Jul 30, 2006 Echo & Narcissus

Echo was a nymph who talked all day so that Zeus(Lord of the Universe) once sent her to detain Hera (his wife) with idle chatter so long that Zeus, who really was there playing with the nymphs, was able to sneak away.

Hera was very angry. She took away Echo's ability to form her own words. From that day Echo could only repeat the words of others.

Pan, an ugly god who fell in love with Echo for so long, thought he could now talk to her and win her heart with his music and poetry (Pan tried many times but Echo just talked too much to listen to anything.) But before he had any chance, Echo had lost her heart to Narcissus.

Narcissus was so handsome that every girl and every nymph fell in love with him when they saw him. Unfortunately, he liked nobody but himself.

Echo followed Narcissus silently into the woods, hoping to hear any words from him that she could repeat. But he never noticed her. At last they came to a clear water pool, and Narcissus bent down to drink. He saw himself in the mirroring surface of the water.

"I love you," said Narcissus to the face he saw.
"I love you," repeated Echo eagerly. She stood behind him, happy to be able to speak to him.

But Narcissus neither saw nor heard her. He sat down there looking to himself, smiling, forgetting to eat, forgetting to drink, forgetting to go to the toilet, forgetting to pay tax...ok, whatever..... he died there smiling.

Hermes came and bring him to the Underworld, but where he had been sitting the lovely Narcissus (Daffodill) flower sprang up. Echo stood beside the flower until she too died.

















Nothing was left of Echo but her voice.