The myth of Echo and Narcissus explores the limits between love and obsession and warns that compulsive self-love has consequences.
What are the limits of 'Love? And where does love end and obsession begin? These questions are at the basis of the myth of Echo and Narcissus. As Eco falls in love with Narcissus and Narcissus falls in love with himself, the two protagonists learn the pain of unrequited love. Love becomes obsession and obsession becomes existential despair. The story of Narcissus, in particular, is a good reminder that there is a difference between healthy self-esteem and compulsive narcissism.
This article examines the myth of Echo. . and Narcissus, portrayed in Ovid's Metamorphoses (trans. Brookes More). We will also examine some alternative versions of the myth and its post-classical reception.
The myth of Narcissus and Echo
When Liríope asked Teiresias, the powerful oracle, whether her newborn baby would live a long and happy life, she received the following answer:
“ If he does not recognize himself, he will be able to live a long time under the sun."
"The prophet's words seemed so carefree", comments Ovid, but they were not. The myth of Narcissus is, as you probably suspect, a story about narcissism in its most extreme form. However, Narcissus is not the only protagonist in the story. Echo also plays an important role. The story of Echo and Narcissus is a story about power of love, a type of love so powerful that it becomes an obsession. This obsessive love is the essence of the myth of Echo and Narcissus.
Introduction to Echo
When Liriope saw her son, she realized it. He was above average handsome. This became clear to everyone as Narcissus grew up. Men and women tried to attract his attention and love, but no one seemed to really care about him.
One of the women who fell in love with Narcissus was the Nymph. Echo (comes from the Greek word meaning “sound”). Echo was once a woman who loved to talk and was known to interrupt people during conversations. However, she made the mistake of helping Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, to hide her love for her from his wife Hera. Whenever Hera was about to trap Zeus with someone else, Echo confused the goddess with long stories that gave Zeus time to leave. As soon as Hera realized what Echo was doing, she cursed her so that she would never speak her thoughts out loud again. Instead, Echo could only repeat someone else's last words.
Eco and Narcissus meet
One day, Eco saw Narcissus in the forest and, enchanted by his appearance, began to spy on him. Echo followed the boy and found herself more and more attracted to him, but there was a problem. Echo could not speak to Narcissus. The only way to tell him how he felt was to wait for him to say something.
At a certain point, Narcisse realized he was being followed.
“Who is here?” »She said.
“ Here,” Echo repeated, still hidden. .
Narcissus, unable to recognize who was calling him, invited the voice to come closer to him. Echo didn't waste a second and jumped up. She opened her arms and went to hug Narcissus. But he wasn't so enthusiastic:
“Don't touch! You won't hug me. It's better for death to caress me!"
"Caress me," Echo reluctantly replied in shock and disappeared into the forest.
End of Echo
Echo ran into the forest with tears in his eyes. The rejection was too heavy and cruel to face. Love Her feelings for Narcissus were so intense and compulsive that Echo couldn't accept the way he treated her and decided to live alone in the desert. However, the thought of his rejection kept coming back. Eventually, her feelings were so intense that his body decayed, leaving only his bones and his voice. Echo's voice survived in the forest and it was in the hills that we still heard him.
However , the end of Echo's tragedy did not go unnoticed: since he was very popular among the other nymphs and the inhabitants of the forest, many blamed Narcissus for having caused him so much unnecessary suffering.
Narcissus finds himself
Nemesis attracted Narcissus towards a fountain with crystal clear and calm waters. Narcissus, tired of the hunt, decides to take a break and drink some water. As he drank from the fountain, he noticed the still water. In the natural mirror he saw his face more clearly than ever. The more water he drank, the more he looked at his own image. Surprise turned into amazement, amazement turned into love and love turned into obsession. Narcissus could not move. Her image of him completely neutralized him as he burned with desire for the person he saw in the spring water.
“All that is beautiful in him, he loves, and in his foolishness desires for himself: – He who consents is equally recognized; We search and search and burn and burn. And as he embraces the deceptive source; And how he stretches out his arms to grasp the neck depicted in the middle of the stream! However, he will never be able to master this self-image." Ovid, Metamorphoses
In vain he tried to embrace the idol, only to realize that the reflection in the calm waters he was nothing but himself. If he were to leave, he would lose sight of his only love, which is why he panics when he realizes that love may be forever out of reach.
Obsession takes over
“Neither food nor rest will be able to make him go away; if he lies down in the green shade and keeps his eyes fixed on the reflected image, he may not he will never know that his wishes have been granted, and before he knows it, he himself will be destroyed."Ovid, Metamorphoses
Narcissus began to realize that he was out of his league, and slowly, painfully he realized that the his situation was tragic. However, he was unable to control his feelings and tame his desires:
"Oh, I am tormented by a strange desire that I have never felt before so consciously because from this mortal path; which simply means that I would like the object of my love to disappear. Grief drains my strength, the sands of life flow, and I remain isolated in my early youth; but death is not mine ruin: puts an end to my misfortune. I would not die for what is my love, as two united in one soul would die united. Ovid, Metamorphoses
The most small The surge of water made Narcissus panic when the water level changed and he thought his image had disappeared.
After finally accepting the futility of his attempts, Narcissus lost the will to live and reluctantly said, “Goodbye.” » Echo, who was watching, responded to his words in a whisper: “Goodbye.”
Narcissus lay down on the grass. Life began to leave his body as his obsessive love turned into existential despair. The next day, where Narcissus had slept, there was a flower with white petals and a yellow center. It is still known today as the narcissus flower.
Narcissus and Ameinias
According to Conon, Greek mythographer who lived between the 1st century BC. vivid. C. and the 1st century AD. C. Echo is not the only one to experience a tragic end after his love for Narcisse. Ameinias was one of the first to persistently try to win the love of Narcissus. He rejected Ameiniah and sent him a sword. Ameinias used this sword to commit suicide at Narcissus' door and beg Nemesis to avenge him. Nemesis then lured Narcissus into a fountain, causing him to fall in love with himself.
Alternate Versions of the Myth
Let's look at some alternative versions of the myth of Echo and Narcissus. .
According to Parthenius of Nicaea, Narcissus did not transform into a flower after losing the will to live. Parthenius instead presents a version in which the myth ends with the suicide of Narcissus.
Pausanias also presents an alternative version in which Narcissus has a twin sister. They looked exactly the same, wore the same clothes and hunted together. Narcissus was madly in love with his sister and after her death he went to the fountain to look at his reflection and imagine that that reflection was his sister.
According to Longus, Greek writer of the 2nd century AD, Echo lived among the nymphs who taught him to sing. As he grew up, his voice became more and more beautiful, until he could sing even better than the gods. The great god Pan did not accept that a simple nymph sang better than him, so he punished her. Pan drove the animals and people around Echo crazy. In their frenzy they devoured the nymph. Then Echo's voice spread throughout the world, carried by the animals and people who consumed it. Ultimately, Gaia (Goddess of the Earth) hid Echo's voice within herself. Echo's punishment, in this case, recalls that of Arachne, who was also punished by Athena for having surpassed the goddess in the art of weaving.
The reception of the myth of Echo and Narcissus
The reception of “Echo” and the “Myth of Narcissus” has enjoyed particular popularity in art over the centuries . It's hard to keep track of all the illustrations inspired by the story. From medieval tales such as the 12th-century Ballad of Narcissus to Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund (1930), the story has continued to fascinate and inspire.
A Part important Psychoanalysis and especially Sigmund Freud's essay on narcissism from 1914 also played a role in "The Reception of the Myth". Freud described the state of excessive selfishness and standardized the name narcissism, derived from Narcissus, to describe a stage between autoeroticism and object love.
After great sadness, Eco and Narciso decide to die, or rather, of nothingness. But while Echo lost the will to live after being rejected by someone else, Narcissus decided to give up on life after realizing that he couldn't love anyone but himself. If you think about it, the myth of Narcissus isn't about a boy who loved his reflection in the water. It's about a child's inability to love anyone other than themselves. The transformation stories of Eco and Narcissus, in particular, can be read as a warning that love and obsession are often closer than we think.
In the age of social media, the term narcissism appears more and more frequently in our feeds. The myth of Narcissus can remind us that compulsive self-love is nothing new and certainly not healthy.
Read Also : Why was Athens named after Athena What is the name of her shrine?
Olivia Scarlett
The myth of Echo and Narcissus explores the limits between love and obsession and warns that compulsive self-love has consequences.
What are the limits of 'Love? And where does love end and obsession begin? These questions are at the basis of the myth of Echo and Narcissus. As Eco falls in love with Narcissus and Narcissus falls in love with himself, the two protagonists learn the pain of unrequited love. Love becomes obsession and obsession becomes existential despair. The story of Narcissus, in particular, is a good reminder that there is a difference between healthy self-esteem and compulsive narcissism.
This article examines the myth of Echo. . and Narcissus, portrayed in Ovid's Metamorphoses (trans. Brookes More). We will also examine some alternative versions of the myth and its post-classical reception.
The myth of Narcissus and Echo
When Liríope asked Teiresias, the powerful oracle, whether her newborn baby would live a long and happy life, she received the following answer:
“ If he does not recognize himself, he will be able to live a long time under the sun."
"The prophet's words seemed so carefree", comments Ovid, but they were not. The myth of Narcissus is, as you probably suspect, a story about narcissism in its most extreme form. However, Narcissus is not the only protagonist in the story. Echo also plays an important role. The story of Echo and Narcissus is a story about power of love, a type of love so powerful that it becomes an obsession. This obsessive love is the essence of the myth of Echo and Narcissus.
Introduction to Echo
When Liriope saw her son, she realized it. He was above average handsome. This became clear to everyone as Narcissus grew up. Men and women tried to attract his attention and love, but no one seemed to really care about him.
One of the women who fell in love with Narcissus was the Nymph. Echo (comes from the Greek word meaning “sound”). Echo was once a woman who loved to talk and was known to interrupt people during conversations. However, she made the mistake of helping Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, to hide her love for her from his wife Hera. Whenever Hera was about to trap Zeus with someone else, Echo confused the goddess with long stories that gave Zeus time to leave. As soon as Hera realized what Echo was doing, she cursed her so that she would never speak her thoughts out loud again. Instead, Echo could only repeat someone else's last words.
Eco and Narcissus meet
One day, Eco saw Narcissus in the forest and, enchanted by his appearance, began to spy on him. Echo followed the boy and found herself more and more attracted to him, but there was a problem. Echo could not speak to Narcissus. The only way to tell him how he felt was to wait for him to say something.
At a certain point, Narcisse realized he was being followed.
“Who is here?” »She said.
“ Here,” Echo repeated, still hidden. .
Narcissus, unable to recognize who was calling him, invited the voice to come closer to him. Echo didn't waste a second and jumped up. She opened her arms and went to hug Narcissus. But he wasn't so enthusiastic:
“Don't touch! You won't hug me. It's better for death to caress me!"
"Caress me," Echo reluctantly replied in shock and disappeared into the forest.
End of Echo
Echo ran into the forest with tears in his eyes. The rejection was too heavy and cruel to face. Love Her feelings for Narcissus were so intense and compulsive that Echo couldn't accept the way he treated her and decided to live alone in the desert. However, the thought of his rejection kept coming back. Eventually, her feelings were so intense that his body decayed, leaving only his bones and his voice. Echo's voice survived in the forest and it was in the hills that we still heard him.
However , the end of Echo's tragedy did not go unnoticed: since he was very popular among the other nymphs and the inhabitants of the forest, many blamed Narcissus for having caused him so much unnecessary suffering.
Narcissus finds himself
Nemesis attracted Narcissus towards a fountain with crystal clear and calm waters. Narcissus, tired of the hunt, decides to take a break and drink some water. As he drank from the fountain, he noticed the still water. In the natural mirror he saw his face more clearly than ever. The more water he drank, the more he looked at his own image. Surprise turned into amazement, amazement turned into love and love turned into obsession. Narcissus could not move. Her image of him completely neutralized him as he burned with desire for the person he saw in the spring water.
“All that is beautiful in him, he loves, and in his foolishness desires for himself: – He who consents is equally recognized; We search and search and burn and burn. And as he embraces the deceptive source; And how he stretches out his arms to grasp the neck depicted in the middle of the stream! However, he will never be able to master this self-image." Ovid, Metamorphoses
In vain he tried to embrace the idol, only to realize that the reflection in the calm waters he was nothing but himself. If he were to leave, he would lose sight of his only love, which is why he panics when he realizes that love may be forever out of reach.
Obsession takes over
“Neither food nor rest will be able to make him go away; if he lies down in the green shade and keeps his eyes fixed on the reflected image, he may not he will never know that his wishes have been granted, and before he knows it, he himself will be destroyed."Ovid, Metamorphoses
Narcissus began to realize that he was out of his league, and slowly, painfully he realized that the his situation was tragic. However, he was unable to control his feelings and tame his desires:
"Oh, I am tormented by a strange desire that I have never felt before so consciously because from this mortal path; which simply means that I would like the object of my love to disappear. Grief drains my strength, the sands of life flow, and I remain isolated in my early youth; but death is not mine ruin: puts an end to my misfortune. I would not die for what is my love, as two united in one soul would die united. Ovid, Metamorphoses
The most small The surge of water made Narcissus panic when the water level changed and he thought his image had disappeared.
After finally accepting the futility of his attempts, Narcissus lost the will to live and reluctantly said, “Goodbye.” » Echo, who was watching, responded to his words in a whisper: “Goodbye.”
Narcissus lay down on the grass. Life began to leave his body as his obsessive love turned into existential despair. The next day, where Narcissus had slept, there was a flower with white petals and a yellow center. It is still known today as the narcissus flower.
Narcissus and Ameinias
According to Conon, Greek mythographer who lived between the 1st century BC. vivid. C. and the 1st century AD. C. Echo is not the only one to experience a tragic end after his love for Narcisse. Ameinias was one of the first to persistently try to win the love of Narcissus. He rejected Ameiniah and sent him a sword. Ameinias used this sword to commit suicide at Narcissus' door and beg Nemesis to avenge him. Nemesis then lured Narcissus into a fountain, causing him to fall in love with himself.
Alternate Versions of the Myth
Let's look at some alternative versions of the myth of Echo and Narcissus. .
According to Parthenius of Nicaea, Narcissus did not transform into a flower after losing the will to live. Parthenius instead presents a version in which the myth ends with the suicide of Narcissus.
Pausanias also presents an alternative version in which Narcissus has a twin sister. They looked exactly the same, wore the same clothes and hunted together. Narcissus was madly in love with his sister and after her death he went to the fountain to look at his reflection and imagine that that reflection was his sister.
According to Longus, Greek writer of the 2nd century AD, Echo lived among the nymphs who taught him to sing. As he grew up, his voice became more and more beautiful, until he could sing even better than the gods. The great god Pan did not accept that a simple nymph sang better than him, so he punished her. Pan drove the animals and people around Echo crazy. In their frenzy they devoured the nymph. Then Echo's voice spread throughout the world, carried by the animals and people who consumed it. Ultimately, Gaia (Goddess of the Earth) hid Echo's voice within herself. Echo's punishment, in this case, recalls that of Arachne, who was also punished by Athena for having surpassed the goddess in the art of weaving.
The reception of the myth of Echo and Narcissus
The reception of “Echo” and the “Myth of Narcissus” has enjoyed particular popularity in art over the centuries . It's hard to keep track of all the illustrations inspired by the story. From medieval tales such as the 12th-century Ballad of Narcissus to Herman Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund (1930), the story has continued to fascinate and inspire.
A Part important Psychoanalysis and especially Sigmund Freud's essay on narcissism from 1914 also played a role in "The Reception of the Myth". Freud described the state of excessive selfishness and standardized the name narcissism, derived from Narcissus, to describe a stage between autoeroticism and object love.
After great sadness, Eco and Narciso decide to die, or rather, of nothingness. But while Echo lost the will to live after being rejected by someone else, Narcissus decided to give up on life after realizing that he couldn't love anyone but himself. If you think about it, the myth of Narcissus isn't about a boy who loved his reflection in the water. It's about a child's inability to love anyone other than themselves. The transformation stories of Eco and Narcissus, in particular, can be read as a warning that love and obsession are often closer than we think.
In the age of social media, the term narcissism appears more and more frequently in our feeds. The myth of Narcissus can remind us that compulsive self-love is nothing new and certainly not healthy.
Read Also : Why was Athens named after Athena What is the name of her shrine?