The Narcissus Myth

In this tale, told by Roman poet Ovid and remembered for his verses on love, a young girl
named Echo falls in love with a vain youth named Narcissus. He was the son of a woman that
the river god had encircled with the windings of his streams, thus trapping and seducing her.
Worried for her sons welfare, she consulted a prophet regarding his future. The prophet reports:
Narcissus will live to a ripe old age, as long as he never knows himself.
One day when Narcissus was out hunting, Echo follows the handsome youth through the
woods, longing to address him but unable to speak first. When Narcissus finally heard her
footsteps he shouted Who goes there? Echo answered goes there? goes there? And so
it went, until finally Echo showed herself and rushed to embrace Narcissus. He pulled away and
vainly told her to leave him alone. Narcissus left Echo heartbroken and she spent the rest of her
life lonely and pining away for the love she never knew. Only her voice remained.
Eventually Narcissus became thirsty and went to drink from a stream. As he saw his reflection,
he fell in love with it, not knowing that it was him. As he bent down to kiss it, it seemed to run
away and he was heartbroken. He grew thirstier but he wouldnt touch the water for fear of
damaging his reflection, so he eventually died of thirst and staring at his own reflection. The
narcissus flower is closely identified with the boy and was said to spring from the ground around
the pool where Narcissus died. In the roman version it is suggested that Narcissus is
transformed into the flower.
Its deeper meaning: Narcissus is the product of a seduction of a woman engulfed by her
emotions. He is trapped from the beginning.
His life is tolerable but, only if he never learns the truth of his history. This is his curse.
In this context, the only love he will ever know is the echo of his own voice. Because of vanity
and false pride, even this will fade. Ultimately, having a desire (thirst) to understand the
emotions that surrounds him, he will attempt to connect with the source. It is then that he sees
his reflection and falls in love. However, he thinks this reflection is the other or God. Little does
he know that it is! (Narcissus is the son of a God in the Myth)
A single attempt to accept (kiss) what he seesmakes it disappear.
Each attempt to touch this illusive image of the selfdisappears in the touching. Narcissus is
heartbroken and alonenot realizing that it is his own divinity and self-acceptance that he longs
for.
As life would have it, the desire for connection, understanding, and proximity to the other
becomes so greatthat the longing kills Narcissus.
In the end, Narcissus takes on his true form (and potential) a flower. His true beauty occurs
with the flowering (understanding) of his feelings.
Point: Narcissism is a pattern of traits and behaviors which signify infatuation and obsession
with ones self to the exclusion of all others and the egotistic and ruthless pursuit of ones

gratification, dominance and ambition. As a character disorder, the prognosis for change is poor.
However, as an element of the culture and human condition knowing the myth offers hope.
Moral: Everyone has narcissistic traits what to do?
Pursue understanding of your emotions and inner self. You are not cursed to never know
yourself.
No one has the capacity to see their own reflectionother people are mirrors - choose them
wisely.
How you treat yourself internally will be mirrored externally. False pride is a disguise for shame.
Rejection of others will not heal this hole.
Truly treat others as you wish to be treated. Compassion is a practice.
If you find others parroting your reflection back to youthis is but an echo. Truth comes from
true mirrors. Learn to recognize who they are and hold them sacred.
True mirrors will sound different. They will advise and guide without an agenda.
Become a good mirror first. If yours is brokenfix it. If not, you will not recognize others who
have.
Self-acceptance allows access to your divinity. Longing for it makes it possible.
Reaching for it causes it to be elusive. Understand the longing.
In the end, realize that you already have what you seek.
You are a reflection of divine characterbut it is discovered from a life well-knownnot a life
denied or rejected.
This kind of suffering with oneself is transformingand allows the true self to appear.

Cephissus
KEPHISOS (Cephisus) was a River-God of Phokis (Phocis) and northern Boiotia (Boeotia) in
central Greece.
The Kephisos River had its headwaters on the northern slopes of Mount Parnassos (Parnassus)
and the southern foothills of the Mount Othrys. It flowed east through Phokis and Boiotia before
emptying into Lake Kopais (Copais) near the town of Orkhomenos (Orchomenus). The most
important neighbouring rivers of Boiotian Kephisos were the Sperkheios (Spercheus) of Malis to
the north, the Pleistos of Phokis to the south, and the Ismenos of central Boiotia to the southeast.
It is possible that this River-God also presided over the two Kephisos streams of Attika. The
river may have been thought to travel underground from Lake Kopais, rising again in the
mountains of Kithairon (Cithaeron) and Parnes to form the two Athenian rivers of the same
name. A fourth river named Kephisos, located in Argos, vanished into a cleft in the earth. It may
have been imagined as the source of the Phokian river--reemerging in Phokis after travelling
north through subterranean channels.

Nymp of Liriope
Lyriope was a Naiad Nymp of Phokis (central Greece) loved by the River-god
Kephisos(Cephissus).
Her name means face of the narcissus, leirion being another Greek name for the flower
narkissos, possibly the two were different species. Appropreitely she was the mother of the boy
Narkissos, who transformed into his self-named flower.
She was probably identitied with Lilaia, the Naias of the springs at the source of the river
Kephisos.

http://www.theoi.com/Potamos/PotamosKephisos1.html
http://www.narcissismfree.com/the-narcissus-myth/