ovid, Metamorphoses 1). Students should analyze her transformation as both escape and eternalization—Apollo makes the laurel his sacred plant. Her story critiques divine desire and celebrates chastity. The laurel becomes a poetic symbol of achievement and suffering. Related: Apollo, metamorphosis, virginity motifs.
Also Known As
Daphne the Laurel Nymph Fleeing Maiden Apollo’s Unattainable Love Transformed Tree
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