Greek or Roman Mythology and Artistic Representation - Essay Example

The story of Narcissus Introduction The word narcissism, meaning selfish or egotistical gets derived from the ancient Greek story of Narcissus. The story of Narcissus is a Greek myth told of an exceedingly handsome young boy who was the son of a river god and blue nymph. His eyes matched the color of the sea and his hair was of spun gold. By the age of fifteen, he was so handsome that everyone who met him admired him. Narcissus knew of his good looks and in turn turned down everyone who fell in love with him including a nymph called Echo.

On one of his hunting trips, Narcissus heard footsteps following him. Turning around, he did not see anyone. He asked who was following him. To his surprise, the reply was the same as to that he had asked. Echo kept on replying the same way Narcissus asked until she decided to reveal herself to him. Without premeditation, Echo embraced Narcissus until they felt each other’s heartbeats. Unimpressed, Narcissus pulled away From Echo dismissing her show of affection leaving her alone in the forest.

Echo becomes shattered emotionally. She remained rooted in the same spot hoping Narcissus will one day pass by, so she can see him again. She prayed to the goddess of love Venus that she helps her avenge Narcissus rejection. Her hope never materialized and she died leaving her voice in the wind. Venus thought of the most rewarding punishment towards Narcissus; making him fall in love with himself culminating in disaster. Narcissus duly fell in love with himself. One day, as he drunk water from a pond, he noticed a reflection of someone with similar looks to his.

Narcissus had never seen someone so beautiful. He fell in love with his reflection instantly. He reached towards the reflection only for it to disappear each time he tried to touch it. Narcissus stared at the reflection for several years until his death. Upon his death, Echo cried sorrowfully and Venus taking pity on Narcissus soul, let a flower grow on the spot where he died. According to Greek legend, Narcissus still stares at his reflection where trees and ponds meet flowers.Body Below is an image of a flower used to depict the story of Narcissus.

The flower gets named after Narcissus himself.Visual appearance The object is golden in color and beautiful. It depicts the first scene of the myth as a representation of Narcissus beauty that got described as exceedingly handsome and irresistible. The object has a similar color to Narcissus hair described as a spun of gold. It also depicts the scene where Narcissus died and the exact same spot where he grew as a flower. Meaning (IntentioLectoris) In ancient Greek, the Narcissus flower got used as a symbol of friendship and beauty.

The depiction of the myth as a flower expresses the fact that despite the unmatched beauty of flowers, they are seasonal and die out after some time. It also expresses the meaning that a flower is a symbol of love and has to be taken care of for it to blossom and mature. From the story of Narcissus, the flower represents the extension of love from the goddess Venus towards Echo. According to the myth, the flower represents a show of compassion by Venus towards Echo for the hurt she experienced during the death of Narcissus.

ValuesIn ancient Greek, the narcissus flower represented the value of compassion. The goddess Venus shows compassion towards echo by letting a beautiful flower grow over the spot where Narcissus died. Echo got immensely hurt by Narcissus death, and the flower was to remind her about Narcissus beauty.The flower became used as a symbol to represent the value of humility. The story of Narcissus depicts the dangers of becoming too egotistic, proud and selfish. Narcissus was extremely handsome. He became proud and full of himself turning down shows of affection by other nymphs.

His pride and selfishness eventually leads to his death. Ancient Greeks used this myth to teach and elaborate on the values of humility.Conclusion The story of Narcissus explains to us the values friendship, humility and love. In ancient Greek, the story of Narcissus got used in teaching how pride, ego and selfishness could lead to one’s destruction. The story emphasized on the importance of extension of love towards others. Narcissus was selfish of his love and rejected every other nymph. This led to him only falling in love with himself and ultimately his death.

Works cited“Daffodils”. The flower expert. 14 April 2012. n.d. Web. 14 April 2012“Greek Heroic Myths: The Story of Narcissus”. Examples of Greek myths. n.d. Web. 14 April 2012“Plant of the month: Narcissus”. I love my garden.com. March 2005. Web. 14 April 2012