Narcissus And His Reflection Bronze Figurine (by Veronese)

Narcissus was a hunter in Greek mythology, renowned for his extraordinary beauty that he died after falling in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, staring at it for the remainder of his life. He was the son of the river god Cephissus and nymph Liriope. Narcissus was extraordinarily proud, in that he disdained those who loved him, leading one of his lovers, the nymph Echo, to die of heartbreak. Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, learned of this story and decided to punish Narcissus. She lured him to a pool where he saw his own reflection in the water and fell in love, not realizing it was merely an image. Unable to leave the allure of his image, Narcissus eventually realized that his love could not be reciprocated and was said to have died at the banks of the river, staring at his own reflection. In other versions, he committed suicide out of sorrow. This is the origin of the term narcissism, a fixation with oneself and one's physical appearance or public perception.