The Myth of Narcissus

The Beautiful Youth Who Loved Only Himself

Narcissus was a youth of extraordinary beauty — so beautiful that everyone who saw him fell in love with him. But Narcissus rejected every admirer with cold contempt, earning the wrath of the gods.

The nymph Echo loved Narcissus desperately. Cursed by Hera to only repeat the last words spoken to her, Echo could never declare her feelings in her own words. When she tried to embrace Narcissus, he pushed her away cruelly, saying he would rather die than let her have him. Heartbroken, Echo wasted away until only her voice remained, forever repeating the words of others in caves and mountains. Nemesis, the goddess of divine retribution, heard the prayers of all those Narcissus had rejected. She led him to a clear pool where he saw his own reflection for the first time and fell desperately in love with it. He could not leave the reflection, could not touch it, could not look away. He wasted away by the pool, and where his body had lain, a flower grew — the narcissus, forever bending toward its own reflection in the water. The myth gave psychology the concept of narcissism — excessive self-love and the inability to genuinely connect with others. Freud and subsequent psychologists saw in Narcissus a profound truth about the human capacity for self-absorption and the inability to love others when consumed by love of self.