Древние греки сегодня считаются учителями всего Old World. It was they who laid the foundations of science, sport, the democratic state system, art and literature. Many of their knowledge reached us through ancient myths, which explained the universe and the order of things, circumstances, and other inexplicable facts. A very interesting myth about Narcissus, which we consider in our article.
Summary of the myth
So, the myth of Narcissus.Briefly, its content can be re-told as follows: the young man fell in love with his own reflection and died, unable to tear himself away from contemplating himself in the water, even to eat. At the place of death, a flower grew from the body of a young man, which was just as beautiful and sloped down. He was named after the young man and was considered a symbol of death, a dream from which one can wake up in a different guise, oblivion, but also a symbol of resurrection. But in fact, the myth of Narcissus is much more complicated.
Narcissus was a very handsome guy, the son of a nymph byName Liriopa and river god Kefissa. When the boy was born, the soothsayer Tiresias told his parents about his future. He was destined to live a long and happy life, but if he never sees his reflection. Since there were no mirrors then, the parents were calm.
But time passed.Narcissus grew up a guy of amazing appearance, in which girls and women fell in love without memory. Even the representatives of the stronger sex paid attention to the handsome. But he remained indifferent and pushed everyone away. Rejected fans called the Olympian gods for help and tearfully asked to punish the proud man. As ancient myths tell further, the goddess of justice, Nemesis, heeded their pleas, and Narcissus saw his face in the river mirror. The old prophecy immediately came true: the young man was kindled with a passion for his own reflection and died, unable to move away from the water.
Unhappy Echo
The Narcissus Myth tells not only about the sadthe fate of the beautiful young man, but also about the nymph Echo. Many boys and girls dried up from the love of Narcissus and, pushed away by the proud handsome man, raised their hands to the sky, begging for revenge. Among them was the nymph Echo.
Her fate is especially tragic.Once she was a friend of Hera (Juno), her confidant companion. The terrible goddess trusted her as to herself. But Echo accidentally found out about the adventures of Zeus (Jupiter), the wife of Hera, and hid them from her mistress. An angry mistress of Olympus chased away the nymph, and also selected her voice. The girl could only repeat the last words spoken by someone. Only love could save her, and she diligently sought the other half.
Love line Narcissus - Echo
According to the myths of ancient Greece, Narcissus -beautiful and proud guy who did not like any women. When he met the nymph Echo, she did not impress him either. The girl, on the contrary, was inflamed with passion. She followed him until her body dried out and only a voice remained. But the young man still did not pay attention to her. Then the nymph wrung her hands to heaven and cursed the guy, wishing that the one whom Narcissus finally fell in love with would also remain indifferent to him.
Love did not bring happiness either to Echo, which disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving only her voice on her — recall, echo, or Narcissus. The display in the river could not reciprocate, even if it wanted to.
Philosophical research
Миф о Нарциссе – это не просто история о unrequited love. It carries a hidden meaning, condemnation, but also regret. The young man is endowed with gods of rare beauty, but he is a toy in the hands of fate. He saw the external beauty, even his own (Narcissus did not know that he sees his face in the river), and forgot about everything in the world. The guy is not trying to find inner beauty, to see the soul. Perhaps, if he tried to do this, he would understand that a man is both a soul and a body, he would find himself, his I. Narcissus really suffers like girls in love with him, but cannot or does not want to take in hand. He remains limp, preferring longing and suffering, death to struggle for his own happiness.
Echo - exhausted, disappointed.She could not resist Zeus and hid his infidelity from Hera. This she betrayed her friend, for which she received the punishment. But her lot seems very difficult: she lost herself, but she could not find solace in love. The nymph also saw only visible beauty, only external gloss, and therefore was doomed.
Delightful flower
From the body of the dead Narcissus grew amazingflower. His touching petals and incredible aroma conquered at first sight, but also brought sadness. Probably because the plant was considered a symbol of death, dead people, a sign of sadness. But the flower, named after the hero of ancient myths, is also the personification of the resurrection, the triumph of life over the realm of the dark Aida. And, probably, because people cultivate daffodils in their front gardens and flower beds, and he pleases them with his rare beauty, blooming, the snow will hardly come down and the sun will warm the earth with its rays.
