From the shadows of the ancient ones we have the story of a water nymph who was in love with a god. In many stories a god might fall for a willing maiden but the woman of this story, Clytie, was in love with an unwilling god, Apollo. Apollo had a very complicated personality, one full of contradiction. Often Apollo is described as a handsome, beardless man, with a wreath of leaves perched upon his curly hair. Driving a chariot pulled by fire-breathing horses, Apollo was the god of light, a protector from darkness and evil, and the god of truth, one who could not speak a lie. Among the gods, Apollo could also be considered one of the closest to human, disguising himself as a crane when on visits to the mortal world. For those he truly cared for he would do anything. God or no god, Apollo was often unlucky. Jealousy, unrequited love, and bad luck plagued his life. He was notorious for being hurt by women he was attracted to and also for causing punishment on others he did not want in his life. Much has been handed down regarding Apollo, while Clytie remains something of a mystery. I imagine how Clytie, curious about the sun, left the safety of her home to discover for herself this wonder. It must be told how Clytie was not a purely angelic maiden -- she had caused another woman grief regarding her bid for Apollo’s attention and love. However, Clytie, smitten with something she could not have still dared to hope she would impress and capture the love of this god. When Apollo found nothing to love in Clytie, it is said that he threw her violently from the sky towards earth, and then cruelly ignored her. Clytie, golden hair unbound, sat on the soil, where she could watch him throughout the day. She turned her face, from east to west, following his travels across the sky. Just as many believe a crane takes nine steps before flying, after nine days of unyielding grief, Clytie died of her love for Apollo. They say her limbs rooted in the ground while her face became a flower -- the sunflower that to this day turns its face towards the sun. In the autumn, head drooped; seeds drop to the ground, tears of a sad love. Some say this story is not true, while others, like me, believe that when it comes to the gods anything is possible. Twisting her own desire to be loved into painful sacrifice, Clytie erred in believing that being loved was more important than the capacity to give love.