NARCISSUS


Meaning of NARCISSUS in English

n.

In Greek mythology , a beautiful youth who fell in love with his own reflection.

He was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Leriope. His mother was told by a seer that he would have a long life, provided he never saw his own reflection. His callous rejection of the nymph Echo or of his lover Ameinias drew upon him the gods' vengeance: he fell in love with his own image in the waters of a spring and wasted away. The narcissus flower sprang up where he died.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.