It seems that the common belief about how the narcissus flower got its name is not necessarily accurate. I always thought that the narcissus flower was named after the Greek youth who fell in love with himself, giving us the term narcissist. However, references to narcissus can be seen in sources dated before the myth of the beautiful youth appears.
It turns out that there are several theories about the name’s origin, none of them really proven. The Greek myth of Narcissus says a very handsome young man was so taken with his reflection in water that he could not look away and died staring into the river. The flower that sprung up where his beautiful body lay was called the narcissus.
Another myth says that the nymph Echo fell in unrequited love with Narcissus. Sadly, Narcissus only loved himself, and became so entranced with his reflection in the water that he fell in and drowned. Or he committed suicide when he realized that the person he was in love with was only a reflection of himself in a river. Narcissi sprung up where Echo’s tears fell on the ground.
Still another myth says that the first narcissus was created by Hades to lure the beautiful Persephone to a spot where he could abduct her. Also, Princess Europa was carrying narcissi when she was abducted by Zeus in the form of a white bull.
What we do know is that the name narcissus comes from the Greek word for narcotic, numbness, or stupor. This is possible connected to the narcissus’ heady fragrance. Or possibly because the narcissus bulb can be poisonous to humans. I personally like the Greek myth much better than the poison, but either way, narcissus is a beautiful flower.