Liriope
A river nymph who was the mother of Narcissus and the first person to consult the prophet Tiresias.
The Myth of Liriope
Liriope was a Naiad of extraordinary beauty who lived in the waters of Boeotia. The river god Cephissus — a different Cephissus from the one in Phocis — enclosed her in his winding streams and forced himself upon her. She bore a son of unearthly beauty: Narcissus.
Troubled by an unnamed anxiety about her child's future, Liriope sought out the blind prophet Tiresias and asked whether Narcissus would live to a ripe old age. The seer's answer was strange: "Yes, if he never knows himself." This was the first prophecy Tiresias ever delivered, and it made his reputation — but only after the prophecy came horribly true.
Narcissus grew to be beautiful beyond measure but cold to every suitor, male and female. When he finally saw his own reflection in a pool and fell in love with it, he wasted away staring at the face he could never reach. A flower grew where he died. Tiresias was vindicated: knowing himself had killed him. Liriope's anxious question had received its answer, and the word 'narcissism' entered human vocabulary forever.
Parents
Unknown; a river nymph
Symbols
Fun Fact
Liriope's question to Tiresias — 'will my son live long?' — was the prophet's first consultation, launching the career of Greek mythology's most famous seer.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
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