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NARCISSUS


CONTENTS




DEFINITION

by Mark Cartwright
published on 05 March 2023
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Available in other languages: French, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish, Turkish
Narcissus
Caravaggio (Public Domain)

Narcissus is a figure from Greek mythology who was so impossibly handsome that
he fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water. Even the lovely
nymph Echo could not tempt him from his self-absorption. Narcissus' name lives
on as the flower into which he was transformed and as a synonym for those
obsessed with their own appearance.


NARCISSUS & HIS REFLECTION

Narcissus was born in Thespiae in Boeotia, the son of Cephissus (the
personification of the Boeotian river of the same name) and the nymph Liriope.
His mother was warned one day by the seer Teiresias that her son would live a
long life as long as 'he never knows himself.' As he reached his teenage years,
the handsome youth never found anyone that could pull his heartstrings, indeed,
he left in his wake a long trail of distressed and broken-hearted maidens, and
one or two young men fell by the wayside too. Then, one day, he chanced to see
his own reflection in a pool of water and, thus, discovered the ultimate in
unrequited love and fell in love with himself. Naturally, this one-way
relationship went nowhere, and Narcissus, unable to draw himself away from the
pool, pined away in despair until he finally died of thirst and starvation.
Immortality, at least of a kind, was assured, though, when his corpse (or in
some versions the blood from his self-inflicted stab wound) turned into the
flowers which, thereafter, bore his name.

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Immortality, at least of a kind, was assured, though, when Narcissus' corpse or
blood turned into the flowers which, thereafter, bore his name.


NARCISSUS & ECHO

Another version of the myth appears in the work of the Roman writer Ovid. In
this telling, Narcissus is as handsome as ever but cruelly refuses the advances
of Echo. The lovely nymph, heartbroken, wastes away and dies with only her voice
remaining to echo her plight. As a punishment for his neglect, Narcissus is then
killed. Another version has Echo punished by Hera because she kept the goddess
distracted with stories while the lovers of her husband Zeus, the mountain
nymphs, escaped Mt. Olympus without notice. This explains why Echo could only
repeat what others said to her. It is Echo in this form that Narcissus comes
across one day while hunting deer in the forest. After a useless exchange of
repeated words and statements, Echo tries to embrace the youth, but he rejects
her and dashes off back home. Echo then pines away in the forest so that her
body eventually perishes and only her voice remains.

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Narcissus Flowers
Johnathan J. Stegeman (GNU FDL)



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AMEINIUS & ARTEMIS

Other stories which diverge from the original myth have Narcissus, like with the
Echo story, play the role of a mean rejector of suitors. One of the youth's most
ardent admirers was Ameinius, but Narcissus merely sent him a sword to do away
with himself, which he did. On dying, Ameinius cursed the object of his unbound
affections and asked the gods to punish him. Artemis responds to the request -
perhaps showing a dislike for rival hunters – and compels Narcissus to
tragically fall in love with his reflection.


NARCISSUS IN ART & CULTURE

Unlike for Greek artists, the Roman version of Narcissus and Echo was a very
popular subject in Roman art and is seen in almost 50 wall paintings at Pompeii
alone. Renaissance art also took a shine to Narcissus; the story involving light
and reflection proved irresistible to Caravaggio, who captured the myth in his
celebrated 16th-century CE oil painting. Finally, his name lives on today in
psychoanalysis where narcissism refers to the personality disorder of excessive
self-admiration and preoccupation with one's appearance.

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Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

 * Graves, R. The Greek Myths. Penguin UK, 2011.
 * Hope Moncrieff, A.R. Classical Mythology. Senate, 1996
 * Hornblower, S. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford University Press,
   2012.

World History Encyclopedia is an Amazon Associate and earns a commission on
qualifying book purchases.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Cartwright
Mark is a full-time author, researcher, historian, and editor. Special interests
include art, architecture, and discovering the ideas that all civilizations
share. He holds an MA in Political Philosophy and is the WHE Publishing
Director.



TRANSLATIONS

French Persian Portuguese Spanish Turkish

We want people all over the world to learn about history. Help us and translate
this definition into another language!


QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

WAS NARCISSUS A NARCISSIST?

Narcissus was a narcissist because he was impossibly handsome and fell in love
with his own reflection.

WHAT GREEK GOD IS NARCISSUS?

Narcissus is not a god but an impossibly handsome youth from Greek mythology.

WHY IS THE FLOWER NAMED AFTER NARCISSUS?

The Narcissus flower is named after the handsome youth Narcissus from Greek
mythology because when he died, his body, according to the story, was
transformed into the yellow flower.


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RECOMMENDED BOOKS

 * The Greek Myths: The Complete And Definitive Edition
   Written by Graves, Robert, published by Penguin UK (2011)
   $180.67

 * Narcissus and Goldmund
   Written by Hermann Hesse & Ursule Molinaro, published by Bantam (1984)
   $7.99

 * Narcissus & Goldmund
   Written by Anonymous, published by Penguin Classics (1998)
   $15.49

 * Narcissus
   Written by Tsai, Ariel, published by New Degree Press (2022)
   $15.99

 * Narcissus
   Written by Bagoo, Andre, published by Broken Sleep Books (2022)
   $10.99

The Greek Myths: The Complete And Definitive Edition
Written by Graves, Robert, published by Penguin UK (2011)
$180.67
World History Encyclopedia is an Amazon Associate and earns a commission on
qualifying book purchases.


CITE THIS WORK

APA STYLE

Cartwright, M. (2023, March 05). Narcissus. World History Encyclopedia.
Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Narcissus/

CHICAGO STYLE

Cartwright, Mark. "Narcissus." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March
05, 2023. https://www.worldhistory.org/Narcissus/.

MLA STYLE

Cartwright, Mark. "Narcissus." World History Encyclopedia. World History
Encyclopedia, 05 Mar 2023. Web. 19 Jun 2023.


LICENSE & COPYRIGHT

Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 05 March 2023. The copyright holder
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