Echo and Narcissus are joined most famously in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Their story is not a mutual romance. Echo cannot express a full thought, Narcissus rejects her, and both are consumed by forms of desire that cannot become a reciprocal relationship.
Echo’s restricted voice
Ovid says the nymph Echo once distracted Juno with conversation while Jupiter pursued other nymphs. Juno punishes her so that she can repeat only the last words spoken by another person. When Echo tries to approach Narcissus, his rejection leaves her wasting away until only her voice remains.
Narcissus and the reflection
Narcissus has rejected many admirers. After a plea for justice, Nemesis causes him to encounter his own image in water. He does not initially understand that the beautiful figure is a reflection. Unable to possess it or leave it, he dies and a flower appears in his place.
A Roman poem and older material
Earlier Greek versions of Narcissus differ, including one centered on the rejected youth Ameinias. Ovid’s combined story became dominant in later art and psychology. The modern term narcissism draws on the name, but a clinical diagnosis should not be projected backward onto a poetic character.