I have long been fascinated by the myth of Echo and Narcissus, and may finally have cracked its meaning.

First, let’s remind ourselves of the myth. In Ovid’s version, the nymph Echo falls in love with Narcissus, a youth of extraordinary beauty. As a child, Narcissus had been prophesied by Teiresias, the blind prophet of Thebes, to "live to a ripe old age, as long as he never knows himself."

One day, Echo followed Narcissus through the woods as he hunted for stags. She longed to speak to him but dared not utter the first word. Overhearing her footsteps, the youth cried out, "Who’s there?’ She responded, "Who’s there?" When at last she revealed herself, she leaped to embrace Narcissus, but he scorned her and cast her off.

Echo spent the rest of her days pining for Narcissus and slowly withered away until there was nothing left of her but her voice.

Sometime after his........

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