Echo and Narcissus: A tale of Impossible Love

Just as a flower needs water to survive, so does the human soul need the grace of love to grow and flourish. But what happens when the love one needs is impossible?

Ancient Greek mythology tells us about Pan, the god of fields and shepherds (who had the head and torso of a man and the legs, horns, and ears of a goat), who was famous for his pipe instrument (known as the “Pan Flute”). He fell in love with Echo, the beautiful nymph. Pan followed her and constantly tried to woo her, but to no avail. Because of Echo’s rejection of Pan, he incited the shepherds against her, who tore Echo to pieces until nothing was left of her except her voice, which would repeat the last syllables of words spoken by someone else.

Before Echo became merely an echo of voices, she was in love with Narcissus, but he didn’t care for her love and rejected her, just as she rejected Pan. Narcissus was an extremely handsome young man, to the extent that no one dared to touch him.

One day, while Narcissus was spending time in the mountains with his friend, he lost his way and began calling out to his friend, who did not hear him. But Echo, who was following him like a hungry wolf, heard him and responded by repeating the last syllables he uttered. Narcissus thought that Echo’s voice was the echo of his friend’s voice.

Narcissus called out to his friend, saying: “Where are you? I’m here!”

Echo replied: “I’m here, I’m here, I’m here, I’m here...”

Narcissus looked right and left, then said: “I’ll stay here. Come!”

Echo replied: “Come, come, come, come...”

Narcissus became confused, unsure whether to stay or go, and suddenly started running towards the sound of the echo, saying: “Stay there!”

Echo replied: “Stay there, stay there, stay there, stay there...”

Narcissus stopped and listened to the echo carefully, then said in a calm voice: “Let’s meet halfway. Come.”

Echo replied: “Come, come, come, come...”

When Narcissus approached Echo, he panicked and turned his back to her, saying:? “No, I’d rather die than let you touch me!”

Echo collapsed and began to sob, and her echo reached the mountain peaks, repeating: “Touch me, touch me, touch me, touch me...”

Echo retreated to the depths of the forest to lick her wounds, but soon her bones took the shape of stones, and her echo began to emanate from them automatically, directed toward Nemesis, the goddess of revenge and punishment, saying: “Let Narcissus love and suffer. Let him love and know that his love is hopeless. Let him suffer, just as Echo suffered, may he perish from pain.” Nemesis answered Echo’s call and carried out her wish.

One day, while Narcissus was quenching his thirst from a pool of water, he saw his reflection in the pond and became captivated by the beauty of his own face and eyes. From then on, he couldn’t love anyone else but himself, spending the rest of his life gazing at his reflection in the pool, until he was transformed into what we know today as the narcissus flower.