Narcissus

The Daffodil (Narcissus) is a perennial bulbous plant of the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), which includes, among others, the Agapanthoideae (agapanthus) and the Allioideae (onion, garlic). Like most bulbs, Narcissus is characterized by its impressive flowers. It is one of the last plants to blossom in the wintertime, announcing the coming of spring and the end of the cold, drab days.

At Stavros Niarchos Park, the variety Narcissus papyraceus is blooming at this time of year on the planted roofs over the National Library of Greece, in the Mediterranean Garden, and in the northeastern part of the Park. This snow-white Narcissus exudes a strong sweet smell that fills the entire surrounding landscape. Each flower consists of six petal-like tepals surmounted by a cup-shaped corona around a set of orange stamens. Each stem of the plant carries up to 10 individual flowers in densely grouped clusters.

Daffodils prefer well-drained soil and spots under direct sunlight. Since they are winter bulbs, they are dormant for about six months per year, and this renders them particularly resistant to drought as well as to disease and insect attacks. Although currently spread throughout the world, Narcissus is largely a Mediterranean plant, native to Greece.

Apart from its botanical value and beauty, Narcissus has affected all forms of art and human culture like very few other flowers have.

The myth of Narcissus refers to a young man who was known for his exceptional beauty. The precise storyline of the ancient Greek myth has been embellished with many different elements and variations over the years, but the most popular version of it is Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The story of Narcissus has been told and retold again and again in world literature, with apparent shared points of reference as well as substantial differences between texts, such as those of Dante and Petrarca.

The daffodil has influenced a wide variety of imagery, from scientific botanical illustrations and painters’ sketches to Chinese and Japanese engravings, from sinuous ornaments of Art Nouveau to elaborate Islamic arabesques, from still life paintings to Fauvist and Impressionist flower bouquets. From Caravaggio’s iconic namesake representation of the myth of Narcissus (1597-1599) to the English grasslands of William Waterhouse’s in Echo and Narcissus (1903), Narcissus as a symbol of vanity, or of nature’s spring rebirth, or as a simple decorative pattern, has been and still is an exceptionally appealing theme for artists.

During his first meeting with Freud, in 1938, Salvador Dalí presented his painting Metamorphosis of Narcissus (1937) to the psychoanalyst, hoping that the work would prompt them to engage in a discussion about the psychoanalytic theory of narcissism.

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