In Greek mythology, Daphne was transformed into a laurel tree to escape Apollo.
The myth says Apollo fell in love with Daphne after being struck by one of Eros’s arrows. Daphne, who had chosen a life devoted to hunting and independence, rejected Apollo’s pursuit. As he caught up with her, she called on her father, the river god Peneus, or on another divine power in variant accounts, to save her. She was transformed into a laurel tree.
Apollo then made the laurel sacred to himself. Laurel wreaths became symbols of Apollo and were awarded to victors in the Pythian Games at Delphi. The story also became a major subject for later European artists and poets, including Ovid.
Daphne is sometimes confused with the nymph Lotis, who was transformed into a lotus tree in another myth. Daphne’s defining transformation is specifically into laurel.