Narcissus Attar

Beautiful though this white daffodil is, there is a certain transcendental, even ghostlike quality about it. The pale white petals surrounding the dark eye at the centre of the star-shaped flower is reminiscent of a disembodied eye. The story of Narcissus is sad indeed: a beautiful youth, much adored by every nymph of the forest, had neither eyes nor ears for any of their heartfelt pleas. He was so vain and self-absorbed that he never even noticed their pain until one day he passed a clear spring and caught a glimpse of a beautiful youth – and hopelessly fell in love with his own image. In the end he could not bear the heartache any longer and died in a tight embrace with the watery reflection of himself. The strange white flower that sprang up where he had died was named after him. The word ‘Narcissus’ in Greek derives from ‘narkeo’, meaning ‘narcotic’. The unfortunate youth had died of intoxicating self-love that made him blind to all other love and beauty in the world. Narcissus is indeed intoxicating and can powerfully affect the nervous system. The enchanting scent is mostly used in high class perfumery. Extreme care must be taken when working with this oil.