A Story of Vanity and Reflection
Welcome back, Greeks and Geeks! Today, I am going to be telling you about the story of Echo and Narcissus, two people in mythology that were connected only briefly through love.
Before I can start the story, I have to give some background on the gods, specifically Zeus and Hera.
Zeus, the god of the sky and lightning, is married to Hera, the goddess of marriage. They were King and Queen of the Olympian Gods, and with Hera ruling over marriage, you’d think they would have a good one.
(Spoiler alert: they didn’t.)
Zeus was a prolific cheater, and many consider him to be a serial assaulter as well. He had so many affairs I could spend hours listing them all to you. Instead, I will focus on one aspect of his affairs.
Zeus was quite attractive to nymphs, who are female divinities, often associated with fertility and nature, and can be tree spirits or water spirits. He visited them often, which naturally angered Hera.
She would always try and stop him, but one particular nymph got in her way.
Echo was a particularly chatty nymph, and in this myth, she would engage Hera in long conversations, as ordered to by Zeus. Eventually, Hera caught on to what she was doing, and cursed her to always repeat the last words someone spoke. She literally became an echo.
After that, Echo found Narcissus.
Narcissus was a hunter from Thespiae who was known for his beauty. He was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. He rejected all romantic advances, however, and grew to love only himself due to his beauty.
He was hunting one day when Echo found him, and she followed him through the woods. When he noticed he was being followed, he called out, asking, “is anyone there?”
Due to her curse, Echo repeated the words back at him. She eventually revealed herself, and tried to show him that she was interested in him. Soon, he said “let’s come together,” and Echo repeated the words back to him, and he rejected her.
She ran away in despair, but stayed close by to Narcissus because of her love for him. Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, saw her despair, and then cursed Narcissus.
He wandered to a lake, and seeing his reflection, was entranced. It was here that he truly fell in love with himself, though he did not realize at first that it was just a reflection.
When he saw that that was him, that he fell in love with himself, he, too, fell into despair, and killed himself. Echo, who was watching close by, and drifted away, soon joining Narcissus in death.
All that was left of Narcissus was the flower that grew in his place, and Echo’s voice.
As always, thank you for reading and I hope to see you again soon. Αντίο, Σοφία.
