“The Story of Echo and Narcissus” is in Book III from the Metamorphoses by Ovid. In this section of the Metamorphoses, Ovid includes stories that portray the gods and their interactions with mortals. Before “The Story of Echo and Narcissus,” Ovid tells “The Story of Tiresias”. In the story, Ovid explains how the prophet Tiresias came to be blind. It transitions to the story of Echo and Narcissus by describing how Tiresis became famous through his prophecies. The story of Echo and Narcissus begins with Tiresias telling Narcissus’ mother, Liriope, that he will live a long life, as long as he never knows himself. Narcissus is described as a 16 year old boy who is desired by boys and girls everywhere. One day while he is out hunting, a nymph named Echo, who can only say the last thing she hears, sees and falls in love with him. She finally gets to speak to Narcissus when he loses track of his hunting companions. After a conversation between them in which Echo repeats everything he says, he rejects her. Echo continues to pine for Narcissus while her body withers away and she is left with just a voice. Narcissus continues to reject the love of many others until he comes upon a reflection of himself in a river and falls in love with it. He tries to understand the elusiveness of his beloved and convince the reflection to fall in love with him. Eventually, he realizes that his beloved is only a reflection of himself. He pines away and eventually perishes as Echo looks on, leaving only a yellow flower in his wake. A description of how Tiresias was honored for his prophetic wisdom serves as a transition to the next story, “Pentheus and Bacchus.”

     There are a few versions of this myth that were written before Ovid. One version of the myth before Ovid was written by the poet Parthenius of Nicaea in 50 BC. In this version of the story, the myth ends with Narcissus killing himself. Another version of the myth that some scholars believe was written before Ovid is attributed to the Greek mythographer Conon. In this version, Conon describes a spurned lover named Ameinias who cursed Narcissus. He also includes Narcissus taking his own life at the end of the story. Out of all the early versions of this story, Ovid’s is the only one to include Echo in the plot.