Narcissus

Spring has brought about so many early surprises. Daffodils in bloom, bees pollinating, lightening bugs,  peony and lavender buds swelling and many unexpected bright colors. 

Daffodils, also known as Narcissus come in many shades of yellow, cream and orange.  

The legend and history behind the name given to these flowers is very interesting. 

The ancient Greek myth of Narcissus tells us a story of a young man who was loved by the nymphs. He was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Leirope. One of the adoring nymphs named Echo fell in love with Narcissus, but because he was so enamored by his own beauty, he was unable to hear the cries of his beloved Echo. The Greek gods believed that unrequited love was a crime so they punished Narcissus by forcing him to fall in love with his own refection. As a result, Narcissus was afraid of taking a drink of water from a pool because it would disturb his reflection that he had come to love so much. According to myth he died of thirst because of his vanity. According to the Roman myth, he fell into the pool because he was so in love with his reflection and the narcissus flower grew at the site of his death.

 

This flower was introduced to China in approximately 1,000 AD. It represents wealth and good fortune. In European lore, it represents unrequited love and rebirth. 

This small sweet picture of a daffodil was taken with my iPhone.