Each of us saw this flower, similar to a six-winged star with a bright yellow center. He is standing on a slender smooth leg, thoughtfully bowing his fragrant head, and as if sad about something. They say that a narcissistic narcissist, whose name has long become a household name, willingly accepts the love of others, but is unable to give it to others. Even in bouquets, the flower does not tolerate the neighborhood of other representatives of the flora. And how are the narcissus man and the fragrant spring flower connected?
Ancient greek legend
The name of the flower was made a symbol of narcissism by ancient myths and legends. A well-known ancient legend says that a charming son was born to the river god Kefisa and the tender nymph Liriope, who they named Narcissus. A man could not be as beautiful as this young man was. Many girls dreamed of his love, but to all he remained indifferent. Narcissus could not love anyone but himself. The value of phraseologism lies precisely in the fact that this name is called too selfish, fixated on oneself. It happened to fall in love with the impregnable Narcissus nymph named Echo, but she was rejected by a cruel young man. From anguish, she turned into a rock that responded to the voice of a man, but before that, the nymph prayed to the gods for retribution. Nemesis, punishing moral and social misconduct, punished the obstinate youth. Once on a hunt, the handsome Narcissus wanted to get drunk from a stream. A man barely leaned toward the mirror surface, as he was struck in the heart by the unprecedented beauty of reflection. Own perfection made the young man a captive of himself: he extended his hands to the water, called and prayed, but the reflection did not let the young hunter go. Forgetting about food and sleep, he all admired his beauty, was mesmerized by it. Poor Narcissus grew pale, weak and weak. Soon, his strength completely left him, and he, dropping his beautiful head into the coastal grass, died. The forest nymphs, who decided to arrange a magnificent funeral for him, did not find the body, but saw a white fragrant flower in this place and named it “a narcissus” in memory of the unfortunate young man. The person who found him was considered a contender for unhappy love. However, over time, this value acquired a broader coloring. In Egypt, a flower symbolized beauty, in Persia - immortality, and in Germany - love and a happy marriage.
Chinese legend
"Flower of the water god" is called a narcissus in the Middle Kingdom. According to an old legend, he grew up on the banks of a dried pond. And this event preceded this event. One poor peasant woman with difficulty gathered a handful of rice at home to feed her son working in the field. But a beggar came into her house and asked for food. The woman gave him the rice and burst into tears. The traveler asked her if she regrets that she gave the last meal. The peasant woman replied that no, she did not regret it, because the unfortunate person needs food more than they do. The stranger thanked the savior and went to the pond. There he threw himself into the water, and in the morning the locals discovered an unusual delicate flower here. People understood that the woman was visited by none other than the water god, who thanked her in such a beautiful way. In China, this flower represents gratitude, and on New Year's Eve it is the same attribute of the holiday as we have a tree.
Narcissistic narcissus: the meaning of phraseology
This stable expression originates, of course, not from the eastern, but from the European legend. The literal love for oneself experienced by the Greek youth was transformed into a designation of such qualities of character as egocentrism, conceit, and narcissism. A narcissist man is inclined to overestimate his merits and neglect other people's interests for the sake of his own. Such a person cannot become a good friend, it is difficult to love and cannot rely on him in an ambiguous situation. In the collective, the daffodil is laughed at, but his narcissism can become a big problem if he occupies a responsible position and is the leader. Is the narcissist captive with his goodness happy? Probably no. After all, people need communication, support and approval of each other.
So as not to grow a daffodil
For gardeners, the question of how to plant and care for a bewitching flower is relevant, but for loving parents, the most important thing is to grow not a daffodil, but a worthy and happy person. You do not need to be a famous teacher to understand that the basis of upbringing here should be reasonable parental love, combining tenderness with discipline, affection with exactingness, fostering responsibility, mutual assistance, sympathy and generosity in a child.
Beauty and perfidy
If you put a large bouquet of daffodils in the room, you can get dizzy and even faint. The stupefying sweet aroma of the plant is capable of such insidiousness. No wonder flowers have the same root name with the word "anesthesia". Translated from Greek - "numbness, numbness." Ancient daffodil essential oil was used in medicine and perfumery.
Eloquent language of flowers
Fans of plant symbols will be interested to know what is the symbolic meaning of flowers. Narcissus, by analogy with the metaphorical meaning adopted in Western civilization, symbolizes selfish desires, deceived hopes, unrequited love, is the personification of cold beauty and vanity. The culture of the East and Asia, on the contrary, gives the flower an inspiring force of kindness, grace and sophistication. Presenting the beloved daffodils, the ardent young man thereby says to her: "You are the one and only."
Narcissus in art
The great myths of the Renaissance Leonardo da Vinci and Benvenuto Cellini, Caravaggio and Poussin dedicated the ancient myth of Narcissus to creations. The ancient Roman poet Ovid in his own way comprehended the contents of the legend. Composer Christoph Gluck created an amazing opera based on the legend. About the marvelous handsome man, in love with Narcissus, who, until he dies, “looks at himself, endlessly loving,” wrote the English romantic poet Shelley. In Russia there is a curious story of the Strugatsky brothers "Narcissus" about a man who lives in the twentieth century and owns the secret of hypnosis.