Narcissus
（
Νάρκισσος).
1.
The beautiful son of the river-god Cephissus. He rejected the love of the nymph
Echo (q.v.), and Nemesis punished
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Narcissus. (Naples Museum.)
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him for this by inspiring him with a passion for the reflection of himself which he saw
in the water of a fountain (Ovid,
Met. iii. 341-510; Pausan. ix. 10). He pined away in the desire for
it; and to see one's reflection in the water was hence considered as a presage of death. The
flower of the same name, into which he was changed, was held to be a symbol of fragility and
death, and was sacred to Hades, the divinity of the world below. Persephoné had
just gathered a narcissus, when she was carried off by Hades (
Hymn. Ad Cer.
15; see
Persephoné).
2.
A freedman of the emperor Claudius. He afterwards became his private secretary, and in the
exercise of this office acquired immense riches by the most odious means. Messalina, jealous
of his power, endeavoured to remove him, but her own vices made her fall an easy victim to
this unprincipled man, who betrayed to Claudius her intrigue with C. Silius. (See
Messalina.) Agrippina, however, was more successful.
She was irritated at his having endeavoured to prevent her ascending the imperial throne;
while Narcissus, on his side, espoused the interests of the young Britannicus, and urged
Claudius to name him as his successor. Apprised of these plans, Agrippina drove Narcissus
into a kind of temporary exile by compelling him to go to the baths of Campania for his
health; and, having taken advantage of his absence from Rome to poison the emperor, she next
compelled Narcissus to put himself to death. He is said to have amassed a fortune of
400,000,000 sesterces or $16,000,000 (
Tac. Ann. xi.
30-35
Tac. Ann. xii. 57Tac.
Ann. xiii. 1;
Claud.).
3.
An athlete who strangled the emperor Commodus (A.D. 192), and was exposed to the lions by
Severus (Dio Cass. lxxii. 22; lxxiii. 16).
