The river nymph Liriope asked the blind seer Tiresias if her beautiful son, Narcissus, would live to see a ripe old age. The prophet’s answer was a riddle: he would, Tiresias said, ‘if he does not know himself’. Liriope dismissed the prophecy as empty words. Years passed, and by his sixteenth year, Narcissus was so beautiful that many youths and maidens pursued him. Yet his pride was absolute, and he coldly rejected every suitor who dared approach him. One spurned lover prayed that Narcissus might one day feel the pain of unrequited love himself. The goddess of revenge, Nemesis, heard the prayer and set the boy’s fate in motion.
Narcissus and Echo
Ovid's myth of Echo, who could only repeat, and Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection, leading to the term narcissism.
Chapter 1
If He Does Not Know Himself
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the nymph Echo cursed?
The goddess Juno cursed Echo as punishment for helping Jupiter with his infidelities. Echo would distract Juno with long stories, allowing other nymphs who were with Jupiter to escape. As a result, Juno took away Echo's ability to speak for herself, allowing her only to repeat the last words spoken by others.
What was the prophecy given about Narcissus?
The blind prophet Tiresias told Narcissus's mother that her son would live a long life, but only on one condition: 'if he does not know himself'. This was a strange reversal of the famous Greek maxim 'Know Thyself', and its true meaning only became clear when Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection.
Where does the modern psychological term 'narcissism' come from?
The term was coined in 1899 by German psychiatrist Paul Näcke, directly inspired by Ovid's character. Psychologists saw the myth as a perfect metaphor for excessive self-focus, particularly because Narcissus doesn't love himself, but rather a false image of himself that he fails to recognize.
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