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Dafne

Dafne is the Italian form of Daphne, a figure in Greek mythology. In the myth, Daphne was a naiad, daughter of the river god Peneus. Pursued by the god Apollo, she begs for help and is transformed into a laurel tree to escape him. The story explains the association between Apollo and the laurel wreath, a symbol of honor and poetic achievement in ancient Greece and Rome. The tale appears in classical poetry and later adaptations, including Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Dafne also refers to an early stage work in the history of opera. Dafne, composed around 1598

As a given name, Dafne is used in Italian-speaking and other contexts as a feminine name, derived

by
Jacopo
Peri
with
a
libretto
by
Ottavio
Rinuccini,
is
generally
regarded
as
one
of
the
first
works
that
demonstrates
the
features
of
opera.
Although
most
of
the
score
is
lost,
it
influenced
the
development
of
the
genre
and
was
superseded
by
Euridice,
Peri’s
more
complete
opera
in
1600.
from
the
myth
of
Daphne
and
the
laurel
symbolic
of
victory.
It
is
encountered
in
literature
and
modern
naming.