Narcissus + Echo

Narcissus and Echo – a tale of two curses, intertwined. Both bore the weight of a life alone, each in their own ways. Narcissus, obsessed with himself, and Echo, obsessed with anyone else. 

Echo ached for companionship, an opportunity stripped from her from the great god Pan. Her curse left her condemned to a life of repetition, never able to speak her own mind, only to helplessly repeat the words of others. 

They met in the woods. Narcissus had been hunting with friends, but now, he wandered the woods alone. As they were hiking, Narcissus thought he saw the glint of a prize buck’s golden fur passing through the trees. Quietly, he broke away from the group, telling no one of his departure. He wanted the glory of the kill all to himself, never one to share in anything he believed he could accomplish alone. There was no golden buck, though, only Narcissus’s ego leading him astray. Now, lost, he roamed the forest calling out for the men he arrived with. 

“Is anyone there?”

Echo was stunned by his beauty, falling head over heels for a man she had barely seen. Hiding in the shadows between the trees, she could only call back the same, “is anyone there?” 

They conversed, if you can call it that, as Narcissus continued to call out into the darkness. 

“Hello?” “Hello?” 

“Come over here!” “Come over here!” 

“I’m in the clearing!” “I’m in the clearing!” 

“I don’t see you. Where?” “I don’t see you. Where?” 

“This way! We must come together!” 

Taking this as an indication that Narcissus reciprocated her love, Echo repeated “We must come together!” as she rushed forth from the trees. Shocked to see a nymph, rather than one of the hunters he had ventured from, Narcissus shoved the girl away. 

“What are you doing?” “What are you doing?” 

“What am I doing? Unhand me!” 

“Unhand me….” Echo whimpered as she sulked away, back to the shadows she had come from.

That night, as she thought more about Narcissus, Echo’s feelings began to overwhelm her. What started as sadness morphed quickly to anger. She felt ugly, rejected, embarrassed, unlovable. Most of all, she loathed Narcissus for making her feel this way. As her frustration ballooned, filling her with a rage her curse would not allow her to release, she thought a silent prayer to Nemesis. 

Silent though it was, Nemesis heard the nymph’s plea loud and clear. Narcissus would suffer just as Echo did – he would feel the ache of a love unrequited. Nemesis was nothing if not creative, crafting each of her punishments delicately and precisely, perfectly matching the crime for which they were bestowed. Narcissus loved nothing more than himself, and so that would be his downfall. 

Though she had acted out of anger, Echo still yearned for Narcissus. She trailed him through the woods all the next morning, watching from between the trees as he traversed the forest in search of his companions. She watched still as he stopped to kneel by the pond and take a drink, and caught sight of his own face in the water. As his punishment took hold, Echo’s heart filled with regret. She tried to call out, to warn him of the dangers, to tell him not to look, but to no avail. She was cursed, what had she expected? She watched helplessly as Narcissus became more and more entranced by the reflection. 

Over the day, Narcissus spoke to his mirror image, flirting, laughing, all the things Echo had wanted so badly to share with him. She continued to watch, embarrassed and ashamed. Finally, Narcissus leaned in to kiss the man in the water. As his weight shifted, the ground beneath him began to crumble, and he plummeted headlong into the lake. He thrashed and splashed, unable to find solid footing. Echo knew she couldn’t save him alone, but she also had no way to call out for help. She watched him struggle until he began to exhaust himself, and slowly, she watched him drown. 

Echo’s guilt wracked her. She opened her mouth to scream and wail, but of course, no sound emerged. She crumpled to the ground in defeat, where she wept silently until her body gave out. She laid slumped against the rocks for so long that, over time, she became one. Her body turned to stone, leaving only her voice to reflect the sounds of the water rushing by.