Ancient Wisdom Atlas

Motif

fatal self-love through reflected image

fatal_self_love_through_reflected_image

A motif of the Sacred Love and Longing family, within the sub-family Forbidden and Transgressive Love. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.

1 occurrences

1 traditions


roman

  • The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books I-VII EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 5286-5376 confidence: high

    Food and rest cannot draw the youth away; he lies on shaded grass and gazes at a fallacious image until he is undone by his own sight.

    The youth becomes fixed on a reflected image, recognizes it as himself, and dies after wasting away from that desire.

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