Echo
conceptA mountain nymph punished by Hera, condemned to only repeat the last words spoken to her. Her unrequited love for Narcissus caused her to fade until only her voice remained.
The Myth
Echo was a talkative mountain nymph whom Zeus enlisted to distract Hera with conversation while he pursued his affairs. When Hera discovered the deception, she cursed Echo: the nymph could never again speak first, only repeat the last words said to her.
When Echo fell in love with the beautiful Narcissus, she followed him through the forest, unable to declare her feelings. When Narcissus called out "Is anyone there?" she could only reply "Anyone there?" When he said "Come!" she emerged from hiding and rushed toward him, but Narcissus rejected her cruelly: "I would die before I give you power over me."
Heartbroken, Echo retreated to lonely caves and mountaintops, where she pined away until her body dissolved entirely. Nothing remained of her but her voice — still heard in mountains and valleys, still repeating the last words spoken to her.
Symbols
Fun Fact
The acoustic phenomenon of echo — sound reflected back to the listener — takes its name directly from this myth.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth: