DaphneChristian Male Biblical name meaning

In Greek mythology, Daphne was a nymph who was beloved by Apollo. She rejected his advances, and in order to escape him, she asked her father, the river god Ladon, to turn her into a tree. Apollo, distraught by her rejection, is said to have touched her with his arrows, transforming her into a laurel tree. The myth is believed to have originated in the 7th century BC, and is a common theme in ancient Greek literature and art.

7th century BC

The name Daphne was also borne by Saint Daphne of Constantinople, a Christian martyr who lived during the 3rd century AD. She was the daughter of a pagan nobleman named Patekios, and was secretly a Christian. When her father discovered her faith, he tried to force her to sacrifice to the pagan gods. When she refused, she was beaten and then burned at the stake. Her body was miraculously unharmed, and she was eventually beheaded. Her remains were taken to the island of Cyprus, where a church was built in her honor.

3rd century AD