Narcissus

 

(närsĭs'əs), in Greek mythology, beautiful youth who refused all offers of love, including that of Echo. As punishment for his indifference he was made to fall in love with his own image in a mountain pool. Unable to possess the image, he pined away and was turned into a flower.

In Greek mythology, Narcissus or Narkissos (Greek: Νάρκισσος), was a hero of the territory of Thespiae in Boeotia who was renowned for his beauty. Several versions of his myth have survived: Ovid's, from his Metamorphoses; Pausanias', from his Guide to Greece, (9.31.7); and one found among the Oxyrhynchus papyri.

Pausanias locates the spring of Narcissus at Donacon 'Reed-bed' in the territory of the Thespians. Pausanias finds it incredible that someone could not distinguish a reflection from a real person, and cites a less known variant in which Narcissus had a twin sister. Both dressed similarly and hunted together. Narcissus fell in love with her. When she died, Narcissus pined after her and pretended that the reflection he saw in the water was his sister. (See genetic sexual attraction for an explanation and examples of the phenomenon of relatives falling in love.)

As Pausanias also notes, yet another tale is that the Narcissus flower was created to entice Demeter's daughter Persephone away from her companions to enable Hades to abduct her.

Other story

There is another tale that tells the story of the beautiful nymph Echo. She was a woman who loved gossip and could not keep her mouth shut, and this was a dangerous combination with the employment of her as distraction for Hera while Zeus cheated on her. Having found out about his affairs, Hera was thoroughly distraught and punished Echo by only allowing her to repeat the last words of whatever sentence someone spoke.

Upon meeting the beautiful Narcissus, she fell in love with him and did everything she could to show her love for him. However she failed, for he was more than enough admired and lusted for and annoyedly he told her off, which sent her running back into the woods. Narcissus then came into the woods asking if anyone was there. He said, "Is anyone here?" then Echo said, "Here, here!" Then Narcissus said," Come show yourself!" then Echo said, "Come!" to Narcissus and Narcissus said, "I give you no power over me!" and turned around. Echo said, " I give you power over me." but Narcissus was already gone. Echo prayed a prayer, "May he who loves no one love himself." Narcissus went to go find water and when knelt over the lake he saw his reflection and realized all the pain he had put these women through because he had finally realized how beautiful he was. So he knelt over the water and dove in, purposfully killing himself and as he was falling he said, "Farewell, farewell." It was only then that Echo could say farewell. Then when the nymphs were looking for his body they just found a beautiful flower where his body should have been and named the flower Narcissus after him (Edith Hamilton, Mythology).

Influence

The myth of Narcissus has been a rich vein for artists to mine for at least two thousand years, beginning with the Roman poet Ovid (book III of Metamorphoses). This was followed in more recent centuries by other poets (e.g. Keats) and painters (Caravaggio, Poussin, Turner, Dalí, and Waterhouse). Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky used lonely Narcissus-type characters in his poems and novels, such as Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin in "The Double" (1846).In Stendhal's novel Le Rouge et le Noir(1830), there is a classic narcissist in the character of Mathilde. Says Prince Korasoff to Julien Sorel, the protagonist, with respect to his beloved:

She looks at herself instead of looking at you, and so doesn't know you. During the two or three little outbursts of passion she has allowed herself in your favor, she has, by a great effort of imagination, seen in you the hero of her dreams, and not yourself as you really are. (Page 401, 1953 Penguin Edition, trans. Margaret R.B. Shaw).

The myth had a decided influence on English Victorian homoerotic culture, via the influence of Andre Gide's study of the myth, Traite du Narcisse ('The Treatise of the Narcissus', 1891), and the influence of Oscar Wilde.

In 20th century pop culture, Bob Dylan's song "License to Kill" refers indirectly to Narcissus: "Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool /And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled."!

"Supper's Ready" by Genesis (ca. 1972), a near-23-minute epic song laden with religious and mythological imagery, refers to the myth of Narcissus as follows: "A young figure sits still by a pool / He's been stamped "Human Bacon" by some butchery tool / (He is you) / Social Security took care of this lad. / We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower. / A flower?" The movement is titled "How Dare I Be So Beautiful."

The Narcissus flower

The Narcissus flower is named after Narcissus. [1]

Further reading, and listening

• Louise Vinge. (1967). The Narcissus Theme in Western Literature up to the Nineteenth Century. (The classic in-depth study).

The Narcissus myth as told by story tellers:
1. Narcissus, read by Timothy Carter, music by Steve Gorn, compiled by Andrew Calimach. (.ogg file)
Bibliography of reconstruction: Ovid, Metamorphoses III.340 - 350, 415 - 510 (AD 8); Pausanias, Description of Greece 9.31.7 (AD 143–176)

See also

• Narcissism
• Pygmalion
• Echo (mythology)

External links

• Papyrology UK
• Pantheon ORG
• In the animated television series Class of the Titans, the character Neil is descended from Narcissus and has inherited his good looks.

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