In the myth, Apollo falls madly in love with Daphne, a woman sworn to remain a virgin. Apollo hunts Daphne who refuses to accept his advances. Right at the moment he catches her, she turns into a laurel tree, a scene famously depicted in Bernini's Apollo and Daphne sculpture.
Apollo pursued Daphne and when she was tired of running she called for help to her father, who turned her into a laurel tree. Apollo adorned himself with laurel leaves and called it his special symbol, which explains why the laurel tree is associated with the god Apollo in Greek myth.
She rejected every lover, including Apollo. When the god pursued her, Daphne prayed to the Earth or to her father to rescue her, whereupon she was transformed into a laurel. Apollo appropriated the laurel for poets and, in Rome, for triumphs.
It is said that Daphne was the first love of Apollo but unfortunately the girl never responded his love. It was not usual or possible for a nymph or a mortal woman in the Greek mythology to resist to the love of a god, but Daphne did so and in fact, she lost her life trying to escape this love.
Greek Mythology states that Apollo had been mocking the God of Love, Eros (also known as Cupid). In retaliation, Eros fired two arrows: a gold arrow that struck Apollo and made him fall in love with Daphne, and a lead arrow that made Daphne hate Apollo.
Apollo's love for Daphne was so strong that the god of prophecy was unable to foretell his future but still, his emotions were uncontrollable. He approached the nymph whom he now saw more beautiful and virtuous than she actually was.
Apollo's first love was Daphne, daughter of the river Peneus. It was not blind chance that caused this, but the wicked anger of Cupid. One day the Delian god, Apollo, flushed with pride at his recent killing of the serpent Python, saw Cupid bending his bow, its string drawn tight. 'Saucy lad!'
He was unlucky in love
Apollo had many lovers, both male, and female, but he never seemed to have any relationship last. For all his weakness for nymphs and beautiful mortals, very few were willing to receive his advances.
Things you can learn from Apollo and Daphne myth – Moral lesson. There are apparently multiple moral lessons to be learned from this story. It is said Apollo's story should teach you to let go. Daphne's is said to be a lesson for those who are stubborn.
Muses, the nine goddesses of arts, poetry, and song were all his lovers.
The most celebrated of his loves were the nymph Daphne, princess Koronis (Coronis), huntress Kyrene (Cyrene) and youth Hyakinthos (Hyacinthus). The stories of Apollo's lovers Daphne and Kyrene can be found on their own separate pages--see the Apollo pages sidebar.
Daphne rejected Apollo because Eros, the God of Love, had pricked her with a lead arrow. The lead arrow causes her to resist Apollo's advances.
Apollo was the lover of all the Muses. He loved them all equally and since he couldn't marry all nine of them, he decided to remain unwed.
The most famous, however, were Daphne, a nymph Apollo fell in love with after being struck with Cupid's arrow (but Daphne didn't like him, having been shot with a leaden arrow that caused her to be repulsed by Apollo, so her father, the river god Peneus, turned her into a laurel tree to save her from the god's advances ...
Asclepius is said to have been Apollo's favorite demigod child. Asclepius became even more skilled in medicine than his father Apollo, most likely because he devoted all of his time to it.
Nymphs were Apollo's weaknesses and he was considered unlucky in love. Apollo was involved in several relationships, but never got married. He was also one of the twelve Olympians. Apollo could be cruel, but he was known to be kind to his sister and mother.
Apollo is a masculine name of Greek origin that will definitely bring out baby's badass side. While this name means “destroyer,” Apollo is a figure that is iconic in Greek and Roman mythology.
There are many stories about Apollo's many female lovers, he supposedly was the lover of all nine of the muses along with a collection of nymphs, princesses, queens, and beautiful young women. But Apollo didn't stop with the many many women he loved.
Apollo bragged to Cupid that his bow was bigger than Cupid's. Angered by the insult, Cupid shot him with a golden love arrow causing Apollo to fall in love with the first person he saw. Cupid then shot Daphne with a lead-tipped arrow causing her to be impervious to love.
The story goes that one day, Apollo was throwing a discus with Hyacinth. Either through his own mistake or through the jealous intervention of Zephyrus, Apollo threw the discus and hit Hyacinthus in the head with it, killing him. Unwilling to let his lover die, Apollo made flowers grow from his spilled blood.
Apollo had many love affairs, though most had unfortunate endings.
She was married to Hephaistos (god of fire and metalworking) but was famously caught sleeping with Ares (god of war). Other divine lovers included Dionysos (god of wine) and Hermes (god of travel and commerce), from whom she gave birth to the fertility deities Priapos and Hermaphroditos, respectively.