Apollo and Daphne (Apolo e Dafne)

Apollo, the most beautiful of the Olympian gods, patron of the arts, music and medicine, fell in love with the nymph Daphne, due to an arrow shot by Eros. By intervention of another Eros’s arrow, the young nymph did not return the god’s love enthusiasm and ran away. Apollo pursued the nymph while she asked her father, Peneus, to transform her into a laurel tree.

This would thus become Apollo’s favorite tree.

Apolo, o mais belo dos deuses do Olimpo, patrono das artes, música e medicina, apaixonou-se pela ninfa Dafne, devido a seta lançada por Eros. Por intervenção doutra flecha de Eros a jovem não correspondeu ao seu entusiasmo amoroso e fugiu. O deus correu para apanhar a ninfa e esta pediu a Peneu, seu pai, que a transformasse em loureiro. Esta passou a ser a árvore predilecta de Apolo.

John William Waterhouse (1849-1917)-'Apollo and Daphne'-oil on canvas Private collection

Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)-'Apollo and Daphne'-oil on canvas-1625 Paris-Musée du Louvre

Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1443-1496)-'Apollo and Daphne'-oil on canvas-(1470-1480) London-National Gallery

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696-1770)-'Apollo pursuing Daphne'-oil on canvas-(1755-1760) Paris-Musée du Louvre

Cornelis de Vos (1584-1651)-'Apollo chasing Daphne'-oil on canvas Madrid-Museo del Prado

Apolo e a Piton (Apollo and Python)

A terrível serpente Piton nascera do lodo da Terra depois do grande dilúvio. Hera enviou-a para Delfos com a missão de perseguir a ninfa Latona, deusa da noite clara, por esta se encontrar grávida de Zeus. Instalou-se junto da Fonte de Castália ou do esquecimento onde Apolo a abateu com as suas flechas. Enterrou-a junto ao Onfalos ou umbigo do Mundo.
Python, the terrible serpent, was born from the slime of the goddess Earth after the great flood. Hera sent her to Delphi with the mission of pursuing the nymph Leto, goddess of the clear night, as she was pregnant by Zeus. She settled near Castalia Spring or Forgetting Spring where Apollo slew her with his arrows. He buried her near Omphalos or Navel of the World.

Eugène-Victor-Ferdinand Delacroix (1780-1867)-'Apollo slaying Python'-oil on mounted canvas-1851 Paris-Musée du Louvre

Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)-'Apollo and Python'-oil on canvas-1811 London-Tate Gallery

Gustave Moreau (1826-1898)-'Apollo vanquishing the serpent Python'-

Antonio Tempesta (1555-1630)-'Apollo killing the Python (Python ab Apolline interficitur)'

Marcantonio Franceschini (1648-1729)-'Apollo und Diana töten den Python'-öl auf Leinwand-(1692-1707) Wien-Liechtenstein Museum