Narcissus

Nationality/Culture

Greek

Pronunciation

nar-SIS-us

Alternate Names

None

Appears In

Ovid's Metamorphoses, Pausanias's Description of Greece

Lineage

Son of Cephissus and Leiriope

Character Overview

Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus (pronounced seh-FYE-suhs) and the nymph (female nature deity) Liriope (pronounced luh-RYE-uh-pee). He was a handsome Greek youth whose beauty ultimately led to his death. A prophet named Tiresias (pronounced ty-REE-see-uhs), who could see the plans of the gods, told Liriope that her son would enjoy a long life as long as he never knew himself or saw his reflection. Although Liriope did not understand the prediction at the time, its meaning eventually became clear.

Narcissus was so handsome that both women and men fell in love with him, but he rejected all of them. One of his admirers was the nymph Echo (pronounced EK-oh), who had been cursed by Hera (pronounced HAIR-uh) to repeat only the last words spoken to her. Ameinias (pronounced uh-MYE-nee-uhs), another admirer, was so devastated when Narcissus rejected him that he killed himself. Before doing so, however, Ameinias called on the gods to punish Narcissus. They caused the beautiful youth to gaze into a pond at his reflection. He fell in love with his own image and drowned trying to touch it. In other accounts of the story, Narcissus killed himself out of sorrow and frustration. The gods then changed him into the flower that bears his name.

Narcissus in Context

The earliest forms of the myth of Narcissus focus on his rejection of an older male admirer. It has been suggested that this myth was meant to warn young boys about the dangers of rejecting male companions. In ancient Greece, relationships between adolescent boys and older men were common among the wealthy classes, and were considered normal, healthy, and masculine. Men and boys often exercised and performed athletics in the nude together, and soldiers fighting together often formed bonds as couples. These relationships existed in addition to traditional male-female marriages.

Key Themes and Symbols

An important theme in the myth of Narcissus is vanity. Narcissus is aware of his own beauty and rejects everyone who wishes to become his partner, considering them unsuitable. This vanity leads to a punishment that matches his personality: only a vain person could fall in love with his own reflection as Narcissus does. Narcissus can be seen as a symbol of beauty that cannot be possessed; no one is ever worthy of his love, except himself.

Narcissus in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

As a symbol of beauty, Narcissus has long been a popular figure in art and literature. Some artists who have painted depictions of Narcissus include Caravaggio, Nicolas Poussin, and John William Waterhouse. Salvador Dali's painting The Metamorphosis of Narcissus (1937) is a clever double-image that shows a water-gazing Narcissus becoming transformed into a hand holding a flower.

The name of Narcissus appears in contemporary life. The term “narcissist” refers to someone who is vain or overly self-absorbed, as was Narcissus. Narcissus is also the name of a genus of flowering plants known also as daffodils.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

Some critics of modern society proclaim that people are becoming increasingly narcissistic, or concerned only with themselves, especially with their physical appearance. Using your library, the Internet, or other available resources, research sites that seem to speak to people's concern with their physical appearance. What are some of the “ideal beauty” images these sites try to project? Are these ideal images attainable by most people? What effect do you think a narcissistic attitude has on society as a whole?

SEE ALSO Echo; Greek Mythology