Echoes of Echo [Can't Zeus Keep It To Himself? #1]

Hello. It is I. Doing anything OTHER than responsible things and instead random shit that won't be important to anyone whatsoever. Here I am giving you a ted talk about Greek mythology, more specifically the more underrated side of it.

Even more specifically.. about Echo! A gorgeous nymph whose story was told in both Roman and Greek tongue. 

Quick warning I do NOT believe in any of this nor am I a Hellenist!! I just find folklore and mythology such as this very interesting and that's the extent of it!!!!!!

The Greek myth

Echo and Narcissus, from a fresco in Pompeii.

Now firststistly, we all know that a constantly running bit that was committed to too much was that Zeus could never keep it in his pants. He loved doing whatever it is he does with beautiful nymphs (psst.. such as Echo..) and would very often visit them on Earth. However at one point, his REAL wife Hera would find out about these affairs (and yet she still refuses a divorce...).

Echo, an Oread (mountain nymph), and Zeus' was no exception. Zeus had ordered her to protect him from Hera's wrath, and as consequence, Echo was cursed by the goddess, being that she can't speak but the last words that she hears. Basically, creating an echo to whoever she's talking to. Heh heheh see where this is going?

Sourced from Classical Literature

The Metamorphoses
(yes I know it's Roman shhh)

Echo and Narcissus, John William Waterhouse, 1903 | Walker Art Gallery

In The Metamorphoses by Ovid; Jupiter (Zeus but Roman) would very often be seen with other nymphs of the mountain, going off on his 'business'. And whenever Juno (Hera but Roman) pops up, almost catching him in the act, Echo would distract Juno by yapping to her, while both Jupiter and whomever nymph he was laying with ran off. Juno still found out the truth sooner or later and, similarly to Greek's myth, cursed Echo to only speak the last words that another person spoke to her. Ovid also dubbed her as 'she who echoes'.

Narcissus.
A bit after being cursed by Juno, she saw a young man and his homies while they were hunting deer in the woods. The book had introduced him in the previous chapter, and we got to know this man as Narcissus (the name will probably make sense later). Anyways, Echo, upon seeing Narcissus, immediately fell in love with him and basically stalked him as he went around hunting.

And 'luckily' for her, she managed to find Narcissus seperated from his homies. She would come up to him with sweet words or something, if she could speak. So instead she had to do what she did best; echo whatever voice she heard. 

Narcissus, getting the impression that someone is nearby, says "Is anyone here?", and "Here." Echo gave back. Confused, he shouts "Come to me!", and he got his words back in response. He thought he was being pranked or something. "Why do you run from me?" And just like before, what he spoke was said back to him. Still convinced there was a responding voice, he said "Here, let us meet together." and, in her excitement, assuming this meant her love was accepted, "together!" Echo responded. She ran to him, throwing her arms around him in longing.... but in response Narcissus recoiled back, and he ran away, while he cried "Get your hands off of me! May I die before what's mine is yours!". And "What's mine is yours..!" Is all Echo could say back.

Echo's echo.
After that very cruel rejection from Narcissus, Echo goes through what I assume is depression. She hides in caves and maybe listens to Taylor Swift or something idk. She isolates until her sadness eats her away, and she dicipates as time flies. They say her bones turned into shapes of stone. She was no longer to be seen on the hills, but she was heard by everyone. In the form of an echo.

Narcissus' End
Remember when I said his name would probably make sense later on? Well yeah Narcissus ends up seeing his reflection one day and found himself so gorgeously handsome to the point he falls in love with himself and dies alone with an unrequiented love... from himself. His last words dying was something like "goodbye love that was never meant to be".

Daphnis and Chloe
(now THIS is Greek.)

Daphnis and Chloe, Francouis Boucher, 1743 | The Wallace Collection

I haven't gotten to actually read all of Daphnis and Chloe's translation yet, so I'll base this part off of the wikipedia, but Daphnis and Chloe is basically a Greek romance novel by Longus written during the Roman empire and is the only known work of Hellenistic romance in the second-century. Anyways;

At one part of the book, while Daphnis and Chloe were chilling and watching boats at sea. A fisherman's song was echoing in a nearby valley, and Chloe, having never heard an echo before, was confused. Daphnis offers a promise to tell her the story of Echo, in exchange for ten more kisses. Sweet deal, apparently.

Pan's Envy
So Daphnis' way of telling the story differs a lot from Ovid's version. Referring to the latter; Echo's mother was a nymph, but due to her father being a regular ol man, she was a mortal. She would dance and sing with the nymphae on the mountains and the Muses taught her all sorts about music and instruments. Yknow Disney princess type shit. Then one day, out of nowhere, Pan (the god of the wild or something) got mad with her. To put it simply, it was because Echo knew too well about music. Then he manipulated the random men on the fields and the men tore Echo apart, 'scattering her still-singing parts of body around the Earth.'

Feeling lowkey bad for the nymphae, Gaia (personification of the Earth itself) decides to spare them the cruel sight of Echo's dismembled body and basically hides the parts of Echo within herself (in other words, the pieces were swallowed by the earth) and preserving Echo's music. And as the muses ordered, her voice still sings, perfectly immitating whatever earthly thing speaks.

Daphnis also adds that Pan would hear the sound of his own pipes, but he doesn't know what an echo is nor that the Echo he tore apart was now repeating his music. So he would chase around the mountains like a fool in search for 'a student he could never find'. The Homeric Hymn and Orphic Hymn also take the iteration that Pan would chase the voice of Echo across the mountains.

Other & Medieval interpretation
(boring)

Other iterations say that Pan had an unrequiented love for Echo placed by Aphrodite (Photius' version "Bibliotheca"), Pan chasing Echo but she keeps running away (Nonnus' version "Dinoysiaca"), and there's even an interpretation where Pan does get with Echo, even having two daughters, Lynx and Lambe (Apuleius' version "The Golden Ass" .. heheheh golden ass.. ehem.).

There's also Medieval intepretations of Echo's tale, but I'll simply link those here instead of yap about them because I honestly don't care as much for the Medieval versions.

I find Echo's story really interesting actually.. idk like Daphnis' description that pieces of her sing out whatever sound is made, thus creating an echo is so good. Though the story is decently grueling I gotta admit.

Daphnis et Chloé, Francois Gerard, 1825

And thus concludes a very, very long yap session about a nymph probably nobody knew existed, and nobody will care about. Doesn't stop me from making more though. I have a few other nymphs and heroes and gods I wanna talk abt xD. Ok yeah have a good one folks. swag.

wikipedia Echo (mythology)

 The Metamorphosis (Ovid) Translated by A.S Kline (Book III) | Daphnis and Chloe (Longus) Translated by William Blake Tyrell (haven't finished reading but will link it anyway) | The Lay of Narcissus (Medieval interpretation I) | The Romance of The Rose (Medieval interpretation II)

paintings (can be refered to from the Wikipedia as well)
Echo and Narcissus, John Waterhouse | Daphnis and Chloe, Francouis Boucher | Daphnis et Chloé, Francois Gerard