Acantha 77184 224333971 2008-07-08T11:39:10Z EyeSerene 2209582 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Necrom|Necrom]] ([[User talk:Necrom|talk]]) to last version by Waacstats {{otheruses|Acanthus}} '''Acantha''' ([[Ancient Greek language|Greek]] ''akantha'', "thorny") was a minor character in [[Greek mythology]]. She was a [[nymph]] loved by [[Apollo]], the sun god. In one version of the story, Acantha refused Apollo's advances and scratched his face when he tried to rape her. Apollo then turned her into an [[acanthus (genus)|acanthus]] plant.<ref>[http://www.paleothea.com/Nymphs.html Women in Greek Myths, "Acantha"], accessed on 11 June 2006.</ref> According to ''Encyclopedia Mythica'', she was the guardian spirit of the acanthus "tree" after being turned into the "sun-loving herb" upon her death.<ref>[http://www.pantheon.org/areas/mythology/europe/greek/articles.html Encyclopedia Mythica, "Acantha"], accessed 11 June 2006</ref> Another version features Acantha as a mortal man who returned Apollo's advances.<ref>[http://www.oedilf.com/db/Lim.php?Word=Acantha OEDILF "Acantha"]</ref> The matter of Acantha's identity is further confused by the fact that the [[acanthus (genus)|acanthus]] plant is not a tree, but a shrub or bush, and therefore is unlikely to have had a nymph associated with it. This may simply indicate that it was perceived to be a tree at the time the myth was created.{{Fact|date:March 2008|date=March 2008}} ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Greek mythology]] [[Category:Indo-European mythology]] [[Category:Nymphs]] {{Greek-deity-stub}} [[fr:Acanthe (nymphe)]] [[it:Acanto (mitologia)]] [[nl:Acantha]]