ECHO

Echo was a nymph whose myth provided an explanation for the phenomenon of sound echoing. More important, the two main versions of her story highlight the limits of acceptable female behavior in Greek myth and culture, where lack of female sexual compliance was punished.

There are three main versions of Echo’s story. In the first she incurs the anger of Hera, queen of the Olympian gods. The second myth has her falling eternally yet unrequitedly in love with the most beautiful man in Greek mythology, Narcissus. In the third she imprudently refuses the love of the god Pan, with tragic consequences. Her punishment served as a warning to young girls who rejected the attentions of male admirers in ancient Greece.

Both the Hera and Narcissus versions were recorded by Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE—c. 17 CE). As the attendant of Hera, wife of Zeus, Echo was expected to give the goddess her unswerving loyalty and devotion. Yet Echo was forced by Zeus to cover for his amorous indiscretions by distracting Hera with ceaseless chatter. When the goddess discovered this ruse, she cursed Echo, so that the nymph could not voice her own words but only repeat what others said. In classical mythology, the punishment always fit the crime: because Echo transgressed by acting on another’s behalf (Zeus), her penalty was the ability to speak only through the agency of another.

In the second story, the nymph spied Narcissus hunting in the forest. Her love for him was immediate, but because of Hera’s curse she could only echo Narcissus’s words. When she tried to embrace the hunter, he told her to go away. Heartbroken, the nymph retreated deep into the forest, where she spent the rest of her life pining for Narcissus, until all that was left was the echoing sound of her voice.

The story of Echo and Narcissus shows us that in ancient Greece feminine expression of desire was considered inappropriate. Women were to be desired, never to be seen to desire for themselves. Narcissus’s response emphasizes the impropriety of Echo’s feelings. At his rejection, Echo ultimately withered away from longing. Yet this residual part of Echo really did not belong to her at all. By taking the initiative with Narcissus, she had usurped a principal male prerogative. Her punishment for failing to identify with the socially acceptable behavior of her gender was the loss of her identity.

Left: This early-20th-century illustration depicts Narcissus disappearing into the distance, leaving the heartbroken Echo to pine for him.

Above: Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) painted this version of the rejected Echo watching over the sleeping Narcissus. Cupid, the god of love, looks on.