{i} nymph who was changed into a laurel tree (Classical Mythology); laurel (evergreen shrub); female first name
in ancient Greek stories, a nymph whom the god Apollo fell in love with. When he tried to have sex with her, she ran away, praying to the goddess of the Earth to save her, and so she was changed into a laurel tree. In Greek mythology, the personification of the laurel tree. The beautiful daughter of a river god, Daphne lived a pastoral existence and rejected every lover. When Apollo pursued her, she prayed to Gaea or to her father to save her, whereupon she was transformed into a laurel. Apollo took its leaves to weave garlands that were thenceforth awarded to prize-winning poets. Daphne's other pursuer was Leucippus, who was killed because of Apollo's jealousy
(Greek mythology) a nymph who was transformed into a laurel tree to escape the amorous Apollo
(Greek mythology) a nymph who was transformed into a laurel tree to escape the amorous Apollo any of several ornamental shrubs with shiny mostly evergreen leaves and clusters of small bell-shaped flowers
born May 13, 1907, London, Eng. died April 19, 1989, Par, Cornwall British novelist and playwright. Granddaughter of George du Maurier and daughter of the actor-manager Sir Gerald Du Maurier (1873-1934), she is best known for the romantic gothic suspense novel Rebecca (1938), one of many successful tales set on the wild coast of Cornwall. Her other novels include Jamaica Inn (1936), Frenchman's Creek (1942), and My Cousin Rachel (1951). Her story "The Birds," like Jamaica Inn and Rebecca, was filmed by Alfred Hitchcock