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Effective URL: https://www.worldhistory.org/Narcissus/
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Facebook Membership No ads * Encyclopedia * Index * Timeline * Maps * Book Reviews * Weights & Measures * Translations * Education * Teaching Materials * Link Database * Quizzes * Primary Sources * Collections * School Subscription * Media * Media Library * Audio Articles * Podcast * Youtube Channel * Contribute * Submissions * Needed Content * Style Guide * Terms & Conditions * Volunteer * Donate * Shop * Books * Magazines * Posters * Clothing * About * About * Our Team * Annual Reports * Membership * Donate * Contact * Login * Login * Register NARCISSUS CONTENTS DEFINITION by Mark Cartwright published on 05 March 2023 2Save Listen to this article X 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. Remove Ads ADVERTISEMENT 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. YouTube Follow us on YouTube! Narcissus Flowers Johnathan J. Stegeman (GNU FDL) Remove Ads ADVERTISEMENT 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. Love History? Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! Did you like this definition? Related Content Books Cite This Work License Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication. Remove Ads ADVERTISEMENT 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. RELATED CONTENT Filters: All Definitions149 Articles46 Images8 Videos86 Collections7 Teaching Materials3 Definition GREEK MYTHOLOGY Greek mythology was used as a means to explain the environment... Article A VISUAL WHO'S WHO OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY Achilles The hero of the Trojan War, leader of the Myrmidons... Definition MYTHOLOGY Myths are a part of every culture in the world and are used to... Definition CHITRALI MYTHOLOGY Chitrali mythology developed in the region of Chitral, the tallest... Video THE MYTH OF ECHO AND NARCISSUS Narcissus is a figure from Greek mythology who was so impossibly... Definition ROMAN MYTHOLOGY The ancient Romans had a rich mythology and, while much of it was... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next › Last » FREE FOR THE WORLD, SUPPORTED BY YOU World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. Become a Member Donate RECOMMENDED BOOKS * The Greek Myths: The Complete And Definitive Edition Written by Graves, Robert, published by Penguin UK (2011) $24.61 The Greek Myths: The Complete And Definitive Edition Written by Graves, Robert, published by Penguin UK (2011) $24.61 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. 26 Jun 2023. LICENSE & COPYRIGHT Submitted by Mark Cartwright, published on 05 March 2023. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms. 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