Son of the river god Kefis and the nymph Liriope. After Narcissus was born, the parents asked the prophet Tiresias if their son was destined to live to old age. The prophet replied that their son would live long, but only if he did not see his character.
As a boy, Narcissus was so handsome that he became the object of adoration of many young men and women. All those loves found no response in his icy heart. He did not return the love even to the nymph Echo, who retreated into solitude, where she withered from the longing for love, until only her voice remained. Finally, one of the rejected fans cursed Narcissus for falling in love with what was unattainable for him. The goddess of revenge, Nemesis, agreed with that curse, and sixteen-year-old Narcissus was justly punished. One day, tired of hunting and the summer heat, he went down to the spring to quench his thirst. He saw his face in the mirror of the water, which immediately fascinated him with its beauty. He saw his own eyes as stars, his hair as the hair of Apollo or Bach, and the delicate skin of his face and neck as precious ivory. He tried in vain to hug and kiss that deceptive image, which smiled and cried with him. Stretched out on the cold grass and fascinated by his own eyes, he forgot about food and sleep until he realized that he saw his own doom in the water. Just as wax or frost melts and disappears in the heat, so it slowly disappeared from the flame of love for itself. At the time of his death, only Echo saw him and sent him one last greeting. Narcissus' pale head sank wearily into the green grass and an eternal dream closed his eyes forever. Dryads and Echo mourned the death of the handsome young man, and his nymph sisters gave him their cut hair. When they came to bury him, near the spring, instead of Narcissus' body, they saw a flower with a yellow cup and a white rosary, which was named "narcissus" (Greek nárkissos). And in the underworld Narcissus mirrors his face in the waters of the Styx.
According to Boeotian myth, Narcissus was born in Thespia, a city where the god of love Eros was worshiped. In his arrogance, Narcissus despised Eros and rejected all those who loved him. To Ameni, one of his admirers, Narcissus sent a sword instead of a love gift. The young man took his own life with the sword at the door of his pet's house. After that event, Narcissus saw his character in one source and fell passionately in love with himself. When he realized that passion was a just punishment for his arrogance and Amenia's death, Narcissus committed suicide; a narcissus flower sprouted from his blood. The inhabitants of Thespia have especially respected Eros since that time, because Narcissus' fate once again confirmed the power of that god.
One rationalist version of the myth of Narcissus is also known. It was rumored that he had a twin sister, who looked like him in everything. She was even dressed the same, because she often accompanied her brother on the hunt. Narcissus tenderly loved his sister; when she died, he used to watch his character in the water and imagine that his sister was still by his side.
One legend mentions Narcissus from the city of Eretria, on Euboea, Amarint's son, a hunter known for his chastity. In the prime of his youth, he was killed by one of his rejected fans, named Eupo. Narcissus' tombstone, which was located near Orop, instilled fear in passers-by. It was said that flowers sprouted from Narcissus 'blood and that the Erinyes were the first to adorn themselves with it, demanding that the early shed Narcissus' blood be atoned for.
Narcissus' plays are known only in the fine arts of the Hellenistic-Roman era; it is shown on gems, mosaics and wall paintings.
Literature:
• Dragoslav Srejović - Aleksandrina Cermanović-Kuzmanović, Recnik grčke i rimske mitologije, drugo izdanje, Beograd: Srpska književna zadruga, 1987
In vain, the young man tried to hug and kiss his own reflection in the water, a character who laughed and cried with him. In these attempts and great infatuation, the young man forgot about food and sleep and so he longed to live out of love for himself until he collapsed on the grass near the spring.