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Vanity, Vanity

Prior to the 14th century it did not have such narcissistic undertones, and merely meant futility Oxford English dictionary , on vanity . The related term vainglory is now often seen as an archaic synonym for vanity , but originally meant boasting in vain , ie. unjustified boasting Oxford English dictionary , on vainglory ; although glory is now seen as having an exclusively positive meaning, the Latin term gloria (from it derives) roughly means boasting , and was often used as a negative criticism Oxford English dictionary , on glory In many religions vanity, in its modern sense, is considered a form of self-idolatry, in which one rejects God for the sake of one's own image, and thereby becomes divorced from the grace of God. The stories of Lucifer, Narcissus (who gave us the term narcissism) and others attend to a pernicious aspect of vanity.Philosophically-speaking, vanity may refer to a broader sense of egoism and pride. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that "vanity is the fear of appearing original: it is thus a lack of pride, but not necessarily a lack of originality." [1] One of Mason Cooley's aphorisms is "Vanity well fed is benevolent. Vanity hungry is spiteful." In Christian teachings vanity is considered an example of pride, one of the seven deadly sins. This list evolved from an earlier list of eight sins, which included vainglory as a sin independent of pride.

In secular allegory, vanity was considered one of the minor vices. During the Renaissance, vanity was invariably represented as a naked woman, sometimes seated or reclining on a couch. She attends to her hair with comb and mirror. The mirror is sometimes held by a demon or a putto.

A painting attributed to Nicolas Tournier, which hangs in the Ashmolean Museum, is An Allegory of Justice and Vanity . A young woman holds a balance, symbolizing justice; she does not look at the mirror or the skull on the table before her.

Source: Wikipedia > Vanity