Once there was a handsome young man named Narcissus. His hair was black as coal. His eyes sparkled with fire. His face was good-looking, and his body was strong. Everywhere he went, young women fainted at the sight of him.
Narcissus cared for none of them. His heart was as cold as ice and he was only interested in himself. He paid no attention to anyone he met.
There was one young woman who lived in the forest near Narcissus. Her name was Echo. She was a beautiful, happy young woman. She always laughed and chattered with her many friends. Echo was a favorite of Artemis, the goddess of the woods and wild creatures. But she was not a favorite of Hera. Hera was always jealous of beautiful mortal girls. One day, she heard Echo’s happy chatter and became very angry. In a jealous fit of rage, Hera decided to punish Echo.
“You may never use your tongue again except to repeat what has been said to you. You will always have the last word,” Hera told Echo, “but you will have no power to speak first.”
Hera went back to Mount Olympus, satisfied.
Poor Echo. She didn’t understand why Hera wanted to punish her. Even worse, at that moment Narcissus walked past her. Like all the other young maidens, Echo fell hopelessly in love with him. She followed Narcissus, but she could not speak to him. How would she ever be able to get him to notice her?
One day, it seemed her chance had come. Echo had seen Narcissus while he was sitting by a lake. She shyly hung back among the trees. But Narcissus heard a rustling in the leaves.
“Is anyone here?” he called out.
“Here . . . Here!” Echo called back with joy.
“Come!” Narcissus shouted into the trees where the voice had come from.
“Come!” Echo replied. She stepped from behind the trees. Her arms were open wide, and she had a loving look in her eyes.
“Do you mock me?” Narcissus asked angrily. “I would rather die than do what you want.” Then he turned and walked away.
Echo was crushed. And all she could say back to him was “Do what you want.” But Narcissus was gone.
Artemis heard what had happened to Echo. She complained to the great goddess Nemesis, the righter of wrongs.
“We shall have our revenge on this cruel, selfish Narcissus,” Nemesis told Artemis.
“What will you do?” Artemis wanted to know.
“I will put a spell on him to make him fall in love with the first thing he sees,” Nemesis said.
Later that day, Narcissus bent over a clear pond for a drink. Nemesis cast her spell at that moment. Narcissus saw his own reflection. In that instant, he fell in love with it. He reached out to touch the face he saw mirrored in the water. But it disappeared. Only when he remained still could he gaze into the lovely creature’s eyes.
“Ah, me!” Narcissus said. “It is torture to love someone I can never have!”
So deep was his love that he refused to leave the pond, not even to eat or drink. Instead, he leaned over the pond’s edge. His eyes were fixed, staring into his own reflected face.
Echo was nearby, but she could do nothing to save him. Narcissus slowly wasted away. When the last bit of life was leaving him, Narcissus called out, “Farewell!” to the image in the water.
All Echo could do was also call out, “Farewell!” She was so sad that she took shelter in a lonely cave. She lives there to this day. Only her voice remains. Her body has wasted away with longing for her poor Narcissus.
As for Narcissus, the creatures of the wood, who also admired his beauty, took pity on him. They wished him to be remembered well. In the spot where he had last looked upon his reflection, they planted a new and lovely flower. From the time it began to bloom it was known as the “Narcissus” flower.