Narcissus | |
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![]() Narcissus, fresco from the House of M. Lucretius Fronto at Pompeii | |
Abode | Thespiae |
Symbol | Daffodil |
Parents | Cephissus and Liriope or Endymion and Selene |
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Greek mythology |
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In Greek mythology, Narcissus (/nɑːrˈsɪsəs/; Ancient Greek: Νάρκισσος, romanized: Nárkissos) was a hunter from Thespiae in Boeotia (alternatively Mimas or modern-day Karaburun, Izmir) who was known for his beauty which was noticed by all. According to the best-known version of the story in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Narcissus rejected the advances of all men and women who approached him, instead falling in love with his own reflection in a pool of water.[1] In some versions, he beat his breast purple in agony at being kept apart from this reflected love, and in his place sprouted a flower bearing his name.
The character of Narcissus is the origin of the term narcissism, a self-centered personality style. This quality in extreme contributes to the definition of narcissistic personality disorder, a psychiatric condition marked by grandiosity, excessive need for attention and admiration, and an inability to empathize.