The tale of Narcissus and Echo was written in the form of a poem in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. The book contained many stories which were all linked by the common theme of transformation or metamorphosis. This particular tragic tale teaches the dangers of narcissism and obsession.
Narcissus was the son of the river God Cephissus and Liriope the nymph, and he was a handsome individual. When he was born, his mother was told a prophecy by the seer, Tiresias, that Narcissus would live a long life ‘as long as he did not know himself’. As he grew older, many people fell in love with him, but he was too prideful and rejected everyone. One day, Narcissus was separated by his companions when he was hunting and Echo, a
mountain nymph, caught sight of him and fell madly in love with him. Echo wished to let him know of her great love for him, however she could not as she had been cursed. In the past, she had helped Zeus by distracting Hera with her chatter, and so Hera cursed her to only be allowed to repeat the last words that she heard. Echo became obsessed with Narcissus and began to secretly follow him. He eventually called out for his hunting companions and asked if anyone was there. She replied ‘there’ to his question and revealed herself to him. Echo ran out to hug him, but Narcissus rejected her and left her.
When she was rejected by Narcissus, she fled to the caverns consumed by her unrequited love for Narcissus until her body wasted away and only her voice remained. Narcissus grew tired from hunting and lay down to rest before the stream and then bent down to drink some water. As he drank, he noticed a beautiful being in the image of the water and was entranced by his reflection. He did not move from his spot, but only stared at every feature of his reflection. He became obsessed and attempted to reach out to the reflection but failed time and time again. Narcissus ate no food and drank nothing and began to waste away until he died.
The nymphs mourned his death, and they began to prepare for his funeral. However, on their return a flower stood in the place of his corpse. The myth both explains the origins of the Narcissus flower and of echoes. It is believed that the original tale discouraged the audience from feeling sympathy for Narcissus as it was believed that this was the fair punishment for the way in which he dealt with those who fell in love with him. The tale illustrates to the audience the dangers of self-absorption and how it can lead to ending up alone without anyone who cares about you.
~ Mathura
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