When I was in highschool we had an entire section in English about Mythology. I loved it. Not only did I get to make a paper-mache Pegasus (with wings made out of blue and green feather dusters), but it was also a collection of stories! You may (or may not) know this, but I love stories. I love to hear them. I love to tell them. I love browsing books for them. I love watching people listen to them. I even love making them up!
One particular myth that really and truly fascinated me (and still does), was the story of Narcissus and Echo. It goes something like this:
Once there was a nymph named Echo, who was in love with a beautiful young man named Narcissus. He was rather vain, and had spurned all the advances of the other young women he knew. One day, Echo followed Narcissus into the woods, but was afraid to approach him or speak first. When he finally heard her in the woods he called out "Who's there?" and she repeated "Who's there?". It continued, like a kind of game: he would call out "Who's there?" and she would answer (flirtatiously???) "Who's there?" Finally, Echo became brave enough to run out, hoping to rush into his arms, but he rebuffed her advances, and sent her away. Echo was crushed, and spent the rest of her days wandering through lonely glens and deep caverns until all that remained was her voice. The goddess Nemesis heard Echo's voice pining for Narcissus and decided to punish him for ruining the young nymph. When Narcissus was walking through the woods, he became very thirsty. Finding a deep pond he knelt down, and leaned over to drink, but caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water and fell in love. He was so smitten by his reflection that he remained there, at the edge of the pond, staring until he died, and in the place where he died a flower eventually grew up and was given his name.
One particular myth that really and truly fascinated me (and still does), was the story of Narcissus and Echo. It goes something like this:
Once there was a nymph named Echo, who was in love with a beautiful young man named Narcissus. He was rather vain, and had spurned all the advances of the other young women he knew. One day, Echo followed Narcissus into the woods, but was afraid to approach him or speak first. When he finally heard her in the woods he called out "Who's there?" and she repeated "Who's there?". It continued, like a kind of game: he would call out "Who's there?" and she would answer (flirtatiously???) "Who's there?" Finally, Echo became brave enough to run out, hoping to rush into his arms, but he rebuffed her advances, and sent her away. Echo was crushed, and spent the rest of her days wandering through lonely glens and deep caverns until all that remained was her voice. The goddess Nemesis heard Echo's voice pining for Narcissus and decided to punish him for ruining the young nymph. When Narcissus was walking through the woods, he became very thirsty. Finding a deep pond he knelt down, and leaned over to drink, but caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water and fell in love. He was so smitten by his reflection that he remained there, at the edge of the pond, staring until he died, and in the place where he died a flower eventually grew up and was given his name.
See. It's a fascinating story (although, that version is one that I sort of got from wikipedia and sort of just how I remembered it. A strange combination, but I think you get the jist of it). At the time I first learnt the story, I think it held such a draw for me because it seemed so strange to fall in love with your reflection, when at the time, I could not imagine anything more detestable than my reflection. Now, however, I think that narcissism is pretty rampant. To some extent we all are focussed on ourselves, but we manage to stop staring at ourselves long enough to realize that there are other brilliant things in the world to love.
Maybe that's why I try so hard to be loving and generous and thoughtfull: to make up for all the time I spend thinking about myself.
So I don't turn into a flower. (Although, I can't help but wonder: "What would a Katie flower look like?"
