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Have you ever wondered where a word came from? Do you know the meaning of the words echo and narcissistic? An echo is a repetition of a sound. Echo is also the name of a character in Greek mythology.

If someone is described as narcissistic, they are very in love with themselves. Narcissistic comes from the word Narcissus which is the name of a lovely white flower. Like Echo, Narcissus is also the name of a character in Greek mythology. These two words are common words to our modern society, but how they were derived goes back to ancient Greece. Read the Greek mythology about Echo and Narcissus and see if you can find the common thread between this ancient story and the words we use today.

Echo was a beautiful wood and mountain nymph who had a lovely voice. Often she was found telling stories and singing songs. She was such a fair and gentle creature that the Goddess Aphrodite would come all the way from Mt. Olympus just to chat with Echo.

One day in the woods, Echo saw Zeus who was the supreme ruler of all the gods. Echo knew Zeus was not supposed to be in the woods, so when she saw Zeus’s wife, Hera, come looking for him, she decided to distract Hera. Echo told Hera that indeed Zeus had come to the woods, but only looking for Hera. When he could not find Hera, he flew back to Mt. Olympus. Hera was grateful to Echo and left the woods immediately to return to Mt. Olympus. However, Hera quickly discovered that Echo had lied and in a rage, sentenced Echo to a life of using her lovely voice only to repeat the last words of what other’s had said.

Not soon after, Echo saw the most handsome boy named Narcissus lost and roaming the woods. Since she could not speak first, she waited for him to call out, “Is there anyone here?” To which Echo answered, “Here!”

Narcissus saw no one so he called out, “Come to me then!” and Echo immediately replied “Come to me then.”

Narcissus was still confused by this voice he did not see and called, “Why do you shun me? Let us meet here.”

To that, Echo answered “meet here,” and she came out of the woods and tried to give him a hug. Narcissus pushed Echo away claiming he would never want to be with her.

Devastated, Echo spent the rest of her days sad and alone. Her body eventually began to waste away and finally, she became so thin that her body vanished and only her voice remained.

The Goddess, Aphrodite was furious to find out how Narcissus had treated her beloved friend, Echo. She promised to get revenge on Narcissus. She cursed Narcissus to fall in love with something that would never return his love. Not knowing of the curse, Narcissus sat down next to a creek. In the clear water, he saw his face reflected and fell in love with the image of himself thinking it was a river nymph. Neither hunger nor tiredness could tear him from his beautiful reflection. Instead, he stayed there, wasting away until he was no more. When the nymphs of the woods and river prepared for his funeral, they could not find his body. All they found was a lovely white flower with a yellow center.