Cheeky History with
Ornery Owl
Sympathy for
Narcissus:
A Limerick Haibun
Fusion Sandwich
Tongue in Cheek Style
Narcissus got a bad rap
For being a stuck-up chap
He wasn’t malicious
Though he thought himself delicious
The poor guy was caught in a trap
There are variations on the myth of Narcissus, but the core story is as follows.
Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. When Narcissus was young, a seer named Tiresias told Liriope that Narcissus would live a long life as long as he never knew himself.
Narcissus grew up to be very handsome and had many admirers, but he was not interested in any of them. One day, after hunting, Narcissus lay beside a still pool of water. When he saw his own reflection, he fell deeply in love with himself. He tried to touch the figure in the water but could not. He was so enamored with his reflection that he would not leave the water's edge.
Fixating on his reflection to the exclusion of all else, Narcissus eventually succumbed to exhaustion and starvation. When the nymphs came to bury him, his body transformed into a beautiful white daffodil flower thereafter known as the Narcissus.
There are several variations on the Narcissus myth. The best-known variation was Metamorphoses, an epic poem written by Ovid. Metamorphoses explains the creation of various plants, animals, and natural phenomena through stories of transformation.
In Ovid’s poem, the nymph, Echo, told a story that was so long that Juno missed an opportunity to catch Jove while he flirted with the nymphs. Juno was angry with Echo, so she cursed the nymph to only repeat the words of others thenceforth.
One day in the woods, Echo saw Narcissus. She was captivated by his beauty and followed him. When Narcissus asked, "who is here?" Echo could only answer "here!"
Echo tried to embrace Narcissus, but he spurned her. Narcissus's rejection caused Echo to waste away until only her voice remained.
Narcissus stopped to rest by a clear pool of water, in which he beheld his reflection and was enchanted by its beauty. He sat staring at his reflection day and night, neither eating nor sleeping, eventually perishing from exhaustion and starvation. When the nymphs buried him, he transformed into a beautiful Narcissus flower.
In Pausanias' version of the story, Narcissus had a twin sister who looked exactly like him. He loved her very much. When she died, Narcissus found solace in looking at his reflection in the pond. This version of Narcissus does not fall in love with himself; instead, his reflection allows him to remember his sister.
The ancient Greek mythographer Konon's dark, homoerotic version of the myth of Narcissus takes place in the Greek city of Thespeia. In Konon's version, Narcissus scorns even Eros, the god of love himself.
A man named Ameinias falls deeply in love with Narcissus, but Narcissus spurns Ameinias and sends him a sword. Overcome with sorrow, Ameinias asks Eros to avenge him and commits suicide using the sword that Narcissus sent him.
Later, Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. He becomes distraught because he is unable to touch the beautiful man that he sees in the pool. Eventually, Narcissus ends his own life, transforming into the lovely flower that now bears his name.
While the third version of Narcissus is arrogant and spiteful, the best-known version is self-absorbed but not malevolent. I feel that a more apt comparison than Narcissus for individuals such as Donald tRump is the infamous failed emperor Commodus, whose focus on his own glory touched off the downfall of Rome.
Commodus was the son of the highly regarded emperor Marcus Aurelius. After the death of his father, Commodus became increasingly dictatorial. Rather than acting as a leader, he focused on building a cult of personality by performing as a gladiator in rigged matches where he always came out the winner. He was assassinated in his bath on 31 December 192 by his personal trainer, a wrestler named Narcissus.
Roman statesman Dio Cassius described the reign of Commodus as marking the descent "from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust". When Donald tRump took office, he attempted to upend any programs created during the Obama era while building his cult of personality through continual campaigning.
Members of the Roman senate despised and feared Commodus, but his cult of personality thrived thanks to his showboating. Commodus was a megalomaniac, describing himself as having godlike prowess. Donald tRump described himself as “the chosen one” and a “very stable genius.”
Early in 192, Commodus, declared himself the new Romulus, renaming the city Colonia Lucia Annia Commodiana. All the months of the year were renamed to correspond with his twelve names: Lucius, Aelius, Aurelius, Commodus, Augustus, Herculeus, Romanus, Exsuperatorius, Amazonius, Invictus, Felix, and Pius. The legions were renamed Commodianae, the fleet which imported grain from Africa was termed Alexandria Commodiana Togata, the Senate was called the Commodian Fortunate Senate, his palace, and the Roman people themselves were given the name Commodianus, and the day on which these reforms were decreed was called Dies Commodianus.
Donald tRump jokingly said that he should be made pResident for life. Only he wasn’t joking.
In conclusion, while Narcissus may have been self-absorbed to his own detriment and the detriment of those who became enamored with him, his conceit did not have negative effects on an entire civilization. The conceit of Emperor Commodus was the beginning of the end for the Roman Empire. Commodus did not care about the Roman people, he cared about his own glory.
Therefore, I submit that the term narcissism is incorrectly applied to individuals such as Donald tRump. I believe that such megalomaniacs should be called Commodes to reflect the historical figure whose actions they mirror. Like them, commodes tend to be full of crap.
Image by Craig Letourneau on Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/photos/daffodils-narcissus-nature-flower-455359/
narcissus heedless
learn nothing from growing pains
knowing only self
~cie~
978 words
Source: https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Narcissus/narcissus.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(mythology)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narcissus_(wrestler)
https://poetryofthenetherworld.blogspot.com/2020/10/narcissus.html
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