.Z JiMONG the ancients, the nar¬ 
cissus was one of the favored plants of both gods 
and men. This fragrant flower formed the crown 
of the goddesses on Mt. Olympus, and was kept 
moist and continually blooming by heavenly dew. 
It was planted almost everywhere, and even the 
poets sang of its beauty. Homer, the immortal 
Greek poet, refers to it as delighting heaven and 
earth with its perfume and beauty . . . The 
beautiful white narcissus, as we know it today, 
commemorates the name and memory of a youth 
of Boeotia. According to Greek mythology, Nar¬ 
cissus was a handsome youth who was greatly 
loved by a beautiful nymph, called Echo. But 
Narcissus did not return her love, and because of 
this, Echo pined her life away until there was 
nothing left of her but a voice. It had been pre¬ 
dicted that Narcissus would enjoy happiness only 
as long as he was kept from beholding his own 
face. Mindful of this, Nemesis, the goddess of 
vengeance, in order to punish the youth for not 
returning Echo’s love, caused him to see his re¬ 
flection and fall in love with his own image, thus 
putting an end to his happiness by making him 
experience the sorrow of deeply loving and re¬ 
ceiving no love in return ... As the legend 
goes on, it tells how the sad plight of Narcissus 
came about. One day, as he was roaming through 
the hills, he happened upon a lovely little pool of 
fresh spring water, and stooping to take a drink, 
he caught sight of the reflection of his own im¬ 
age. Thinking it was a beautiful water nymph, 
he fell ardently in love with it, and for hours, 
he would lie on the edge of the pool admiring 
and worshiping the image that he saw reflected 
in the clear surface of its waters. But when the 
image neither answered nor came nearer as he 
spoke and beckoned, he wept bitterly, and wan¬ 
dered sorrowing through the nearby forest. Then 
his beauty that once charmed Echo gradually 
faded; soon he pined away, and with full knowl¬ 
edge of the bitterness of unrequited love, he died. 
A funeral pyre was made ready by the water 
nymphs who mourned his death, but when they 
came to get the body, it was gone. In its place— 
which was the spot where the youth had fallen 
in death—there sprang up a beautiful white flow¬ 
er with a yellow center. The water nymphs called 
it Narcissus in memory of the beautiful, but ill- 
destined youth . . . Echo may still be heard 
calling sadly and mournfully in the woods and 
devastated places, hoping to be answered by Nar¬ 
cissus, as she continues her weary, yet 
hopeful, search for him. 
