Daphne (#109)
A laurel wreath (de: Lorbeerkranz) is usually worn as a symbol of triumph. But have you ever wondered where this symbolism comes from?
As usually, it's about Greek mythology. It involves two gods and the nymph Daphne. On one side, there’s Apollo, the god of sports, music and poetry. And on the other side, there's Eros, the god of love and the one with the bow and arrow. One day, Apollo started to mock Eros for his bow-skills and Eros decided to take revenge. Eros shot one golden covered arrow at Apollo and one leaden (de: bleiern) arrow at Daphne. (Why at her? No Idea, I guess she was pretty and by accident standing nearby?)
This resulted in the constellation, where Apollo fell madly in love with Daphne but she hated his guts. Apollo however didn't take a no for an answer and pursued Daphne relentlessly. After an exhausting chase, when Apollo finally captured her, she begged her father (the river god Peneus) for freeing her and he turned her into a laurel tree.
Apollos reaction to that according to Ovid? "If you can't be my bride, you can certainly be my tree."1
So much for the laurel as a symbol of triumph.
Ovid, Metamorphoseon, Liber I:
557Â cui deus 'at, quoniam coniunx mea non potes esse,
558Â arbor eris certe' dixit 'mea! [...]