La Dafne prominent figure throughout the composition, at times adding to the action of the story and at other times, providing reflective commentary. The prologue is delivered by the poet Ovid as he sings the text: When the opera proper begins, the god Apollo slays the Python, a monster which has been terrifying the Greek island of Delos. Cupid and Venus are unimpressed by Apollo’s boasting and about his conquest and his feelings of being invincible. Because of this, they plot revenge on Apollo. Cupid shoots two arrows, the first of which makes Apollo fall in love with the nymph Daphne, daughter
Ceylon tree nymph ground. It usually rests on the ends of dead branches or twigs. Mating occurs at ground level and the male and female fly together for an hour or more before mating. The male releases pheromones and other chemicals from its hair-pencils to stimulate the female. These include danaidone, a poisonous substance that helps to protect it from predators, which is later passed on to the eggs. The early stages of life of the Ceylon tree nymph are not well recorded. One account by naturalists Lionel de Nicéville and N. Manders dating from about 1900 describes the larva as "velvety black