Echo was a beautiful Nymph who would often enchant Hera with her many stories and her glib tongue. However, the day came when Zeus enlisted her help to divert Hera's attention while he seduced a mountain nymph. One day, Hera discovered what had happened, and she went to confront Zeus in the mountains. While the quarrel ensued, Echo kept interrupting her so as to allow the nymphs to escape. Hera grew furious at the nymph and cursed her so that she would lose her ability to speak, being only able to repeat the words of others.

One day, while Echo was in the forests, she saw a handsome young man whom she immediately fell in love with. His name was Narcissus, and he was the son of a blue nymph and a river god. The youth had many suitors, all of which he had rejected, not wanting to have anything to do with love.

At one point, Narcissus had a suitor named Ameinius. When Ameinius tried to secure Narcissus' affections, Narcissus replied by giving Ameinius a sword by which to prove his love. The foolish Ameinius eventually followed Narcissus' words, and stabbed his own chest. The god, Artemis, was appalled at what Narcissus had done, and he decided to punish Narcissus by making him feel the agony of unrecipocrated love.

So Echo tried to follow the handsome youth, through the forest, waiting for him to speak so that she may too. Finally, he heard her in the bushes, and asked 'Who's there?'. Echo repeated his words many times with his repeated asking. When she could no longer take it, Echo rushed out of the bushes to embrace Narcissus, only to be rejected by him.

On his journey, Narcissus came to a pool of clear water. He looked into the water and saw his reflection, and immediately he fell in love with it, under the spell of Artemis. He tried to get at his reflection, but try as he might, as soon as his hand touch the water, the image disappeared. When he finally reached desperation, he felt the same pangs of dejection as all his suitors had. He finally was unable to take it anymore and he stabbed himself with a dagger, while Echo looked on helplessly. She cried so hard that her being faded away, and eventually, only her voice was left, and so she would live forever as a voice.

From where Narcissus blood flowed grew a white flower. It was the narcissus flower.