Echo was a nymph who served Hera. Echo was known for her constant chatter she would keep all the Olympian gods informed with her gossiping. Hera’s husband Zeus took advantage of Echo’s constant chatter and would sneak away to the mortal world while Hera was stuck listening to Echo’s chatter. Several times, Zeus was able to escape when Hera should have seen him.
One day Hera found out about Zeus' tricks and when she did, she took Echo’s ability of speech and made it so she could only repeat the words of others and then she banished Echo.
Echo was lonely and she would follow shepherds and hunters, hoping they would notice her. One day Echo was following a hunter who she fell in love with named Narcissus. Narcissus was a vain young man who rejected lovers of both genders; Narcissus wanted nothing to do with love. While Echo was following Narcissus he heard Echo but he could not see her.
“Who’s there?” asked Narcissus.
“Who’s there?” repeated Echo.
This went on for some time before Echo came out of hiding and embraced him. Narcissus was horrified and told her to get lost. Echo was heartbroken and she spent the rest of her life in a cave until there was nothing left of her but her voice which to this day can be heard randomly repeating the words of others. Narcissus continued to reject all lovers until one day, one of Narcissus’s rejected suitors prayed to the goddess Nemesis who punishes pride to punish Narcissus. Nemesis took away all of Narcissus’s reason and when Narcissus went to drink from a pond, he saw his reflection and fell in love with it. He did not know it was his own reflection because Nemesis took all his reason. Whenever Narcissus reached for the handsome man, it would disappear back into the water. Narcissus was so in love with his reflection he forgot about food and water so Narcissus died. All of the nymphs mourned for Narcissus’s death and when they went to bury him, they could not find a body. All they found was a flower which they gave his name.