Is narrated about the Ancient Greek nymph Ekho in several various legends, some of them have also not one version. The most known is a story about Ekho's love for a fine Narcissus, but other stories about this nymph are also interesting, as well as this myth.
Ekho and Hera
According to the myth about Ekho and Hera, the Echo was one of the prettiest nymphs, but not it attracted to her other nymphs, dryads and naiads. She possessed a magnificent, melodious voice, equal to which was not in all Ancient Greece, but also was able to tell so fascinatingly that came to listen to it even goddesses. Especially Aphrodite and Hera loved chatter the Echo. On one of myths Aphrodite even promised the Echo to present the nymph with love of any person, at its choice, but the Echo refused, having referred to the fact that now she with anybody is not in love, but asked not to forget about a promise and to allow it to address the goddess of love when it has in it a need.
A story about a request the Echo to Aphrodite has continuation in one of versions of the myth about the nymph and Narcissa.
Hera with pleasure listened the Echo, did not learn yet that the nymph distracts her a talk at the request of Zeus using this time for numerous unfaithfulness to the wife. There is a version that Hera also found out that she the Echo did not shun gossips, retelling other deities of story about the Thunderer's adventures, but not informing of them ears of his spouse. The angered goddess deprived the nymph of "freedom of speech", velev to it to repeat only the last phrases of others said near it.
Echo and Pang
The name of the nymph Ekho appears also in some legends of Pang. It agrees one of them, goat-hoofed god of the wild nature fell in love with the sweet-voiced nymph, but she did not reciprocate on his courtings. Then Pang spread unaccountable horror, panic among shepherds, having inspired that a danger source – beautiful Ekho. The shepherds captured by an attack broke off the nymph into small pieces and dispelled them on the ground. Merciful the Gay accepted them and, having taken flesh, left to live Ekho's voice which was so captivating all around.
There are myths in which the Echo loves Pang and gives birth to it to two daughters – Iingu and the Iamb. In honor of the last, according to myths, the meter of the same name was called.
Narcissus and Echo
Deprived of the right for own speech, the Echo met the beautiful young man, Narcissa, and fell in love with it. She long waited for the moment when is able to repeat his words, having started with it thus a conversation and once when the Narcissus remained one, it managed it. The young man heard noise in branches and shouted: "Who here?". "Here" - answered it the Echo. "Leave to me" - told the Narcissus. "To me" - repeated the Echo. "Let's go to a meeting each other" - the young man offered and the nymph repeated the last words of his phrase and rushed to the young man. Having seen it, handsome not only did not blaze with feelings, but for some reason was filled with disgust and forbade the Echo even to catch sight to him. The nymph in love followed it on heels, disappearing in foliage, not an istayala from unrequited love yet, having left on the earth only a voice.
The love story the Echo to the Narcissus inspired many writers, artists and composers. Among them there are Ovidy, Poussin, Gluck.
There is a version of the myth about Narcissa and the Echo in which the nymph was not punished by Hera, and just fell in love with the young man and was cruelly rejected by it. Suffering, she addressed Aphrodite and reminded that that promised it not to refuse a request, but the Echo Narcissa wanted not to force to fall in love with it, and to disappear that with it disappeared also the feeling which is drying up it. The goddess razvoplotit the Echo, having left only its fine voice deprived of feelings and sufferings on the earth, and Narcissa decided to revenge. She forced the young man to fall in love with own reflection seen by it in a water smooth surface. The Narcissus spent long hours, begging to answer his love a certain river nymph for whom it took the reflected shape and, after all, also istayal from love as rejected the Echo, prevratyas in the delicate flower which received his name.