Greek god narcissus. Narcissus (mythology). Let's go deeper into philosophy

At all times, poets from different countries have sung the praises of a flower with a beautiful name - narcissus. In terms of magnificence, this plant is not inferior even to a rose. The elegance and beauty of the flower is amazing. It is possible that the myth of Narcissus, who was born to the ancient Greeks, also contributed.

Thanks to legend, the name of the plant has become a household name. Now the narcissist is compared to selfishness. In the world of botany, this flower is associated with selfishness, empty hopes and dreams.

So, the myth of Narcissus. Let's briefly summarize what it's about. The story is about a young man who fell in love with his own reflection and died. He couldn’t take his eyes off the reflection in the water for a second, admiring himself. At the site of the death of the handsome young man, a flower of unusual beauty grew, called a narcissus. The plant began to be considered a symbol of sleep or oblivion, from which you can get out in a different guise. This is a kind of symbol of resurrection. But everything is not so simple, because the myth of Narcissus is very complicated. A brief summary of it will not reveal the whole essence of the story.

A young man named Narcissus was handsome and narcissistic. He was born by the nymph Liriope from the river god Cephissus. After the birth of the boy, the parents heard Tiresias' prediction about the fate of Narcissus. The soothsayer promised the boy a happy fate and a long life, if only he would never see his own reflection. There were no mirrors at that time, and the parents were not frightened by the prediction. The years passed, the boy grew up. He was stately and handsome, all the girls tried to win his love. Even grown men were amazed by the beauty of Narcissus. But the guy didn't pay attention to anyone.

Numerous fans were offended; they asked the gods of Olympus to punish the proud young man. The myth of Narcissus says that a goddess named Nemesis heard his cries for help, and soon Narcissus saw his own reflection in the water. The prophecy came true: the guy fell in love with his reflection and died, unable to move away from the water.

The fate of the nymph Echo

But this is not the end of the Ancient Greek myth about Narcissus. It is worth telling the sad story of Echo, a nymph madly in love with Narcissus. Her fate is very tragic. Echo was close friends with the goddess Hera, who was quite stern.

Zeus was the husband of Hera, and Echo learned about his secret adventures, but carefully hid it from her mistress. Hera was angry for this, she deprived Echo of her voice and drove her away. The girl repeated only the last phrases spoken by people, and her salvation should have been love.

Unhappy love

The myth of Narcissus is a tragic story of unrequited love. The handsome guy didn’t love anyone and refused everyone. Echo fell in love with him and followed him everywhere. The young man did not pay any attention to the nymph. All that was left of the girl was her voice. Echo cursed Narcissus, she wanted him to experience the same unrequited love.

Love in this case did not unite two hearts. She did not make either Narcissus or Echo happy. All that was left of the girl was her voice - an echo. And the young man died from unrequited love, because the reflection is soulless.

Let's go deeper into philosophy

We told a complicated love story. There is a hidden meaning, or condemnation, in this myth. The handsome young man is essentially unhappy, and fate played a cruel joke on him. He fell in love with external beauty, although it was only his own reflection, which Narcissus had no idea about. The reflection overshadowed the guy’s mind, and he forgot about everything. He didn’t want to get to the bottom of the inner beauty, the soul. If Narcissus knew what the soul is, then perhaps he would find “himself.” Indeed, the guy experienced the pangs of unrequited love, like hundreds of girls. But this did not stop him: the young man was weak-willed, he chose melancholy and sadness instead of a happy life.

A nymph named Echo is unhappy and exhausted. She tried to preserve someone else's happiness and doomed herself to suffering. A devoted friend punished the girl; she took Echo’s voice away. The nymph lost the meaning of life and still tried to find her other half in order to become happy. Only mutual love could create a miracle, but the young nymph was unlucky. Echo fell in love only with her appearance; she liked the body, but not the soul, which doomed her to death.

Hidden mythical meaning

A beautiful flower grew in the place where Narcissus died. Everyone who saw it instantly fell in love with its beauty and amazing aroma. The plant looked slightly sad, and this gave it charm. Narcissus became a symbol of death, the dark kingdom of Hades. It is closely associated with longing, sadness and oblivion.

In this myth, Narcissus was the personification of coldness and insensibility. In ancient Greece, a flower called narcissus was a symbol of death.

Initially, ancient Greek history described the fear of people of that time to face themselves in reflection, that is, to experience reality. A little later, the concept of “narcissism”, or selfishness and excessive narcissism, was coined. But no myths or beliefs can scare gardeners who love to grow this beautiful fragrant flower. Mentions of daffodils are often found in works of art, poets glorify flowers, and people collect them and present bouquets to their loved ones.

Wonderfully soft and thin
parchment petals,
he stands straight and proud,
sprouting towards the sun.
Pride in everything
Yellow color
Golden and delicate tones,
in contemplation of the sun and sky,
in the denial of love's shackles.
He stands there admiring himself,
giving us your beauty,
“But I’m especially beautiful,”
as if telling everyone around.

He who has two loaves of bread, let him sell one to buy narcissus flower.
For bread is food for the body, and daffodil is food for the soul...

A flower that has been sung by many poets at all times, only a rose can compare with it.

One of the reasons for such admiration for this flower was its beauty and elegance. It is possible that partly played a role ancient greek myth, written about the narcissus, making the name of the flower a household name. People now associate Narcissus with a narcissistic person. The language of flowers gives this plant a completely different meaning: deceptive hopes, desires, selfishness.

The ancient Greek myth of Narcissus will tell us about the origin of the flower.

He was the son of the Baltic river god Kephissus and the nymph Lirioessa. Narcissus was the most beautiful young man. Kephissus and Lirioessa at one time turned to the oracle Tireseus and learned that their son would live to old age only if he never saw his reflection, which would have been completely doable, because mirrors did not yet exist in those days. Everything would be fine until the young man met the nymph Echo.

Echo, a mountain nymph, was the favorite confidante of the queen of heaven, Juno. The goddess trusted the nymph with all her heart secrets as her best friend, but soon Juno found out that she had warmed the snake on her chest: Echo betrayed her friend, hiding the adventures of her husband Jupiter. Every time Jupiter went to the mountain nymphs, Echo began to charm Juno with her conversations and stories so that she became jealous goddess I didn’t notice the time passing.

But one day the goddess failed to speak and Juno sensed deception. He drove the nymph out with angry words, depriving her of the tongue with which she had so charmed the goddess. But Juno left Echo the opportunity to repeat the last syllable of a word that someone shouted. Since then, the nymph lived in the forest, repeating the last sounds of passing people. Loneliness was difficult for her and she was looking for someone who could love her.

But then one day I was passing through the forest. Echo fell in love at first sight with the handsome young man, and tried in every possible way to captivate him, but her attempts were in vain; she remained cold. Then the nymph, in despair, began to pray to the gods, asking them to take pity on her and punish the beautiful young man. The echo of hopeless passion soon dried up and turned into an echo, but before her death she managed to curse Narcissus: “Let the one he loves not reciprocate Narcissus.”

The gods punished the young man, as Echo asked. One day, returning from a hunt, he felt very thirsty and stopped to drink water at the edge of a clean and calm spring and was already bending down to drink, but then he saw his reflection for the first time. The young man could not take his eyes off the beauty of what he saw, he fell in love with himself, but withered from love and faded like a flower. However, the Gods did not let the young man just die, and in his place a beautiful man grew up. narcissus flower, which smells wonderful and its corolla seems to bend down to look at its reflection.

This myth ancient Greeks explained a beautiful but cold flower. Narcissus was considered by them to be the flower of the dead and dead.

Initially myth of Narcissus reflected the ancient primitive ideas of people about the fear of seeing their own reflection, which acted as the border between the real world and the world of illusions. Later, the term “narcissism” appeared as a characteristic of a selfish and narcissistic person. However, this does not bother gardeners all over the world, who happily grow various varieties of daffodils. Artists and poets glorify and capture the daffodil in their works, and you and I collect bouquets from it and give it to loved ones.

Do you know why narcissistic people are called narcissists? Why exactly this flower, and not a beautiful rose, lush peony or stately gladiolus?

According to ancient Greek legend, the river god Kephissos and the nymph Liriope had a son, a beautiful young man (read: a teenager, a psychologically immature person who had not decided on his sexuality). The nymph Echo fell in love with him. But he rejected her feelings, which angered the goddess of love Aphrodite and was forever deprived of the ability to love each other. From unrequited passion, the nymph began to dry up and only her voice remained - an echo that echoed her interlocutors (she who is alienated from her body, does not have her own opinion, confidence and self-love, repeats after others). And Narcissus himself died, unable to take his eyes off his reflection.

This flower is one of the first to bloom in the spring (the importance of being the first in everything, a leader). Its inflorescence is always tilted slightly to one side and, when it grows near bodies of water, it seems that it is admiring its reflection. Excessive emphasis on one’s own person, pride and superiority over people, conviction of a special position, expectation of unconditional acceptance by everyone and good treatment, inadequate assessment of one’s talents and achievements, preoccupation with fantasies about oneself and the idea of ​​​​the inevitable envy of others - all this characterizes the personality of a narcissist. I stun, I stun, I stupefy - this is how narcissus is translated from Greek (narcao).

Among the ancient Greeks, this flower was considered a symbol of death. Pathological narcissism is deadly. The goal is perfection and achieving the ideal in everything, which essentially does not carry with it life, where there is duality, middle and even mediocrity. Libido is directed towards oneself, and not towards interaction with others, where there are boundaries and differences between oneself and a significant Other. Love is a deep and intimate feeling aimed at another person. From the interaction of two different energies, new life is born. With narcissism, attraction is felt towards oneself or one’s own kind (consider asexual and homosexual), towards the same “great and special” narcissists. This means there is no continuation of life. Biologically, of course, a child can be born in such a couple, but he will not have himself, his own psychological space. Children with narcissistic parents also become narcissists.

Excessive investment in your body, the desire to be forever young, beautiful, with ideal proportions in excellent clothes - all this is an investment in yourself for the sake of the appreciation of others. When the young man saw his reflection in the river, he bent down to kiss it, but fell and drowned. In this place grew a beautiful flower, striving for the warm sun, tender and fragile, like the Ego of a narcissistic personality type, of cold beauty - the narcissus. In an effort to attract attention and receive a positive assessment, the Narcissist spends all his energy on this, unable to bear rejection.

“Only I am worthy of my love, but I will not reciprocate my love either” - this is the curse of the goddess of love Aphrodite, from which the narcissist suffers. Filled with hatred, and not self-love, measuring extremes, he is forced to surround himself with a retinue of admirers (imitating the nymphs Echo in love). It is the retinue that makes the king. Unable to see, feel and be aware of himself, he constantly needs a reflection. They praised and admired me today - I am the most beautiful and at the pinnacle of bliss, but tomorrow they underestimated me - I am a complete insignificance and at the bottom of black sadness.

In fact, the nymph Echo also suffers from narcissism, falling in love with the romantic image that she herself projected onto the young man Narcissa. But both men and women can suffer from narcissism. The narcissist himself always creates a flair of charm and charisma around himself, striving to win the recognition and love of others. Imitation, copying and imitation - this is Echo's narcissism. Idealized in fantasy, he is a salvation for her devalued self. She is driven by the desire to merge with her partner in order to appropriate his qualities of superiority and greatness, thereby raising her self-esteem. A strong dependence on the opinions of others is expressed in the need to play roles, wear masks and the desire to meet their expectations. “How will they look at me”, “what will they think of me”, “what if they reject me” - such thoughts are constantly in the zone of attention. Feelings of shame and guilt, pride and arrogance, anxiety and melancholy are constant companions of narcissists.

The nymph Echo was under the curse of the goddess Hera for excessive talkativeness and deception. As punishment, she was expelled and deprived of her tongue, leaving the opportunity only to repeat the last syllables of words after someone. Without support for their ego, narcissists hone the skill of imitation. Copying and appropriating someone else’s, passing off something heard somewhere or borrowed as your own opinion - all this comes from the scarcity of the inner world of the Self. In the absence of your own opinion, in shame and fear of rejection, along with a proud feeling of your copying skill, (after all, this is the only thing that you have she is), Echo carries her unhappy existence. “And the king is naked” (c).

Frozen in eternal youth, the narcissus is a symbol of spring, death in youth, sleep and rebirth. The flower quickly fades and this is its attraction to death. The ancient Greeks depicted it on tombstones, symbolizing the metaphor that death is a dream. And indeed, if you think about it, a narcissist who is fixated exclusively on himself, on his superiority and insignificance, alienated from his Self, does not live, he is immersed in sleep in his quest for perfection. The name of the flower echoes the word “narcosis”, having the same root in Greek, which means “insensitivity”. Without feeling themselves, without feeling the emotions of other people, but completely dependent on them, power, control and management are so important to the narcissist to survive. By making others dependent on you, by manipulating, there is a chance to control them and cope with anxiety. While ruling, demanding complete subordination, the narcissist does not allow criticism, wanting to receive exclusive approval for his actions.

A narcissist is difficult and painful to love, be it in a friendship, love relationship, or family relationship. He is incapable of reciprocity, is despotic, indifferent and has no pity, coldly and cruelly ignoring the feelings of the other. Taking advantage of and juggling human destinies as they please, because there is no significant Other for the narcissist, people are a function, fulfilling their role to satisfy the needs of the narcissist. In the myth, the young man Aminius fell in love with Narcissus. Narcissus heartlessly handed him a sword so that he could kill himself. Doomed to wither from love, forgetting about their interests, those in love with a narcissist are also lost in life, rejecting their soul and flesh, like Narcissus, who died of hunger and suffering, endlessly peering at his reflection in the river.

As punishment for his heartlessness, the wrath of the gods is expressed in revenge. Vindictiveness and resentment with a lack of critical thinking are a metaphor for despair in the punishment of the goddess Nemesis for the suffering of rejected young people in love with a narcissist. Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, heard the curses of Aminius and the pleas of the rejected nymphs and defeated Narcissus. An arrogant narcissist seems to take revenge on everyone who loves or rejects him, thereby saying, “I don’t need your love, you are unworthy of me.” Devaluing everyone, fleeing from love like a criminal, striking a preemptive blow.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter, and spring again - a cycle of times that the narcissist does not experience. Not accepting your age, postponing things for later, violating boundaries, promises and deadlines, constantly dreaming of better times when the ideal will be achieved, not noticing anyone and anything around - this is the endless spring and youth of the narcissist and the insensibility of the passage of time.

In the myth, the parents of the young man Narcissus turned to the soothsayer Teresia with a question about the future of the child. The sage replied that Narcissus would live to old age if he never saw his face. The metaphor of “seeing your face” means seeing yourself, your deepest self and the ability to transform through the exploration of your soul. Constantly looking back at the public, carefully hiding the shame of his imperfection even from himself, the narcissist does not mature psycho-emotionally, always remaining immature and childishly fragile at heart. A narcissist who is in love not with himself, but with his reflection, does not know his inner world at all, having once received an inoculation of love. The need to be significant and good, with a constant feeling of being nobody and bad - a constant swing, where there is no sense of self-I AM. There is a body, there is work, real estate, money - all this is a function for life, but inside there is only depression, emptiness and an emotional hole. The narcissist is like an actor who never played his main role - to be himself, real, alive, natural and loving someone other than himself.

There is no narcissist without the eyes of other people. But what can you see from the position of youthful maximalism, and even in the flow of the river? The image is not clear, scattered, fragmented. This is the self-perception of a narcissist with a superficial, distorted knowledge of himself and the omnipotence of a child. For all his desire to reject and devalue people who will love him, feelings of loneliness, isolation and alienation live side by side with the need to cling closer to people in order to better reflect and have the right to exist. “I needed your closeness so much, but it only brings pain and disappointment, requiring me to constantly deserve it” - the devaluing song of a cold flower. “As a child, I needed love and acceptance so much, but received only cold rejection from the closest important people and scant praise for my achievements. But I managed, I survived thanks only to myself, I am the chosen one, my feelings belong only to me and how much pleasure there is in this!

In addition to pathological narcissism, there is also healthy narcissism. It's all about the norm and being full of it.

Being part of the amaryllaceae family, the narcissus flower has poisonous properties. The intoxicating aroma and poisonous properties of the bulbs can cause poisoning in animals of varying degrees. Hippocrates tried to treat malignant tumors with this plant. Currently, the alkaloids contained in daffodils are used to treat radiculitis and chronic pneumonia. In folk medicine, the range of applications of the beneficial properties of daffodils is even wider.

So it is with narcissism. Pathological narcissism, like a malignant tumor, affects the personality and, like poison, poisons everyone who loves Narcissus. While healthy narcissism is medicine for the soul, with enough self-love we know our inner essence and heal our spiritual wounds without the constant need to reflect others. Allowing yourself to simply be yourself, without superficiality and without excessive reliance on the opinions of others. And life continues in healthy love for yourself, your loved ones and life.

One day, the nymph Liriope was possessed by the river god Kephissus. Soon she had a son, whom she named Narcissus. And Leriope turned to the soothsayer Tiresias with the words, how long will my son live?

This was Tiresias's first prediction. According to legends, he changed his gender many times, he managed to be both a man and a woman. One day Hera and Zeus argued who gets more pleasure from love, a man or a woman?

Having experienced both, Tiresias replied that a woman definitely gets more pleasure. His words angered Hera, and she deprived him of his sight, in return for which Zeus endowed him with the gift of divination.

According to a less popular version, he went blind when he saw Athena naked. But over time, Athena took pity, but could no longer restore her sight, giving her the gift of divination in return.

And Tiresias answered that Narcissus would live exactly until he saw his reflection.

Sixteen years have passed. Narcissus was great. Outwardly he was like a god, everyone would like to be with him. But he refused everyone, did not consider anyone worthy of his attention.

One day, while he was hunting in the forest, the nymph Echo noticed him.

Echo was cursed by the goddess Hera for distracting her while her sisters spent time with Zeus. Thus, her sisters escaped Hera's jealous wrath, but she answered for all their sins. From now on, she will never be able to distract anyone with her sweet speeches; she can only repeat the last words.

Echo watched the narcissist for a long time and waited for him to say something. Soon the daffodil fell behind his companions and shouted: “Is anyone here?” And the nymph answered, “Here” and came out to him, hoping to hug Narcissus at least for a little while. But Narcissus was adamant, he rejected her, saying that he would rather die than hug her.

According to legend, the nymph fell in love with the narcissus so much that she could not cope with this grief. In shame, she hid in mountain caves, neither ate nor drank, and over time became so dry that her body turned to stone. From now on, only her voice lives and sometimes responds to the voices of travelers.

Having learned about this, her sisters prayed to the gods, they wanted Narcissus to also fall in love with a man, but he would not reciprocate his feelings. The gods heard Echo’s sad story and fulfilled the nymphs’ request.

Soon Narcissus finds an unusual lake. All this time it was hidden from the eyes of people and animals. The water in it was unusually clean; literally everything was reflected in it, like in a mirror. Narcissus went down to get some water and noticed the man.

He couldn't believe his eyes; in the reflection he saw the ideal of beauty. Admiring his reflection, he realized that he had fallen in love with himself. Now he could neither eat nor sleep; Narcissus spent all his time looking at his reflection. Over time, he grew thin, and he realized that he didn’t have much time left, but he didn’t want to live anymore, knowing that death would save him from torment.

Hearing Narcissus’s suffering, only Echo took pity on him. And she repeated his last words after him. Goodbye, said Narcissus to his reflection, goodbye, said Echo. With these words Narcissus died, but his reflection continued to live.

Soon, when his naiad sisters approached the lake to take Narcissus’s body, they did not find it, and in its place a beautiful flower grew, which was named Narcissus.

Because of the tears, the fresh water in the stream became salty, and the dryads asked the stream why it was crying? And Brook replied that he was crying because of the death of Narcissus. It’s not surprising that the dryads answered, because he was so handsome, and you saw his beauty so close. But the stream replied that he had never noticed that Narcissus was beautiful, in the depths of his eyes he saw his reflection.

What is the main idea of ​​the myth of the narcissist?

The narcissist was narcissistic and rude to others. He rejected everyone, considering only himself worthy of the best. In people he saw only external beauty, not paying attention to internal qualities.

In this myth we see two extremes, Echo loves the narcissist too much, she literally dies because of him. But the narcissist, on the contrary, loves no one but himself and also dies from this. The myth teaches us that love is a strong feeling and we shouldn’t lose our heads because of it, everything should be in moderation. You can’t be selfish, but you also can’t give all of yourself without reserve, forgetting that life is not only love.

In addition, the myth of the narcissist and the Echo teaches us that everything in this world comes back. As Narcissus treated others, so fate dealt with him.

The myth of Narcissus itself is a wonderful example of the mythology of Ancient Greece, and cannot leave even a sophisticated reader indifferent. The above version, however, dates back to the late period of the Ancient World and belongs to the ancient Roman poet Ovid Naso, who wrote his famous “Metamorphoses” (between 2 and 8 AD) - a great poetic work set out in fifteen books. The myth of Narcissus can be found in the Third Book of the Metamorphoses, and is especially beautiful due to its many details that are missing in other myths, and of course, due to its deeply sensual form. It is this version of the myth that Nathan Schwartz-Salant, the famous American Jungian analyst, relies on in his famous book “Narcissism and Personality Transformation.” I believe this book should be in the library of anyone seriously interested in the therapeutic aspects of working with narcissistic clients.

To immerse yourself in the myth, I recommend reading it at least three times. The first time to get a general idea of ​​the tragic fate of the young man Narcissus. During the second reading, I recommend immersing yourself in the feelings of the characters and taking time to visualize the text, and only during the third reading, resort to psychological analysis, using brief information about the phenomenon of narcissism from the previous material and your knowledge about it. You can always return to the lines of this wonderful text to compare some insights, examples and associations with this ever-living mythological plot.

The myth begins with the praise of the blind soothsayer Tiresias:

He, known both in nearby villages and in distant cities throughout Boeotia, gave answers to people who came to him, and no one ever regretted asking him for help.

The first who took the path of the truth expressed by him was the nymph Liriope, who was once possessed by the river god Kephissus, surrounding her on all sides with the water of his stream. When the time came, the Boeotian nymph gave birth to a baby, whom the nymph could fall in love with even as a child. She gave him the name Narcissus. When the mother of Narcissus asked Tiresias whether her child would live to an old age, the great soothsayer gave her this answer: “Yes, if he never sees his face.” Then it seemed to her that these words meant nothing. But everything that happened later confirmed the truth contained in them: what happened to him later, and how he died, and the reckless passion that took possession of him. Having reached the age of sixteen, Narcissus could be considered both a boy and a man. Many boys and girls sought his love, but, proud of his slender body, Narcissus was so cold that not a single young man and not a single girl in love touched his heart. One fine day Narcissus went to set traps for deer. He was followed on his heels by a nymph named Echo, whose voice could only be heard in the repetition of other people's cries; but he immediately disappeared as soon as others began to speak or when they addressed her directly.

Until now, Echo not only had a voice, but also a body. But, despite her talkativeness, she could not say everything she wanted, but only repeated the last words of the many words that she heard. So Juno took revenge on Echo for her talkativeness: often, when Jupiter was having fun with his nymph lovers high in the mountains, Echo distracted his wife Juno with long stories, allowing the mountain nymphs to escape and hide from her jealous eyes. Having learned about this, Juno said to Echo: “Your tongue, which deceived me, will chatter less when it becomes shorter and the more pleasure it will receive, the less it will speak.” That's how it all happened. And yet Echo could repeat the last phrases of the speech she heard and return back the last words she heard.

And now, seeing Narcissus wandering through the forest thicket, she was inflamed with love and furtively followed him. The more she approached him, the stronger the flame of love flared up in her, just as sticky sulfur burns at the end of a torch, which flares up as soon as it is brought to the fire. Oh, how long she tried to approach him with a charming speech, how she wanted to beg the young man to love her! But Juno’s prohibition weighed heavily on her, and besides, she could not turn to him first. But Echo was ready to wait until Narcissus spoke and return to him whatever he told her.

Finally the young man saw that he had fallen behind his companions, and then he shouted: “Is anyone here?” - "Here!" - Echo answered. Amazed, he looked around and shouted in a loud voice: “Come!” - “Come!” - Echo responded to him. He looked back, but saw no one, and then he shouted again: “Why are you running from me?” - and again heard my own words in response. Deceived by an unknown voice, he stopped and shouted: “Come with me!” Echo shouted joyfully: “Come with me!” - and jumped out of her hiding place to throw her arms around Narcissus’s neck and squeeze him tightly in her arms. But when he saw Echo approaching, he ran away from her with the words: “Hands off! I don't need your hugs! I would rather die than lie with you!” - “I’ll lie with you!” - she repeated, and that was the end of it.

The rejected nymph disappeared into the thicket of the forest, hiding her face burning with shame in the leaves, and spent the rest of her life alone in mountain caves. But although she was neglected, love still lived in her and even grew with her sorrow. Echo's sleepless vigils left her completely exhausted; she became emaciated, wrinkled, and over time her body completely disappeared into the humid air. All that was left of the nymph were bones and a voice, and then only a voice; it is said that her bones turned to stones. Echo hides in the forests, she is no longer visible on the mountain slopes, but everyone can hear her voice, in which she continues to live.

So Narcissus laughed at her, as he mocked other mountain and sea nymphs and his fellow youths. Finally, one of them, despised by Narcissus, raised his hands to heaven and prayed: “Let him henceforth love only himself and never get what he loves!” The goddess Nemesis heard this desperate plea. Nearby there was a pond with clear silver water. Shepherds never drove their flocks to this reservoir. The goats that grazed on the mountain slopes did not come down to him. Its surface was never disturbed by cows, birds, wild animals, or even the branches in whose shade it rested. Grass grew along its banks, drawing water from it, and the nearby grove never suffered from the sun's heat. Attracted by the beauty of this place, tired of the heat and the chase, the young man lay down on the shore to rest and drink water.

The more he tried to quench his thirst, the stronger it became. When he began to drink from the stream, he saw a beautiful reflection on the surface of the water. He fell in love with his impossible hope and believed that it would come true, although it was only his shadow. In silent amazement, Narcissus looked at his reflection, remaining lying like a statue carved from Parian marble. Lying on the shore, he admired his eyes, like two shining stars, his curls, worthy of Bacchus himself and Apollo himself, his delicate cheeks, his ivory neck, the noble beauty of his face, the blush that appeared on his snow-white skin from embarrassment: in short speaking, he adored it all, adoring himself.

Spellbound, he desired himself; he gave praise, and the subject of his praise was only himself; he searched for a long time, and the object of his desires found him; he kindled love in others, and now he himself was kindled with love. How many wasted kisses did he send to the empty pool? How many times had he put his hands into the water in an effort to embrace the reflection he saw, and each time his embrace remained empty? He had no idea what he saw, but what he saw inflamed his love, enchanted him and laughed in his eyes. Oh, poor little fool, why do you suffer in vain, trying to embrace the image that eludes you? What you seek is here now, but as soon as you turn away, your favorite image will disappear. What you strive for so much is just a shadow of your reflection, in which there is nothing real. She came with you, she stays with you, and she will leave with you, if, of course, you can leave at all.

So, lying on the bank of a stream, he knew neither sleep nor rest and did not think about food; Prostrate in the coastal shadow, he devoured his reflection with his eyes and could not get enough of it until he was completely exhausted. Raising himself slightly, he turned to the trees, spread his arms and shouted: “Oh, forest thickets, has anyone in the world had love more cruel than mine? Maybe in the past - you remember everything, because you live for centuries - there was someone else who experienced similar suffering? I'm fascinated by what I see; but what fascinated me and what I am looking for, I cannot find, and this vision has riveted my love. And my sorrow is multiplied by the fact that what separates us is not a huge ocean, not a long road, not mountain passes, not city walls with tightly locked gates, but the transparent surface of the water surface.

He, who is there, himself longs for my embrace. For as soon as my lips rush to the sparkling water, he turns to face me and his lips seek to meet mine. It probably seems to you that you can touch him - so little separates our loving hearts! Whoever you are, come to me! O lonely youth, why, why do you avoid me? Where do you disappear when I approach you? My slender body and my years are not at all something to be embarrassed about: many nymphs have fallen in love with me. Your friendly look gives me some kind of hope, and when I open my arms to you, you open yours to me in return. When I smile, you smile at me, and when I cry, tears run down your cheeks. You answer my nods with nods, and by the movement of your sweet lips I can read the answer to my words, although none of them reaches my ears. Oh, I am him! I feel it, and now I have recognized my own image; I myself light the flame and I myself suffer from it. What should I do? Should he pursue me or should I pursue him? Why bother at all? I have everything I desire; all the wealth I have makes me a beggar. Oh, if I could separate myself from my body! And although my plea sounds very strange for a lover, I would like my beloved to disappear from my eyes! And now my strength is consumed by sadness; I have very little time left to live, and life is no longer sweet for me. I am not afraid to die, because death will save me from misfortunes. I would like him, my beloved, to continue to live, but it will be as it should be: we will die together, in the same breath.”

With these words, half mad, he turned again to his reflection. His tears dripped into the water, its surface became rippled, and for a while his reflection disappeared in the stream. Then he cried out: “Oh, hard-hearted one, why are you leaving me? Stay with me, don’t leave alone the one who loves you so much! At least this way you will remain mine, so that I can at least look at you without being able to touch you, and, looking at you, suffer from burning passion.”

Full of grief, he tore his tunic and beat himself on his exhausted chest with deathly pale hands. Under the blows, his chest became red: so an apple, on one side white, on the other can be bright red, or a bunch of grapes that have not yet ripened can already have a purple tint. When the surface of the water calmed down and became smooth, he again saw his reflection and was no longer able to bear it. And just as yellow wax melts from soft warmth, just as frosty frost disappears under the rays of the morning sun, so the young man, devastated by love, was slowly devoured by his inner fire. The red and white colors disappeared, all his strength and all his energy dried up, everything that once brought him joy disappeared, very little remained of that slender body that once attracted Echo so much. But seeing him like this, still full of anger and not having forgotten anything, she took pity on him, and with every sigh of the poor young man, with every blow to his chest, she returned to him these sounds of sorrow. He glanced at the stream he so desired and said, breathing his last breath: “My love was in vain. Farewell, my beloved! - and everything that surrounded him echoed his words. And when he said: "Goodbye!" - "Goodbye!" - Echo repeated after him. Narcissus' once proud head sank to the green grass, and death closed his eyes, which had once been his adornment. But his remains still continued to look at their reflection in the Stygian pool. His naiad sisters beat their chests and tore out their hair as a sign of grief for their dead brother. The dryads muttered bitter lamentations, and Echo returned them mournful sounds. They began to prepare for the funeral feast, lit torches and brought a funeral bier, but could not find his body anywhere. At the place where Narcissus died, they found a flower with a yellow core and white petals.

This sensational story in the area brought well-deserved fame to the soothsayer in all Greek cities, and everywhere the name of Tiresias was pronounced with respect.