NARCISSUS AND ECHO! #BLOGCHATTERA2Z
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Narcissus, a hunter from Thespine, is known in Greek
mythology for his remarkable beauty, the son of a river god and a nymph. It is
believed that Cephissus took advantage of Liriope and as a result was born this
boy, “beautiful even as a child”.
After the baby was born, Liriope consulted the blind prophet,
Tiresias, as she was concerned about his future. Tiresias told her gravely that
the boy would enjoy a long life only if he never “came to know himself”, an
enigmatic utterance which tragically came true.
Narcissus was aware of his striking looks. However, he rejected
advances from men and women. When Narcissus was sixteen, he went for a hunt
with friends and lost his way. It was then that Echo, a mountain nymph, set
eyes on him, and became hopelessly infatuated with the beautiful youth.
To digress a bit, Echo had a sensory problem which ensued
after an argument between Jove (Zeus) and Juno (Hera). Echo distracted Juno
with gossip, telling story after story, while Jove was busy having a secret affair.
When Juno came to know about the affair, she was understandably incensed, and
her wrath fell on Echo. She took away her power to speak, leaving her with only
the ability to repeat the last words of the people she heard, thereby giving
rise to the term ‘echo ‘in modern parlance.
Echo - Greek Legends and Myths
To get back to the story, Echo fell in love with
Narcissus and followed him through the forest. Narcissus realised that he was
being followed and called out, “Who’s there?” Echo repeated the question each
time. Finally, she caught up with him and tried to embrace him, but he repulsed
her, asking her to stay away from him. A heartbroken Echo sensed that her love
was one-sided and unable to bear it, wasted away, her body fading till only her
voice (echo) was left, a poignant end to her story.
The goddess, Aphrodite, felt deeply for Echo and she
lured the thirsty Narcissus to a pool of water. He leaned forward to quench his
thirst, and suddenly he caught sight of his own reflection, as exquisite as a
marble statue. He instantly fell in love with his reflection, and kept staring
at it, unable to tear his eyes away. He was in agony at not being able to unite
with his refection and he remained there, pining, till he died. The nymphs turned
him into a gold and white flower, which was later known as the narcissus.
There is another account in which Narcissus spurned the
advances of a besotted young man named Ameinias. He gave him a sword, and
before the jilted lover stabbed himself, he prayed to Nemesis, the goddess of
revenge, to avenge his death by giving Narcissus the pain of unrequited love. Nemesis
was touched by the young man’s pain and she cursed Narcissus, vowing that he would
never be loved by the one he was in love with.
Ameinias - Instagram
In one version of the myth, Narcissus’ last words were. “Oh
marvellous boy, I loved you in vain, farewell” followed by Echo’s poignant
response “Farewell.”
Thus, the tragic story ended with both, the prophecy of
Tiresias and the curse of Nemesis coming true, as Narcissus died of unrequited
love and unquenched passion.
The Narcissus Flower - Hayloft
Trivia:
Phonetic pronunciation: Narcissus - nɑːrˈsɪsəs
The
myth of Narcissus symbolises the tragedy of unfulfilled desire, and the consequences
of self-love. A narcissist is one who is self-absorbed and loves being in the
limelight, according to the modern interpretation. Narcissism refers to a
self-centred personality style with a need for grandiose gestures.
There
are myriad references to the Narcissus myth in literature, art and music.
The
earliest one could have come from Pausanias, Greek philosopher and traveller.
Ovid,
the Roman poet, also mentioned the story of Narcissus and Echo in his Metamorphoses,
Book 3.
Later,
Oscar Wilde, in his poem ‘The Disciple’ (1894) mentioned the death of
Narcissus.
‘“We
do not wonder that you should mourn in this manner for Narcissus, so beautiful
was he.”
“But
was Narcissus beautiful?” said the pool.’
Wilde
also had a reference to Narcissus in his highly popular book ‘The Portrait of
Dorian Gray’ (1890)
Paulo
Coehlo’s ‘The Alchemist’ begins with a passing reference to the Narcissus myth.
Seamus
Heaney in his poem ‘Personal Helicon’
“To
stare, big-eyed, Narcissus, into some spring
Is
below all adult dignity.”
Books:
Echo and Narcissus -Myths Reborn by HM Roberts
Echo and Narcissus: Audio Book
Art: Narcissus by Caravaggio
This post is a part of Blogchatter
A2Z Challenge 2026.
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