JAVIER PERROUD
TLON VOL. II
ART & PHILOSOPY
Narcisus
by Robert Graves
In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter known for his beauty. Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells the tale of Narcissus and Echo; Echo spots Narcissus in the woods one day and instantly falls in love with him. She follows him. Sensing that someone is watching him, Narcissus calls out “Who’s there?” and Echo mimics him with a “Who’s there?” Eventually she reveals herself and her love for Narcissus, only to be harshly rebuffed by him. Heartbroken, Echo took to the mountains to die and the only trace of her can be found there in echoes.
Nemesis, the goddess of retribution, takes revenge on Narcissus by luring him to a reflecting pool. He saw his own reflection in the water and fell deeply in love with it. After some time he realizes that his love will forever be unrequited. The fire of passion blazing within him causes him to melt away and be transformed into a flower, which is known today as a narcissus (daffodil). Benczúr gives us that moment of transformation.
Narcissus, 1881 by Gyula Benczúr
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Caravaggio's early works are almost always set in a neutral, undefined space. The artist is also known for re-using the same models in his paintings. The boy shown here bears a remarkable resemblance to the angel in Rest on the Flight into Egypt.
Narcissus is wearing a vest made of the same material as Mary Magdalene's dress in Caravaggio's The Penitent Magdalene. Especially while still a poor young artist, Caravaggio was known to reuse the same models and costumes in order to save money.
Caravaggio conveys a dark melancholy. Narcissus' eyes are deeply shadowed, his full lips voluptuous, and his yearning gaze is fixed on black water. This water was frequently associated by ancient writers with the waters of the Styx, and the narcissus into which the boy was transformed was associated with death, with Demeter and Persephone, with dank pools and funereal flowers.
Narcissus, 1599 by Caravaggio
In Greek mythology, Narcissus was a hunter from the territory of Thespiae in Boeotia who was renowned for his beauty. He was the son of a river god named Cephissus and a nymph named Liriope. He was exceptionally proud of what he did to those who loved him. Nemesis noticed and attracted Narcissus to a pool, wherein he saw his reflection and fell in love with it, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the beauty of his reflection, Narcissus died. Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself.
Many versions of this myth have survived from ancient sources. The classic version is by Ovid, found in book 3 of his Metamorphoses (completed 8 AD): the story of Narcissus and Echo. Narcissus was walking in the woods when Echo, an Oread (mountain nymph) saw him, fell deeply in love, and followed him. Narcissus sensed he was being followed and shouted "Who's there?". Echo repeated "Who's there?". She eventually revealed her identity and attempted to embrace him. He stepped away and told her to leave him alone. She was heartbroken and spent the rest of her life in lonely glens until nothing but an echo sound remained of her. Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, learned of this story and decided to punish Narcissus. She lured him to a pool where he saw his own reflection. He didn't realize it was only an image and fell in love with it. He eventually realised that his love could not be addressed and died.
An earlier version ascribed to the poet Parthenius of Nicaea, composed around 50 BC, was recently rediscovered among the Oxyrhynchus papyri at Oxford. Unlike Ovid's version, it ends with Narcissus committing suicide. A version by Conon, a contemporary of Ovid, also ends in suicide (Narrations, 24). Therein, a young man named Aminias fell in love with Narcissus, who had already spurned his male suitors. Narcissus also spurned him and gave him a sword. Aminias committed suicide at Narcissus's doorstep. He had prayed to the gods to give Narcissus a lesson for all the pain he provoked. Narcissus walked by a pool of water and decided to drink some. He saw his reflection, became entranced by it, and killed himself because he could not have his object of desire. A century later the travel writer Pausanias recorded a novel variant of the story, in which Narcissus falls in love with his twin sister rather than himself (Guide to Greece, 9.31.7).