Echo

In the beautiful valleys of ancient Greece, there lived a nymph named Echo. Echo was not like other nymphs; she had a unique gift. She could speak the sweetest words and imitate every sound she heard in the forest. But most of all, Echo was known for her kindness and her love of singing.

Echo - Hera

However, Echo made a mistake that led to a big punishment. Hera, the queen of the gods, was very jealous and always feared that her husband, Zeus, was cheating on her. One day, when Hera was looking for Zeus in the forest, Echo kept her busy with her magical songs so that she would not find Zeus with the other nymphs.

The punishment

When Hera discovered the trick, she was very angry and punished Echo. She took away her voice and her ability to speak first. From that moment on, Echo could only repeat the words she heard from others.

Narcissus

Narcissus was a young man who stood out for his stunning beauty. Son of the nymph Leiripis and the river Kifissos, he had eyes that shone like clear waters and hair that looked like gold. The soothsayer Tiresias had prophesied that Narcissus would live many years, as long as he never knew himself.

Narcissus - Echo meeting

One day Narcissus passed by the forest where Echo was. When Echo saw him, enchanted by his beauty, she began to follow him silently, hiding among the leaves and branches. Narcissus, who was chasing a deer, heard someone following him and called out

"Who's there?" Echo who could only repeat his words said: "Is he there?" Narcissus, curious, called out again, "Come here!" and Echo responded with the same words. Finally, Echo came out of hiding and appeared before Narcissus with eyes full of hope.

Narcissus rejects the Echo

But Narcissus did not return her love. Instead, he rejected her and pushed her away, saying that he would never respond to the love of a nymph who could not speak first.

Echo, with her heart broken, hid in the shadows of the forest, and Narcissus continued his wanderings.

Echo

This rejection resulted in Echo falling into deep sorrow, hiding in the woods and her physical existence slowly disappearing, leaving only her voice, which still sounds as a repetition of other people's words. Thus, when the gods out of pity transformed her into a rock, she retained the quality of repeating the last syllables of whatever voice came to her.

Narcissus sees himself

Narcissus, continuing on his way, came to a lake with water so clear that it looked like a mirror. There, seeing his reflection, he was mesmerized by his own image. Without realizing that he was seeing himself, he fell madly in love with the reflection and could not take his eyes off the water.

Death of Narcissus

His obsession with his reflection made him forget everything: hunger, thirst, the need for rest.

As the days passed, Narcissus began to lose his strength. Absorbed by his image, he forgot to eat and drink. One morning, now so weak, he fell into the lake and was lost forever.

Flower

Zeus, seeing his tragic end, decided to give him a new form, transforming him into a flower that would bear his name forever.