Narcissus and Echo

Echo (Ἠχώ) was a mountain nymph from Mount Helicon. She appeared in the Homeric Hymn to Pan, where her wails could be heard from the mountain-top.

Echo was an attendant of the goddess Hera in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Echo helped Zeus to hide his frequent dalliance with other nymphs by her endless chatter to distract and detain Hera, allowing the nymphs to escape from her wrath. When Hera discovered this subterfuge that Echo was involved in, Hera made Echo suffer from a strange speech impediment. Echo could only repeat the last words from another person.

Like many other nymphs, Echo fell in love with a beautiful youth named Narcissus (Νάρκισσος). Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Leiriope. Teiresias first foretelling was about Narcissus' fate, when Leiriope asked the seer if he would live a long life. Teiresias' only reply was that only if Narcissus doesn't come to know himself. The prophecy came true, though no one understood the seer's seemingly harmless reply.

However, Narcissus spurned all their advances. Among those whom he had spurned was Echo. Echo wasted away in her longing for Narcissus. Only her voice remained on the mountain.

One day, one scorned admirer of Narcissus prayed to the goddess Nemesis to punish the cold-hearted youth.

When Narcissus went to a spring for a drink of water, Nemesis made Narcissus to fall in love with himself. Narcissus would not leave the spot as he looked longingly at his own reflection. Narcissus also pined away from longing.

Shortly after his death, Narcissus was transformed into flower, a yellow centre around white petals.