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Echo

In Greek mythology Echo was a mountain nymph who annoyed Hera, queen of the gods, by talking to her constantly. Echo's chatter distracted Hera and prevented her from discovering the love affairs of her husband, Zeus *. As punishment, Hera took away Echo's power of speech so that she could say nothing except the last words spoken by someone else.

Other myths tell of Echo's falling in love with Narcissus, the handsome son of a river god. However, Narcissus rejected Echo because she could only repeat his words. She was so upset that she faded away until only her voice was heard as an echo. Another myths states that Pan, god of the woods, pursued Echo but that she escaped him by running away. The angry Pan caused some shepherds to go mad and tear Echo apart, leaving nothing but her voice to echo through the mountains. Ovid's Metamorphoses* and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet both include passages about Echo.

See also HERA; NARCISSUS; PAN.