Narcissus
- Narcissus, the son of Cephisus and the nymph Liriope. He was exceedingly beautiful, and fell so violently in love with himself on beholding his image in a fountain, that he wasted away with desire, until he was changed into the flower of the same name, Ov. M. 3, 407 sq. —
- II Narcissus, a freedman of Claudius, by whose orders Messalina was put to death, Tac. A. 11, 29 sqq.; Juv. 14, 329.
- 1. beeldschone zoon v.d. riviergod Cephissus en de najade Liriope; hij wees de liefde v.d. bergnimf Echo af en werd daarvoor met een onverzadigbare liefde voor zichzelf gestraft; hij werd verliefd op zijn eigen spiegelbeeld toen hij het in een beek zag en werd verteerd door een steeds heviger verlangen totdat hij in de naar hem vernoemde narcis veranderd werd (Ov.);
- 2. invloedrijke vrijgelatene v. keizer Claudius.
(Νάρκισσος), a son of Cephissus and the nymph Liriope of Thespiae. He was a very handsome youth, but wholly inaccessible to the feeling of love. The nymph Echo, who loved him, but in vain, died away with grief. One of his rejected lovers, however, prayed to Nemesis to punish him for his unfeeling heart. Nemesis accordingly caused Narcissus to see his own face reflected in a well, and to fall in love with his own image. As this shadow was unapproachable Narcissus gradually perished with love, and his corpse was metamorphosed into the flower called after him narcissus. This beautiful story is related at length by Ovid (Ov. Met. 3.341, &c.). According to some traditions, Narcissus sent a sword to one of his lovers, Ameinias, who killed himself with it at the very door of Narcissus' house, and called upon the gods to avenge his death. Narcissus, tormented by love of himself and by repentance, put an end to his life, and from his blood there sprang up the flower narcissus (Conon, Narrat. 24). Other accounts again state that Narcissus melted away into the well in which he had beheld his own image (Paus. 9.31.6); or that he had a beloved twin sister perfectly like him, who died, whereupon he looked at his own image reflected in a well, to satify his longing after his sister. Eustathius (Eustath. ad Hom. p. 266) says that Narcissus was drowned in the well. [L.S]
1. A freedman of the emperor Claudius, over whom he possessed unbounded influence. He had charge of the emperor's letters. Reimar (ad Dion. Cass. 60.34) quotes an old inseription (apud Fabrtettum, p. 543) which runs thus : NARCISSUS AUG. L. AB. EPISTULIS. (Comp. Suet. Cl. 28; Zonar. p. 563d.) When Messallina wished to compass the death of C. Appius Silanus, Narcissus, between whom and herself there existed at that time a good understanding, pretended to the emperor that in a dream he had seen him fall by the hand of Silanus. The preconcerted entrance of Silanus immediately afterwards was alleged as a confirmation of the vision, and the unfortunate youth was immediately put to death. The emperor thanked his freedman in the senate, A. D. 42. (Suet. Cl. 37; D. C. 60.14.) Narcissus soon afterwards seized the opportunity afforded by the conspiracy of Furius Camillus Scribonianus to get the emperor to order the death of a number of innocent persons. Messallina and Narcissus even went so far as to put to the torture many knights and senators. (D. C. 9.15, 16.) Several of those most involved in the conspiracy, who could propitiate Narcissus and Messallina by money, escaped. In A. D. 43 we find Vespasianus sent as legatus of a legion into Germany through the influence of Narcissus. (Suet. Vesp. 4.) When the soldiers under A. Plautius in Britain mutinied, Narcissus was sent by the emperor to restore order; but on his attempting to address the soldiers he was received with shouts of indignation, and not suffered to speak. His mission, however, accomplished its purpose, for the soldiers, under the influence of this revulsion of feeling, suffered Plautius to take the command of them. (D. C. 9.19.)
When Messallina, having lost the confidence of the freedmen of the palace, in consequence of her having caused the death of Polybius, proceeded in her mad extravagance to marry C. Silius, information was given to the emperor, who at the time was at Ostia, by Narcissus, through some women. Narcissus persuaded the emperor that his only chance of safety lay in entrusting to him the command of the praetorian soldiers; and to prevent any one else from having access to the ear of Claudius, he asked and obtained permission to ride back to Rome in the same carriage with him. As they approached the city he diverted the attention of the emperor from the appeals of Messallina, who had come out to meet them, and prevented her children from being brought to their father. Finding Claudius not so prompt in ordering the death of Messallina as he wished, and fearing the effects of her habitual influence over him, Narcissus himself gave orders for putting her to death. The emperor was told that she had perished, and made no further inquiries. Narcissus shortly after received the insignia of a praetor. (Tac. Ann. 11.30_38; Suet. Cltad. 28.) In the discussions which ensued as to whom Claudius should marry, Narcissus supported the claims of Aelia Petina. (Tac. Ann. 12.1.) Dio Cassius (60.34) relates an anecdote which shows that Narcissus thoroughly appreciated the stupidity of the emperor. He however got into considerable disgrace on account of the insufficient manner in which the canal for draining the lake Fucinus, the construction of which he had superintended, had been made. Agrippina charged him with the fraudulent appropriation of great part of the money apportioned for the work. Narcissus, in return, did not leave unnoticed her imperious temper and ambitious designs, and threw his influence into the scale in favour of Britannicns. (Tac. Ann. 12.57, 65; Dio Cass 9.34.) Agrippina, to make sure of the succession for her son, resolved to poison the emperor. She accordingly sent away Narcissus to Campania, on the pretext of his making use of the warm baths for the gout, with which he seems to have been affected. Here he was put to death almost immediately on the accession of the emperor Nero, A. D. 54. (Tac. Ann. 13.1; D. C. 9.34.) Before his death he burnt all the letters of Claudius which were in his possession. He amassed an enormous fortune, amounting, according to Dio Cassius, to 400,000,000 sesterces, equivalent to 3,125,000l. of our money. (Comp. Juvenal, 14.329.) If the following inscription refers to him, he had a wife named Claudia Dicaeosyna: D. M. || Clavdiae || Dicaeosynae || TI. CLAVDIVS NARCISSUS LIB. EID. COIV. || Pientissimae || ET FRVGALISSI || B. M. (Orell. Inscript. Lat. Select. vol. i. p. 177.) In another inscription we have: Narcisi. TI. CLAVDI || Britanic || I. || Svpra || Insvlas. (Orell. l.c. and No. 2927, p. 505.) His name also occurs in Inscript. No. 4902, vol. ii. p. 414.
2. A freedman of the emperor Nero, who was put to death by the emperor Galba. (D. C. 64.3.) [C.P.M]
a celebrated athlete, with whom Commodus was in the habit of practising his gymnastic exercises, was employed by Marcia to strangle the emperor, when the poison that had been administered to him proved too slow in its operation, A. D. 192. (D. C. 72.22; Lamprid. Commod. 17; Aur. Vict. de Caes. 18, Epit. 17.) Narcissus appears to have had great influence with this emperor, for we are told that it was at his suggestion that Pescennius Niger was placed by Commodus in the command of the Syrian armies. (Spartian. Pescen. Nig. I.) Narcissus was afterwards exposed to the lions by the emperor Severus on account of his having strangled Commodus. (D. C. 73.16; Spartian. Sever. 14.)
(Νάρκισσος). (1) The beautiful son of the river-god Cephissus. He rejected the love of the nymph Echo (q.v.), and Nemesis punished 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, xii. 57, xiii. 1; Suet. 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).
- Paus. 9.31.9
- stories of his death: Paus. 9.31.7ff.
- spring of: Paus. 9.31.7
- Paus. 9.31.9
- balm made from: Paus. 9.41.7