A Greek spirit of the acanthus flower. She was once a nymph loved by Apollo the sun god. According to one myth, when she died Apollo transformed her into the sun loving acanthus plant. According to another myth she spurned him and scratched his face when he tried to rape her. In retribution he turned her into the plant. In yet another myth Acantha was a man who spurned Apollo’s advances and was turned into a nymph. Curiously, nymphs are associated with trees while the acanthus is a shrub or bush.