The myth of Narcissus needs little introduction. His name is synonymous with self-absorption. He was the handsome son of the river-god, Cephissus and a nymph Liriope. Liriope asked Tiresias whether Narcissus would live to old age, and he replied, “Yes, if he never knows himself” (Ovid 3.345-66). Although these words were puzzling, Liriope finally regarded them as meaningless.
Narcissus and Echo
Narcissus was so beautiful, even as a baby, that he was loved by every one. Anyone, “both youth and young girls wanted him,” but he spurned them all. Narcissus was alone, wandering in the woods when he was found by Echo. Echo was punished by Juno for delaying Juno when she was trying to catch Jove philandering with nymphs. To distract Juno, Echo would talked endlessly, giving Jove time enough to get away. Echo’s punishment was the inability to speak unless first spoken to, and only then could she repeat the last part of what had been spoken.
Such was her state when she came upon Narcissus. When she jumped into his arms, he repulsed her, scorning her. His final words, “Do not touch me! / Don’t cling to me! I’d sooner die than say / I’m yours!” to which Echo replied “I’m yours.,” (Ovid 3.366-416). Devastated by rejection and plagued by insomnia, Echo wasted away until finally her voice was all that could be heard. Her voice can still be heard to this day in the forest, repeating the words last spoken, forever unseen.
Narcissus and His Reflection
Many had fallen in love and been rejected by Narcissus. So many in fact that it was not long before one youth, freshly smitten, prayed for Narcissus to fall in love, but for one that was unattainable. And then one day, when hot and weary, Narcissus came to an undisturbed pool of water, and while he quenched his thirst, Ovid says a new thirst arose within him.
Ovid describes the image of Narcissus as he sees himself vividly, saying “he cannot turn away / his eyes; he does not stir; he is as still / as any statue carved of Parian marble. / Stretched out along the ground, he stares again, / again at the twin stars that are his eyes; / at his fair hair, which can compare with Bacchus’ / or with Apollo’s; at his beardless cheeks / and at his ivory neck, / his splendid mouth, / the pink blush on a face as white as snow;” (3.416-38). Narcissus unwittingly desires the image he sees. He has become both lover and loved.
Narcissus Transformed by Grief
Narcissus could not fulfill his love, and was eventually consumed by his grief. He wandered back into the wood, wailing for his unattainable love, crying out only to hear Echo’s reply. When he had reached the pool at which he could see his reflection, he laid down, bid farewell, set his head on the grass and succumb to the embrace of death.
The Naiads and Dryads wept at the death of Narcissus, and Echo mimed their wails and laments. But when they prepared a funeral pyre for him, they found a flower in place of his body, its yellow center circled by white petals. These flowers can still be seen today in the spring.
Sources
- March, Jenny. Cassell’s Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Cassell: London, 2001.
- Ovid, The Metamorphoses. Trans Allen Mandelbaum. Harcourt: New York, 1993.
Joshua Benson - As a librarian and student of literature, I delight in the facilitation of knowledge to the eager reader.
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