Once the god of light - a compelling Apollo - fell out with the young god of love and inseparable companion of Aphrodite Eros.Apollo showed his disregard for arrows of Eros and underlined their superiority over him, believing that only his arrows can really hit the enemy.
Offended, Eros Apollo said that his arm is able to strike anyone, even the Apollo, and proof of that, he soared high on Mount Parnassus.He took out an arrow of love and let her into the heart of Apollo, he then took a second arrow - the love of killing, and it pierced the heart of the beautiful nymph Daphne - the daughter of the river god foam.
After a while Apollo Daphne met and immediately fell in love with it, because the arrow of love, Eros released from the bow, struck his heart.Daphne as she saw Apollo, ran away to escape, injuring the foot spikes of thorns, because the arrow that kills love hit right on target - in her heart.
Apollo was puzzled by the fact that Daphne began to flee from it.He ran after her and asked to stay by appealing to the fact that he is not a mere mortal.But Daphne and ran, knocking out power, begged his father for help.She asked him about his father to pay it into something else, so as not to suffer from its present appearance.Immediately Daphne froze with their hands up, her body covered bark, raised up his hands turned into a branch, and her hair turned into leaves, and Apollo saw a laurel tree.
Standing in front of him, stung by Apollo ordered him to spell.He wished to remain evergreen laurel leaves and decorated with his head.According to legend, there was a tree and laurel, and the laurel wreath of the winner and became a symbol of glory.
In the ancient peoples of the laurel was of great importance.The Romans and Greeks believed that the laurel wreath can protect against disease and against lightning strikes.He served as a symbol of purification and can cleanse the soul of the murderer.According to legend, Apollo was a wreath of laurel tree helped remove the sin from the soul after the murder of Python - the dragon guarding the entrance to the oracle of the temple of Apollo.
In ancient Greece, the winners in the Olympic Games award were laurel wreaths.The Romans awarded their warriors who defeated the enemy.So, in all official ceremonies attended Julius Caesar with a laurel wreath on his head.Many kings minted coins on its own image of the country where their head was decorated with a laurel wreath.Thus, they pointed to its superiority over all others.
as a symbol of immortality laurel grove covers Mount Parnassus, where according to legend found its home Muse - daughter of the god Zeus and the goddess Harmony.Laurel wreath served as inspiration in poetry, painting and fine arts, and outstanding representatives of arts awarded with wreaths of laurel.This gave rise to the term "winner" - the owner of a laurel wreath
In ancient Greece, Rome and the main decals are laurel wreath.They were awarded the winners in the competitions or battles.After awarding a person an award-winning, relaxed, calm, vigilant, bathed in its glory.From here went the phrase "rest on our laurels."
