Narcissus

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“	Well, would you look at that. Another would-be suitor journeyed far and wide, just to gaze upon me, not that I blame you... and get totally rejected! Fine. Ogle if you must.	„
	~ Narcissus

Narcissus is a deceased hunter from Thespiae who is said to be the most beautiful man in the world. Despite the attention he received, Narcissus rejected all of his suitors. After rejecting the oread nymph Echo, he was cursed by the goddess of retribution, Nemesis, by making him fall in love with himself. Narcissus became deeply infatuated with his own reflection in a pool of water, and he gazed endlessly at his image until he died.

He appears in Hades II and offers the various gifts from his suitors to Melinoë. He can be encountered in Oceanus.

Characteristics and Personality[]

The most coveted man by mortals and even gods, Narcissus is known for his beauty and being utterly infatuated with himself. He's immensely popular, offering blessings to Melinoë not to help her, but to rid himself of accumulated secondhand gifts from his many fans.

Given the attention he claims to receive, Narcissus has become excessively egocentric, spoiled, and superficial. He fails to distinguish Melinoë from his numerous other suitors (even among the gods themselves) and fans. He's accustomed to the spotlight, appearing demanding and dramatic, and he longs for personal space. Though he initially seems to delight in the attention from other shades, it later becomes evident that he finds his legion of suitors irritating, as they distract him from admiring his reflection.

A man who takes the concept of self-love very seriously, Narcissus only cares about his own appearance and wellbeing. His dialogues, both with himself and Melinoë, are comedically self-centered. He mistakenly believes that Melinoë is named "Laurel" despite her repeated clarifications, proof of his total disregard for others. He's even indifferent in Nemesis' presence, and it irks her that he still hasn't learned his lesson.

Narcissus is not without a heart, for he eventually begins to wonder what happened to Echo. With Melinoë updating him on Echo's situation, he gradually comes to care about her, in his own way. With Melinoë's urging, he may decide to visit Echo in the Fields of Mourning. This shows how impactful Echo was in his life, for he did not forget her unlike his other suitors.

Physical description[]

Narcissus is portrayed as a handsome young man sitting on a mossy rock and surrounded by narcissus flowers. He has tanned skin, short wavy blond hair and teal colored eyes. The vegetation appears to slowly claim him, as part of his arms, hands and legs are covered by it.

He wears a soft beige tunic with a yellow trim, held in place by a golden belt decorated with narcissus flowers. He also has a blue shawl drapped over him.

Background[]

Narcissus is an attractive former hunter whose beauty earned him many admirers, but he rejected them all because he had no feelings for them. This culminated in his rejection of the mountain nymph Echo, which caught the attention of Nemesis, retribution incarnate. She cursed him to fall deeply in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. He refused to leave his pool, which caused him to waste away.

Upon arriving in the Underworld, Narcissus was sent to Asphodel; however, he didn't like the place much. So, once Chronos took over the Underworld, plunging it into chaos, Narcissus made his way to Oceanus, where he resumed admiring his own reflection.

Hades II[]

Narcissus can be found lovingly looking at his own reflection when Melinoë encounters him. He has no interest in her and even mistakes her for another of his admirers. He offers her tokens of affection he has received in attempts to drive her away.

When the waters of his pool turn murky, preventing him from seeing himself, Narcissus falls into despair. With nothing else to do, he reflects on his life, realizing how harshly he had treated Echo, who still has a crush on him after all this time. With this epiphany, he ventures to the Fields of Mourning, where he finally patches things up between himself and Echo.

He later returns to Oceanus once the murky water is cleared and continues to stare at his reflection while still giving Melinoë gifts to shoo her away. He is eventually approached by Nemesis, whom he has no recollection of despite her role in the curse that led to his demise.

Affinity[]

As of Early Access, Narcissus' affinity gauge is maxed out at 7 hearts.

Affinity Gauge	Indulgences	Reward
	1	Aromatic Phial
	1	2nd Conversation
	1	3rd Conversation
	1	4th Conversation
	1	5th Conversation
	1	6th Conversation
	1	Bond Forged

Book of Shadows Entry[]

'The irony of this one's punishment was lost on him, such was his longing for a beauty he alone possesses; even still he gazes at his own reflection. Depending on who you ask, the love of oneself is either a virtue or a sin. Have you a position on the subject?'

Trivia[]

The flowers around him and in his belt are most likely narcissus flowers, which is the eponymous flower he became after his death.
- It's also alluded to in his title: Beautiful Flower.
He had been previously mentioned in Hades, when Hades sarcastically says he should've called his son Narcissus instead when Zagreus buys his own portrait.
Since he had a placeholder art when Early Access first came out, his dialogue about his appearance seemed highly out of place, as noted by many players.
- It also appears to be a deliberate move by Supergiant Games to leave him with the placeholder art, as he was the only character to not receive an updated portrait in The Olympic Update.
He mentions moving to Oceanus because it was too dry for him back in Asphodel. It's unknown if when he went to Asphodel it was already flooded or not, and if not, he never mentions its previous state nor if he enjoyed it.
Occasionally, the water in his favorite pond becomes murky, preventing him from seeing his reflection. Predictably, he reacts to this with histrionic grief.
In some versions of his myth, Narcissus is the son of the goddess Selene and the human Endymion.
Referencing his parentage by a river god, Narcissus claims to know his way around the rivers and the seas, while the fact that he finds Echo in the Fields of Mourning references his profession as a hunter.
In one version of Narcissus’ myth, a young man named Ameinias was his last spurned suitor, instead of Echo. Upon rejecting him, Narcissus presented Ameinias with a sword. Ameinias would commit suicide, falling on the sword, but he first prayed to Nemesis to punish Narcissus for all the pain he had caused. It is suggested that, like Narcissus turning into the narcissus flower, Ameinias was transformed into the sweet-smelling herb ameinasis—either dill, anise, or cumin.
His voice is strikingly similar to that of actor Nicholas Cage's. Whether this is intentional or not is unconfirmed by his VA, Darren Korb.
He calls Melinoë "Laurel". Laurel is the meaning of the name Daphne, a nymph known for rejecting Apollo and who then became a laurel tree to escape him, laurel then becoming associated with the god and laurel wreaths are seen as a symbol of victory.
- It's likely that Narcissus calls her the wrong name because he simply doesn't care. However, since laurel is a symbol of victory, it could be Narcissus' way of wishing Melinoë good luck.