Echo and Narcissus (Waterhouse painting) mythology. In Ovid's version of the myth, Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. His parents were told that he would live to an old age if he did not look at himself. He rejected all the nymphs and women who fell in love with him. One of these was the nymph Echo, who was so upset by her rejection that she withdrew from life and wasted away until all that was left was a whisper. Her prayers were heard by the goddess Nemesis who caused Narcissus to fall in love with his own
Echo (mythology) himself oft hears his very own pipes and, giving chase across the mountains, looks in vain for the secret student he can never find. Both the Homeric and Orphic Hymns to Pan reiterate Longus’ tale of Pan chasing Echo’s secret voice across the mountains. Codex 190 of Photius' "Bibliotheca" states that Pan's unrequited love for Echo was placed there by Aphrodite, angry at his verdict in a beauty contest. Nonnus’ "Dionysiaca" contains a number of references to Echo. In Nonnus’ account, though Pan frequently chased Echo, he never won her affection. Book VI also makes reference to Echo in the