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National Geographic : 1920 Aug
Contents
ANTIOCH THE GLORIOUS used to be attended by a bevy of beauti ful maidens. This goddess and her maids loved the mountain valleys, the wooded hillsides, the springs and streams. APOLLO'S ADVENTURE WITH THE NYMPH DAPHNE Apollo, happening one day to be in this beautiful valley, presumably to pay a visit to his huntress sister, chanced to spy the beautiful nymph Daphne. She espied Apollo at the same instant and set off in a wild flight down the valley. Of course, Apollo followed hard. She prayed to her mother, Earth, for protec tion, with the result that she was changed at once into a laurel. Imagine being in pursuit of a beautiful maiden only to have one's eager arms embrace the cruel branches of a bush! The laurel was ever after sacred to Apollo, and with its leaves he crowned the victors in the games. The valley where this incident occurred was named Daphne in honor of the nymph and was held sacred to Apollo and Diana. When the god started in pursuit of Daphne he was so eager that he carelessly threw down the handful of arrows which he carried. From one of these arrows the golden point was broken and re mained hidden in the earth until the time of Seleucus Nicator. By the pawing of the conqueror's horse this golden arrow head was uncovered. What finally became of this prize is not recorded; but proof of the incident is deduced on certain coins of Antioch showing Apollo aiming an arrow into the earth. At any rate, this incident caused Seleucus to build a magnificent temple to Apollo on this spot. Daphne henceforth became such a center of worship and pleasure that Antioch was at times re ferred to as "Antioch near Daphne." This temple of Apollo, embowered in a cypress grove, was built with splendid columns at both front and back and with numerous columns inside. Its walls and pavements were of beautifully colored marble and the roof and ceiling were of cedar; but the chief feature of the tem ple was the colossal statue of Apollo, made of wood and marble. All the ex posed parts of the body were of gleaming white, but the portions covered by the robe were of wood. At the side of the statue hung a cithera, rich with gold and gems, which the god touched with the fingers of one hand, while the half-open lips seemed to breathe forth a song. The other hand held a golden saucer, from which Apollo was about to drink or to pour forth a libation to Mother Earth. The whole statue was richly decorated and was considered one of the finest works of art in this part of the world. Just when the statue was completed is not known, but certainly not later than the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, as it appears on his coins. It was finally de stroyed by fire in the reign of the Em peror Julian. MANY EXCESSES MARKED THE FESTIVITIES AT DAPHNE It would be difficult indeed to present an adequate account of the worship, the abuses and the excesses of this shrine of Daphne. Truly the place, in its natural surroundings and in its elaborate decora tions, was beautiful beyond description. The mountain slopes were covered with groves of cypress; the valley was green with clumps of laurel bushes; the banks were soft with grass and bright with flowers. The valley was sheltered from the winter storms, yet in the spring and summer soft breezes tempered the warmer air; and above all there was the water, splashing in fountains, foaming in picturesque cascades, rushing through a narrow gorge, quietly slipping by some little island, and always filling the air with a delightful coolness. Add to this background of nature every fascination that the art and ingenuity of man could devise and Daphne became a place alluring, delightful, voluptuous. But there was more than nature and art; there was also life. The temples and groves were peopled, not with gods, goddesses, and nymphs, for they were represented in statues of gold and marble, but with men and women, priests and priestesses, rendering this most beautiful spot a scene of vital activity. It is difficult for us to imagine the splendor of the service in an ancient heathen temple. At Daphne, the flaming altar, the smoking censer, the ministering priests in gaily-colored robes of symbolic
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