Narcissus and the Daffodil: What this classical myth tells us about what it means to be human

Spring is finally in the air, and people across the land have been similarly delighted by the sight of little yellow flowers popping up.

Daffodils emerge each year at the hinge between winter and spring and their showy heads are a taken as a sign of brighter things to come.

The dazzling effect of this beautiful flower (which exists in the wild too, albeit in a paler form than cultivated versions) has long been embedded into its mythology.

Homer wrote in his Hymn to Demeter (6-7 Century BC) that it was created by Zeus to help Hades ensnare Persephone and take her to the underworld. She was so captivated by its yellow blooms that he was able to capture her and kidnap her. (1) I'm tempted to disappear down a rabbit hole about the symbolism in this story, but will save it for another time.

The story of Narcissus and the daffodil

The better known story today - and the one that gave the daffodil its botanical name - is that of Narcissus. It's a story that was written down by Ovid in his poem "Metamorphoses", during the first century, during the reign of Augustus.

The story is as follows: Narcissus was a good looking youth, so good looking in fact that he thought he was above any of the youths or ladies who fell for him. He rejected all their advances, including those of the Nymph, Echo, who subsequently faded away so that only her voice was left echoing across the mountains.

One of those he rejected implored the gods to punish him, and so the goddess of retribution, Nemesis, led him to a pool of water where he saw his own reflection. He fell head over heels in love with his own image, not realising that it was in fact himself.

He was so consumed with wanting that could not be fulfilled that he faded away and became the pale yellow flower, forever drooping as if looking down at his own reflection. (2)

Narcissus and Narcissim

For centuries the myth was read as a warning against vanity, until Freud and later psychologists reinterpreted it as a story about the human psyche.

Freud developed the psychological model of narcissism, taking its name from the myth.

He said that at first, a child's emotional energy is naturally focused on the self (primary narcissim) but that this normally moves outwards towards other people as the child grows. However, sometimes it remains or returns inward (secondary narcissism), which is a form of arrested development.

Narcissism remains a really helpful psychological model, helping many make sense of their relationship with others including caregivers, and also also our collective efforts to understand the actions of certain world leaders.

But is it just self love?

Freud's successors had a different view. Carl Jung said that Narcissus was not consumed with mere vanity, but rather that the body of water represented his deeper Self, or unconscious, and that Narcissus was confronted with the aspects of himself that he simply couldn't integrate.

He didn't see this as a form of arrested development, but rather revealing universal patterns of the human psyche (what Jung called "archetypes"). The tragedy lay not in self love, but in Narcissus’ inability to recognise the deeper Self reflected before him.

For Jung, the myth offers a lesson relevant to us all on the path toward individuation, which he saw as the lifelong process of becoming whole by coming to terms with the many parts of ourselves.

And what of the image?

Jungian disciple James Hillman took this even further. For him, the issue was more that Narcissus tries to possess the image, rather than stay in relationship with it and be guided by it.

This speaks to the human tendency to objectify images - whether that's obsessing about the perfect selfie or holiday snap, it seems incredibly relevant today.

I have been watching the series Civilisation with Mary Beard and Simon Schama, where they discuss the importance of images of the self and of the divine in the development of civilisations - a highly recommended watch.

Concluding thoughts

Almost everyone knows what a daffodil is, but comparatively few people are aware of the myth of Narcissus and the ensuing debate about its meaning.

Part of the reason that the myth has continued to resonate across the generations is that it brings up questions central to being human:

• Who am I?

• How do I relate to my own image?

• How do I distinguish between appearance and reality?

• How can I truly know all the parts of myself?

So next time you are passing a daffodil, as well as taking some time to admire its beautiful petals, remember the myth that it carries.

A small, pale, quiet flower, forever bowed down in quiet existential contemplation.

References

(1) Homer, Hymn to Demeter - 7-6th Century BC

(2) Ovid, Metamorphisis - 1st Century BC

(3) These themes are explored in the brilliant BBC series Civilisations