Daphne is a figure from ancient Greek mythology, known as a beautiful naiad (water nymph) and the daughter of the river god Peneus. Her story is most famously told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. According to the myth, the god Apollo fell deeply in love with Daphne after being struck by one of Eros’s golden arrows. However, Daphne, struck by a lead-tipped arrow that caused aversion, wished to remain free and untouched.

As Apollo pursued her relentlessly, Daphne prayed to her father for escape. In response, she was transformed into a laurel tree just as Apollo reached her. Heartbroken, Apollo declared the laurel sacred to him, wearing its leaves as a crown.

The painting “Daphne’s Whisper” captures a poetic moment of stillness — the serene beauty of Daphne in her final moments as a human, her hair already transforming into laurel branches, as if the forest itself is whispering her fate. This piece blends myth, nature, and emotion into a timeless portrayal of transformation and unspoken longing.