Although there are many different versions of Greek/Roman stories, the story of Apollo and Daphne is one that I find the most fascinating.
The myth explains how Cupid, in an act of revenge after a comment made by the sun god about him being too young to be playing with dangerous and powerful weapons (his bow and arrows), shoots Apollo with an arrow that causes him to fall in love with Daphne. It's said that Daphne was also shot with an arrow, but it was an arrow that gave her feelings that were opposite to those of the sun god. Regardless, Daphne was a follower of Diana (the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis), and she had vowed to remain an unmarried virgin in service to the goddess. Apollo pursues Daphne (who clearly does not reciprocate his feelings) and calls out for help to her father, the river god Peneus, who instantly transforms her into a laurel tree. It is said that Apollo enchanted the leaves of Daphne's tree to stay evergreen, and he also wears a wreath made from the leaves of that same laurel tree.
Apollo was the Son of Zeus and Leto. In the Greco/Roman tradition, he is the god of archery, music/dance, poetry, truth/prophecy, healing/diseases. He is known as the god of sun/light as it's his job to pull the sun across the sky in his four-horse chariot each day.
Daphne was a Naiad (a water nymph) and minor goddess associated with freshwater bodies such as fountains, wells, springs, and streams. She was the daughter of the river god Peneus (who was actually one of three thousand river gods).
The statue of Apollo and Daphne was created by Bernini Gian Lorenzo (December 07, 1598 - November 28, 1680). He was called the Michelangelo of his generation by the pope himself. It was commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in 1622, completed in 1625, and made entirely of marble. It was produced in Bernini's early career (he was 24). Giuliano Finelli, a member/student of Bernini's workshop, was also responsible for working on specific details of the statue, such as Daphne's hair. The statue currently resides in the Galleria Borghese in Rome, Italy. Bernini used inspiration from the book Metamorphoses by Ovid, a series of mythological Latin poems, to make this statue.
When looking at the statue in person, the story of Daphne and Apollo unfolds as you walk around it. It depicts Apollo chasing Daphne, as she is in the midst of transforming into a laurel tree. Daphne's face shows her mouth open as she calls out to her father for help. Apollos' face seems to change as you walk around the statue, from lust to determination and finally to bafflement. Leaves are sprouting from Daphne's fingertips, roots extending from her toes, and bark is rising from the ground and overtaking her legs and torso.
There is a certain motion to the statue where the legs of both figures are set in a way that makes it look as if the figures are going to walk off the platform. Daphne's body language shows how much she wants to escape from Apollo as she curves to the side, recoiling away from the god's touch. One of Apollo's hands hovers over Daphne's waist, which has just turned into bark before the god can feel her skin.
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