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In Greek mythology, Daphnis (/ˈdæfnɪs/; Ancient Greek: Δάφνις, from δάφνη, daphne, "Bay Laurel"^[1]) was a legendary Sicilian cowherd who was said to be the inventor of pastoral poetry.^[2]^[3] According to Diodorus the Sicilian (1st century BC), Daphnis was born in the Heraean Mountains of central Sicily.

Mythology

According to tradition, he was the son of Hermes and a nymph,^[3] despite which fact Daphnis himself was mortal. As an infant, Daphnis' mother exposed him under a laurel tree, where he was found by some herdsmen and named after the tree (Greek daphnē) under which he was found. The cows that tended to him as an infant were said to be sisters to the ones owned by Helios. He was also sometimes said to be Hermes' eromenos (beloved) rather than his son.^[4] In some versions, Daphnis was taught how to play the panpipes by the god Pan himself, and eventually the two also became lovers.^[5]^[6]

Daphnis became a follower of the goddess Artemis, accompanying her in hunting and entertaining her with his singing of pastoral songs and playing of the panpipes. A naiad (possibly Echenais or Nomia) was in love with him and prophesied that he would be blinded if he loved another woman. However, he was seduced, with the aid of wine, by the daughter of a king, and, in revenge, this nymph blinded him^[3]^[7] or changed him into stone.^[8]^[9]

Daphnis, who endeavoured to console himself by playing the flute and singing herdsmen's songs, soon afterwards died. He fell from a cliff, or was changed into a rock, or was taken up to heaven by his father Hermes, who caused a spring of water to gush out from the spot where his son had been carried off.

Ever afterwards the Sicilians offered sacrifices at this spring as an expiatory offering for the youth's early death. There is little doubt that Aelian in his account follows Stesichorus of Himera, who in like manner had been blinded by the vengeance of a woman (Helen) and probably sang of the sufferings of Daphnis in his recantation. Nothing is said of Daphnis's blindness by Theocritus, who dwells on his amour with Nais; his victory over Menalcas in a poetical competition; his love for Xenea brought about by the wrath of Aphrodite; his wanderings through the woods while suffering the torments of unrequited love; his death just at the moment when Aphrodite, moved by compassion, endeavours (but too late) to save him; the deep sorrow, shared by nature and all created things, for his untimely end (Theocritus i. vii. viii.). A later form of the legend identifies Daphnis with a Phrygian hero, and makes him the teacher of Marsyas. The legend of Daphnis and his early death may be compared with those of Hyacinthus, Narcissus, Linus and Adonis—all beautiful youths cut off in their prime, typical of the luxuriant growth of vegetation in the spring, and its sudden withering away beneath the scorching summer sun.^[10]

Daphnis (nymph)

The geographer Pausanias mentions a mountain nymph called Daphnís (Greek Δαφνίς, with a different accentuation). He writes: "Many and different are the stories told about Delphoi (Delphi), and even more so about the oracle of Apollo. For they say that in earliest times the oracular seat belonged to Ge (Gaea, the Earth), who appointed as prophetess Daphnis, one of the Nymphai (Nymphs) of the mountain [Mount Parnassos]." (Pausanias, Description of Greece, 10.5.5, trans. Jones).

Cultural depictions

Daphnis is the subject of Theocritus's first Idyll, which describes his death.
Virgil's Fifth Eclogue contains two songs sung by herdsmen, one lamenting the death of Daphnis, and the other celebrating his acceptance into heaven as a god. In his Tenth Eclogue he imagines his friend the poet Cornelius Gallus dying of love in Arcadia, taking parts of Idyll I as his model.

Gallery

Sculpture of Pan teaching Daphnis to play the pan flute; ca. 100 B.C. Found in Pompeii
Daphnis, Roman copy from a group from the 2nd century AD at the Cinquantenaire Museum
Cavaliere Tempesta showing Pan and Daphnis by Pieter Mulier, c. 1668-1676
The Wooing of Daphnis by Arthur Lemon, 1881

Notes

^ "δάφνη", Henry George Liddel, Robert Scott, A Greek-English lexicon, 9th ed., 1940, Oxford University Press.
^ "Daphnis" The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Edited by M. C. Howatson. Oxford University Press Inc. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 16 June 2012
^ ^a ^b ^c Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Daphnis" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 826.
^ Aelian, Varia Historia 10.18
^ Cohen, Beth (November 22, 2021). Not the Classical Ideal: Athens and the Construction of the Other in Greek Art. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill Publications. pp. 169-170. ISBN 978-90-04-11618-4.
^ Also testified by Clement in Homilies 5.16. Clement, a Christian pope, was trying to discredit pagans and their beliefs in his works, however other finds seem to support this particular claim.
^ Diodorus Siculus, 4.84.1
^ Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.275 ff
^ Smith, s.v. Daphnis
^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Daphnis". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 826.

External links

Daphnis Encyclopædia Britannica
The Death of Daphnis A poem by Theocritus

[1] "δάφνη", Henry George Liddel, Robert Scott, A Greek-English lexicon, 9th ed., 1940, Oxford University Press.

[2] "Daphnis" The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Edited by M. C. Howatson. Oxford University Press Inc. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. 16 June 2012

[EB1911-3] Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Daphnis" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 826.

[4] Aelian, Varia Historia 10.18

[5] Cohen, Beth (November 22, 2021). Not the Classical Ideal: Athens and the Construction of the Other in Greek Art. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill Publications. pp. 169-170. ISBN 978-90-04-11618-4.

[6] Also testified by Clement in Homilies 5.16. Clement, a Christian pope, was trying to discredit pagans and their beliefs in his works, however other finds seem to support this particular claim.

[7] Diodorus Siculus, 4.84.1

[8] Ovid, Metamorphoses 4.275 ff

[9] Smith, s.v. Daphnis

[10] One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Daphnis". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 826.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Short description|Son of Hermes and a nymph}}
 {{About||the moth genus|Daphnis (moth){{!}}''Daphnis'' (moth)|the moon of Saturn|Daphnis (moon)}}
+[[File:Statue of Daphnis-Uffizi-2.jpg|thumb| Statue of Daphnis, 1st-2nd century CE, Parian marble]]
-[[Image:PanandDaphnis.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Sculpture of [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] teaching Daphnis to play the pan flute; ca. 100 B.C. Found in Pompeii]]
-In [[Greek mythology]], '''Daphnis''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|æ|f|n|ᵻ|s}}; {{lang-grc|Δάφνις}}, from {{lang|grc|δάφνη}}, ''daphne'', "[[Bay Laurel]]"<ref>[http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/lsj/#eid=24404&context=lsj&action=hw-list-click "δάφνη"], Henry George Liddel, Robert Scott, A Greek-English lexicon, 9th ed., 1940, Oxford University Press.</ref>) was a [[Sicily|Sicilian]] shepherd who was said to be the inventor of [[Pastoral#|pastoral poetry]].<ref>"Daphnis"  The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Edited by M. C. Howatson. Oxford University Press Inc. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  16 June 2012</ref><ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Daphnis|volume=7|page=826}}</ref>
+In [[Greek mythology]], '''Daphnis''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|d|æ|f|n|ᵻ|s}}; {{langx|grc|Δάφνις}}, from {{lang|grc|δάφνη}}, ''daphne'', "[[Bay Laurel]]"<ref>[http://stephanus.tlg.uci.edu/lsj/#eid=24404&context=lsj&action=hw-list-click "δάφνη"], Henry George Liddel, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English lexicon'', 9th ed., 1940, Oxford University Press.</ref>) was a legendary [[Sicily|Sicilian]] cowherd who was said to be the inventor of [[Pastoral#Pastoral poetry|pastoral poetry]].<ref>"Daphnis"  The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. Edited by M. C. Howatson. Oxford University Press Inc. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.  16 June 2012</ref><ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Daphnis|volume=7|page=826}}</ref> According to [[Diodorus Siculus|Diodorus the Sicilian]] (1st century BC), Daphnis was born in the [[Heraean Mountains]] of central [[Sicily]].
-== Family ==
-According to tradition, he was the son of [[Hermes]] and a [[nymph]],<ref name="EB1911" /> despite which fact Daphnis himself was mortal.
 == Mythology ==
+According to tradition, he was the son of [[Hermes]] and a [[nymph]],<ref name="EB1911" /> despite which fact Daphnis himself was mortal. As an infant, Daphnis' mother [[Infant exposure|exposed]] him under a laurel tree, where he was found by some herdsmen and named after the tree (Greek ''daphnē'') under which he was found. The cows that tended to him as an infant were said to be sisters to the [[Cattle of Helios|ones]] owned by [[Helios]]. He was also sometimes said to be Hermes' ''[[eromenos]]'' (beloved) rather than his son.<ref>[[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0591%3Abook%3D10%3Achapter%3D18 ''Varia Historia'' 10.18]</ref> In some versions, Daphnis was taught how to play the [[panpipes]] by the god [[Pan (god)|Pan]] himself, and eventually the two also became lovers.<ref>{{cite book | title = Not the Classical Ideal: Athens and the Construction of the Other in Greek Art | first = Beth | last = Cohen | publisher = [[Brill Publications]] | date = November 22, 2021 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=uBlREAAAQBAJ | isbn =978-90-04-11618-4 | location = [[Leiden]], the [[Netherlands]] | pages = [https://books.google.com/books?id=uBlREAAAQBAJ&pg=PA170 169-170]}}</ref><ref>Also testified by [[Pope Clement I|Clement]] in ''[[Clementine literature|Homilies]]'' [https://books.google.com/books?id=7cIUAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA108 5.16]. Clement, a Christian pope, was trying to discredit pagans and their beliefs in his works, however other finds seem to support this particular claim.</ref>
-Daphnis was also described and shown as an [[eromenos]].  His mother was said to have exposed him under a laurel tree, where he was found by shepherds and named after the tree under which he was found.  He was also sometimes said to be Hermes' favourite or beloved rather than his son.
-Daphnis became a follower of the goddess [[Artemis]], accompanying her in hunting and entertaining her with his singing of pastoral songs and playing of the [[panpipes]]. A [[naiad]] (possibly Echenais or [[Nomia (mythology)|Nomia]]) was in love with him and promised to be faithful to him.  However, he was seduced, with the aid of wine, by the daughter of a king, and, in revenge, this nymph either blinded him<ref name=EB1911/> or turned him to stone.<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]], ''[[Bibliotheca historica|Historic Library]]'' [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/4D*.html#p83 4.84.1]</ref>
+Daphnis became a follower of the goddess [[Artemis]], accompanying her in hunting and entertaining her with his singing of pastoral songs and playing of the panpipes. A [[naiad]] (possibly Echenais or [[Nomia (mythology)|Nomia]]) was in love with him and prophesied that he would be blinded if he loved another woman. However, he was seduced, with the aid of wine, by the daughter of a king, and, in revenge, this nymph blinded him<ref name=EB1911/><ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]], [https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Diodorus_Siculus/4D*.html#84.1 4.84.1]</ref> or changed him into stone.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Metamorphoses]]'' 4.275 ff</ref><ref>Smith, s.v. Daphnis</ref>
+Daphnis, who endeavoured to console himself by playing the flute and singing herdsmen's songs, soon afterwards died. He fell from a cliff, or was changed into a rock, or was taken up to heaven by his father Hermes, who caused a spring of water to gush out from the spot where his son had been carried off.
-Daphnis, who endeavoured to console himself by playing the flute and singing shepherds' songs, soon afterwards died. He fell from a cliff, or was changed into a rock, or was taken up to heaven by his father Hermes, who caused a spring of water to gush out from the spot where his son had been carried off. Ever afterwards the [[Sicilian people|Sicilian]]s offered sacrifices at this spring as an expiatory offering for the youth's early death. There is little doubt that [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]] in his account follows [[Stesichorus]] of Himera, who in like manner had been blinded by the vengeance of a woman (Helen) and probably sang of the sufferings of Daphnis in his recantation. Nothing is said of Daphnis's blindness by Theocritus, who dwells on his amour with Nais; his victory over Menalcas in a poetical competition; his love for Xenea brought about by the wrath of Aphrodite; his wanderings through the woods while suffering the torments of unrequited love; his death just at the moment when Aphrodite, moved by compassion, endeavours (but too late) to save him; the deep sorrow, shared by nature and all created things, for his untimely end (Theocritus i. vii. viii.). A later form of the legend identifies Daphnis with a Phrygian hero, and makes him the teacher of Marsyas. The legend of Daphnis and his early death may be compared with those of [[Hyacinth (mythology)|Hyacinthus]], [[Narcissus (mythology)|Narcissus]], [[Linus (mythology)|Linus]] and [[Adonis]]—all beautiful youths cut off in their prime, typical of the luxuriant growth of vegetation in the spring, and its sudden withering away beneath the scorching summer sun.<ref>{{EB1911|wstitle=Daphnis|volume=7|page=826|inline=1}}</ref>
+Ever afterwards the [[Sicilian people|Sicilian]]s offered sacrifices at this spring as an expiatory offering for the youth's early death. There is little doubt that [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]] in his account follows [[Stesichorus]] of Himera, who in like manner had been blinded by the vengeance of a woman (Helen) and probably sang of the sufferings of Daphnis in his recantation. Nothing is said of Daphnis's blindness by Theocritus, who dwells on his amour with Nais; his victory over Menalcas in a poetical competition; his love for Xenea brought about by the wrath of Aphrodite; his wanderings through the woods while suffering the torments of unrequited love; his death just at the moment when Aphrodite, moved by compassion, endeavours (but too late) to save him; the deep sorrow, shared by nature and all created things, for his untimely end (Theocritus i. vii. viii.). A later form of the legend identifies Daphnis with a Phrygian hero, and makes him the teacher of Marsyas. The legend of Daphnis and his early death may be compared with those of [[Hyacinth (mythology)|Hyacinthus]], [[Narcissus (mythology)|Narcissus]], [[Linus (mythology)|Linus]] and [[Adonis]]—all beautiful youths cut off in their prime, typical of the luxuriant growth of vegetation in the spring, and its sudden withering away beneath the scorching summer sun.<ref>{{EB1911|wstitle=Daphnis|volume=7|page=826|inline=1}}</ref>
-Daphnis was also the name of a member of the group of Prophetic sisters, known as the [[Thriae]].
+==Daphnis (nymph)==
+The geographer [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] mentions a mountain nymph called Daphnís (Greek {{lang|grc|Δαφνίς}}, with a different accentuation). He writes: "Many and different are the stories told about Delphoi ([[Delphi]]), and even more so about the oracle of Apollo. For they say that in earliest times the oracular seat belonged to Ge (Gaea, the Earth), who appointed as prophetess Daphnis, one of the Nymphai (Nymphs) of the mountain [Mount Parnassos]." (Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'', 10.5.5, trans. Jones).
 ==Cultural depictions==
-* Daphnis is the subject of [[Theocritus]]'s first ''Idyll''.
+* Daphnis is the subject of [[Theocritus]]'s [[Idyll I|first ''Idyll'']], which describes his death.
+* [[Virgil]]'s [[Eclogue 5|Fifth Eclogue]] contains two songs sung by herdsmen, one lamenting the death of Daphnis, and the other celebrating his acceptance into heaven as a god. In his [[Eclogue 10|Tenth Eclogue]] he imagines his friend the poet [[Cornelius Gallus]] dying of love in [[Arcadia (utopia)|Arcadia]], taking parts of ''Idyll'' I as his model.
-* [[Longus]]'s prose tale of ''[[Daphnis and Chloe]]'' describes two children who grow up together and gradually develop mutual love, eventually marrying after many adventures.
-* [[Maurice Ravel]] wrote the 1912 ballet ''[[Daphnis et Chloé]]'' for [[Sergei Diaghilev]]'s [[Ballets Russes]]. The scenario was adapted by [[Michel Fokine]] from the romance by Longus.
+== Gallery ==
+<gallery widths="125" heights="150">
+File:Pan and Daphnis.jpg|Sculpture of [[Pan (mythology)|Pan]] teaching Daphnis to play the pan flute; ca. 100 B.C. Found in Pompeii
+File:Daphnis, Roman copy from a group from the 2nd century AD, Cinquantenaire Museum, Brussels.jpg|''Daphnis'', Roman copy from a group from the 2nd century AD at the [[Art & History Museum|Cinquantenaire Museum]]
+File:Pan and Daphnis, by Pieter Mulier, called Cavaliere Tempesta, c. 1668-1676, oil on canvas - Blanton Museum of Art - Austin, Texas - DSC07854.jpg|''Cavaliere Tempesta'' showing Pan and Daphnis by [[Pieter Mulier II|Pieter Mulier]], c. 1668-1676
+File:Arthur Lemon (1850-1912) - The Wooing of Daphnis - T07562 - Tate.jpg|''The Wooing of Daphnis'' by Arthur Lemon, 1881
+</gallery>
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 29: / Line 36: @@
 {{Commons category|Daphnis (mythology)}}
+{{Metamorphoses in Greco-Roman mythology}}
 {{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Children of Hermes]]
-[[Category:Sicilian characters in Greek mythology]]
+[[Category:Mythological Sicilians]]
-[[Category:Pan (god)]]
+[[Category:Metamorphoses into inanimate objects in Greek mythology]]
-[[Category:Metamorphoses in Greek mythology]]
+[[Category:LGBTQ themes in Greek mythology]]
-[[Category:LGBT themes in Greek mythology]]
+[[Category:Mythological hunters]]
-[[Category:Fictional hunters]]
+[[Category:Musicians in Greek mythology]]
-[[Category:Characters in Greek mythology]]
+[[Category:Retinue of Artemis]]
+[[Category:Consorts of Pan (god)]]

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