In Greek mythology

Greek mythology

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...

, Daphnis (from from δάφνη - daphne, "laurel" or "bay-tree") was a son of Hermes

Hermes

Hermes is the great messenger of the gods in Greek mythology and a guide to the Underworld. Hermes was born on Mount Kyllini in Arcadia. An Olympian god, he is also the patron of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of the cunning of thieves, of orators and...

 and a Sicilian

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

 nymph

Nymph

A nymph in Greek mythology is a female minor nature deity typically associated with a particular location or landform. Different from gods, nymphs are generally regarded as divine spirits who animate nature, and are usually depicted as beautiful, young nubile maidens who love to dance and sing;...

. A shepherd and flautist, he was the inventor of pastoral poetry. A naiad (possibly Echenais or Nomia

Nomia (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Nomia was a naiad. The Nomian Mountains were named after her. She may have been the nymph who loved Daphnis. Naiads are the beautiful nymphs of fresh water . They are debatedly daughters of Zeus or closely related to Oceanids....

) fell in love with him, but he was not faithful to her. In revenge, she either blinded him or turned him to stone. Pan

Pan (mythology)

Pan , in Greek religion and mythology, is the god of the wild, shepherds and flocks, nature, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music, as well as the companion of the nymphs. His name originates within the Greek language, from the word paein , meaning "to pasture." He has the hindquarters, legs,...

 also fell in love with him and taught him to play the pan pipes.

Daphnis was also the name of a member of the group of Prophetic sisters, known as the Thriae

Thriae

The Thriae or Thriai were nymphs, three virginal sisters, one of a number of such triads in Greek mythology who were able to see the future and interpret the signs of nature and omens, a gift they taught Apollo, who passed it to Hermes...

.

Longus

Longus

Longus, sometimes Longos , was the author of an ancient Greek novel or romance, Daphnis and Chloe. Very little is known of his life, and it is assumed that he lived on the isle of Lesbos during the 2nd century AD...

's legend of Daphnis and Chloe

Daphnis and Chloe

Daphnis and Chloe is the only known work of the 2nd century AD Greek novelist and romancer Longus.-Setting and style:It is set on the isle of Lesbos during the 2nd century AD, which is also assumed to be the author's home. Its style is rhetorical and pastoral; its shepherds and shepherdesses are...

describes two children who grow up together and gradually develop mutual love, eventually marrying after many adventures.

External links

• Daphnis Encyclopedia Britannica
• The Death of Daphnis A poem by Theocritus