Modern-Day Myth

Marcus and Daphne

Many have wondered about the metal rods that sit atop the houses of our modern-day world. For whatever reason, the rods are a mystery to us, yet no one seems to doubt that they are there for a reason. There are few of us who know the true story behind how the rods came to be—why they stand erect with their long and intricate branches of steel where blue birds come to perch and sing to us. I, myself, am one of the few who know the truth, for the story was passed on to me by my mother, Ceres, the goddess of the earth.

Quite some time ago, my mother knew a god by the name of Zeus, the god of lightning. Zeus loved a nymph by the name of Daphne who took no greater pleasure than in enjoying the fields of nature, and he loved her as a father would love a daughter, for she was his favorite. Many men loved Daphne’s innocence and naiveté, yet they knew that she was still too young to be courted, and many waited patiently for the day when they could call her their own. They were drawn to Daphne because she was a friend of the blue birds, as she would sing to them and they would sing to her. Each day, she sat in the fields for hours, picking wild flowers as the birds surrounded her and admired her innocent beauty.

One day, a man by the name of Marcus was passing through the fields where Daphne liked to spend the warm afternoons, and he stumbled across her in a thicket of reeds. “Excuse me my dear girl, I did not see you and am surprised to find you here. What are you doing so far from your home?” said Marcus. And Daphne replied, “I come here every day when it is warm, for it is my favorite way to spend the time, in this field, with the bluebirds and the flowers.” Daphne turned her head to look at Marcus, and it was then that Marcus saw Daphne’s face, with her bright green eyes, pink cheeks, and golden hair wrapped in a garland of daisies. It was then that Marcus loved her.

Marcus knew what he must do. “It seems that you should not be out in this field on your own, my lady, for you can never know if the wolves are wandering about. Come with me to my palace, where I can give you such luxuries that you can scarcely believe, and please, tell me your name.” Daphne replied sternly, “My name is Daphne, and I do not wish to come with you. For I am happiest when I am here, in these reeds with the blue birds, and they will warn me of any wolves.” But when Daphne said this, it did not matter to Marcus, for he had already decided that he would take her by force if she did not comply. Without warning, Marcus seized Daphne by the arm and carried her against her will. He carried her all the way to his palace, far from the fields that she had begun to call home.

My mother, Ceres, witnessed all this, as she often watched over Daphne when she played in the fields. When Marcus had taken Daphne and disappeared, my mother went immediately to Zeus and relayed what had happened. As you can imagine, Zeus was angered by this news and swore revenge. He struck Marcus’ palace with lightning bolts that same night, demanding that he return Daphne to her rightful home. In his pride and stubbornness, Marcus refused, and the lightning burned his palace to the ground. He barely escaped the palace alive, as he rode off in his carriage with Daphne screaming to the forest for someone to save her.

But no one heard her—not even my mother, and Marcus took her to his palace in another land, where Zeus would not find them for at least a little time. The next night, Marcus called upon Vulcan, the Smith God, son of Zeus and exiled from Heaven by his father. Marcus pleaded for Vulcan to help, for Marcus knew that he did not have much time before Zeus would find them. In his thirst for revenge against his father, Vulcan agreed to help Marcus, as even his selfish motives overrode the anguish written on Daphne’s face.

Vulcan explained to Marcus the only weakness that Zeus’ lightning bolts had ever met—metal. He explained that if he propped a metal rod onto the top of his palace, Zeus could never harm him. The lightning would strike the metal and disappear, rendering the bolts useless. Vulcan did indeed create this rod for Marcus, and his plan worked without fault. Zeus could not harm Marcus, and could not persuade him to release Daphne from his palace. For this reason, every house has a lightning rod atop its roof, as Zeus still searches for the means by which to free Daphne. In his most angry and unpredictable moments, Zeus will strike. The metal rods protect us from his wrath until he can find his beloved Daphne. Some still believe that she waits for someone to rescue her, peering out of a window in Marcus’ palace, watching and listening to the blue birds sing atop Marcus’ lightning rod.