Apollo, the God of Sun, son of the God Zeus, King of all other Gods, rounded away every morning with his golden horse car driven by four celestial horses. One day when he yet rounded with his golden horse car, he met baby-faced Eros, the God of Love, who has in his hand his arrows and arches. Apollo who saw the arrows and archs in the hand of Eros he could not keep himself and said to the God of Love “O the God of Love, What have
you to do with this warlike weapons. If you give me them I will use them in battle fields. You know my arches can strike everything” Angry with these words Eros, the God of Love, said to Apollo “O the God of Sun, stronger and intelligent Apollo! Your arrows can strike all thing else but do not forget that my arrows shall strike you”
and left there thinking to take revenge one day.

     One fine day when Apollo wandered in his country in the verdures, he saw the beautiful Daphne, the water nymph, who rounded alone in the wood. When he saw her all his body started to shake. Rapt
he started to follow the water nymph whose beauty aroused the goddesses’ jealousy. Eros, the God of Love, who followed these regards, thought that the revenge time was come and he took arrow, which repels love through his arrows that only gods of love can see, and plunged it in the heart of Daphne. The heart of Daphne, in which celestial arrow of Eros was plunged was closed to the love in the world. Eros shut the arrow, which excites love taking out from its quiver to the heart of Apollo and left there. Daphne refused from that day to
get married despite the insistence of her family. This beautiful water nymph rounded every day in the wood fascinating all immortals. Apollo rounded every day in the wood and followed secretly this fascinating beauty.

     Yet neither his success in the battles nor his being sharpshooter satisfied Apollo. By the day Apollo who could not let it with following Daphne from away, he crossed her path; Daphne who saw the God Apollo crossing her path suddenly was afraid of and started to run away. Realizing that Daphne ran away from him, Apollo started to chase her with love words. Due to the effect of the arrow repelling love in her heart, Daphne was more afraid
and continued to run away faster. Then she was tired of running and could not run away more, Daphne started to feel the celestial respiration of Apollo on her nape. Her legs shaking for fatigue and could not carry her body. She
stopped suddenly and scratched the ground and hauled “Dear Mother  Nature cover me, keep me, protect me” After this so candid appeal her body started suddenly to become heavier, her feet slided into the ground depth, her body making jealouse all immortal women became crusted, her hair, which made all immortals’ head turned became leaves. Her thin, soft arms became long and turned into branches. The beautiful Daphne
was transformed into a laurel tree.

     Apollo stood amazed before was he had seen and did not know what to do, he embraced the laurel tree and said “ O the most beautiful, I had love you a lot, you did not want me. After then you will be my
honour tree and all heroes will be decorated with your branches. I will make from leaves of this tree that are from your odorous hair a crown for my head” Before these intimate and fair words Daphne, turned into a laurel tree, yielded with respects to Apollo. So the place of this celestial love story has taken place is nowadays Harbiye of Antakya, the waterfalls of Harbiye are the tears of Apollo....