Looking for Roman mythology for children? Here we leave you our version of The Myth of Narcissus for kids, an adaptation for youngsters to discover this legend, stripped of the crudeness inherent to classical mythology.
If you prefer, the myth of Narcissus for kids is told by us! Here is a free audio story about the myth of Narcissus for kids, narrated by professionals and with evocative music and effects.
Music CC 0 Ambient E Singing Bells by Frank Nora; Forest Night (Phase Shift) and Dragon Dance by Rafael Krux.
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If you prefer to read it yourself, you can do it! Do you want it to be magic? Let this music play in the background to give it the ambience of that time.
The myth of Narcissus for kids
Narcissus was the son of the god Cepheus and the nymph Liriope. When he was born, his parents consulted Tiresias, the soothsayer, in order to know his destiny. The soothsayer told them that Narcissus would live a long life and grow old as long as he never contemplated himself.
Narcissus grew up and became a young man of extraordinary beauty. He was so handsome that many nymphs fell in love with him. But Narcissus had a total disdain for love and rejected them all. Among them was Echo, a nymph with a beautiful voice who ended up locking herself in a cave because she could not bear so much sadness.
It was precisely this rejection of Echo that provoked the wrath of Nemesis, the goddess of
revenge. Nemesis hatched a plan and, one day, while Narcissus was hunting in the forest, she tricked him into approaching the edge of a stream of crystalline waters.
As he leaned over the water, Narcissus saw a young man of such beauty that he was dazzled. He didn’t realize that it was his reflection and could not stop looking at it. He was unable to stop
contemplating that beautiful image in the water. So much so that the young Narcissus, incapable of loving any girl, fell in love with himself without realizing that it was him.
But his image did not returned his love and the more he contemplated it, the sadder he became. So it was until, from so much looking at himself in the reflection of the water, Narcissus fell into the river and drowned. They say that in that same place soon grew a flower of great beauty, the flower that today bears his name: narcissus.
Curiosities about the myth of Narcissus
The myth of Narcissus is told in several ways. The one you just heard is the Roman version. It was written by the poet Ovidio and is considered the “classical version”. However, many years before Ovidio wrote it, the Greeks had their own version of the myth, where Narcissus rejects the young Aminias.
In other versions it is said that Narcissus’ delirium accompanied him to the underworld, where he is condemned for all eternity to contemplate his reflection in the waters of the Styx lagoon. How dramatic were the ancients!
The myth of Narcissus is believed to be a moralizing story aimed at the young Greeks of the time. So important is this myth that it has given its name to “narcissism”. Narcissistic people feel love only for themselves, so it is very difficult for them to value other people.
The daffodil flower, native to southern Europe, is also known as narcissus. It is likely that the ancient Romans were inspired by this beautiful flower to create the myth of Narcissus, as the daffodil is a very beautiful flower, usually solitary, which grows in spring or autumn. And, conversely, perhaps reflecting the myth, the daffodil is the flower that symbolizes unrequited love. There are a wide variety of different daffodils, but perhaps the best known is the one with white petals and a kind of yellow bell in the center. Tell your parents to show you a daffodil, you will see how beautiful they are!
Roman and Greek Mythology for children, by Mumablue
We hope your youngster has enjoyed this myth of Narcissus for kids, one of the most suitable to recreate Roman mythology.
At Mumablue we are very committed to culture and we believe it is very important for children to learn while having fun. We encourage you to discover other myths, such as the Greek myth of Echo or the exciting myth of Medusa, on our page of children’s stories to read – take a look!