Echo & Narcissus Narcissus was a young man who had been blessed with astonishingly good looks and charm. But his mother was worried that he would come to a bad end because of it, and so petitioned the gods for help. The gods told her that if Narcissus should die "never having known himself" then all would be well with him. Narcissus never saw his own reflection, but he knew he was attractive based on the reactions of everyone around him. He was also vain and rude to the nymphs. One day Narcissus was walking the woods alone, when he was spied by one of these young nymphs, known as Echo. Echo was a talkative nymph who always had to have the last word, and because of a trick she had played on Hera she had been cursed by the goddess and had lost the ability to speak with her own voice. Instead, she was destined only to repeat the words of others. Echo fell in love with Narcissus as soon as she laid eyes on him. She followed at a discreet distance, wondering how to approach him, when suddenly Narcissus became aware of her presence. "Who's here?" He asked sharply. "Here!" replied a happy Echo, coming out of the bushes to greet him. "Come here," countered the puzzled Narcissus, not sure whom he was addressing, "let us get together." Echo replied "Let us get together," and taking it for an invitation, rushed from the underbrush into young boy's arms. But he recoiled in horror, rejecting her. "Go away!" he commanded, turning from her and walking away. "Away!" wailed Echo, reaching for him desperately trying to communicate her love to him, but he was blind to her advances. She fled into the woods, crushed by his rejection, and pined away for Narcissus until there was nothing left of her but her voice. Narcissus had reached a pool of water by this stage, and as he gazed into its depths he saw his own face reflected there. However, having never seen his own reflection, he did not realize it was a mirror of himself he was seeing. Instead he saw a beautiful stranger, and fell in love at first sight, just as Echo had done moments earlier. He smiled at the stranger, and the stranger smiled back. Reaching into the pool, he tried to touch the young and beautiful creature smiling at him, but of course when his hands broke the surface of the water the reflection was disturbed. "No!" he cried in protest. "Come back!" He pulled his hand from the water and sighed in relief as he saw the stranger return. Narcissus made repeated attempts to gain the stranger's trust and friendship, all the while not realizing that it was his own reflection. Finally he threw himself down on the bank in frustration, and there he sat, watching his own reflection until he pined away just as poor Echo had done. The gods took pity on Narcissus and changed him into a beautiful flower that still bears his name today. (top) Arachne Arachne was a Lydian woman who boasted that she was the best weaver that ever existed. So confident of her skills was she that she challenged the goddess Athena to a contest. It turned out that Arachne's work was indeed better than the goddess Athena's, and out of spite Athena destroyed the Lydian woman's tapestry that depicted the gods' romances. Arachne was so distraught that she hung herself, but Athena felt guilty because of her hasty and impetuous actions. She transformed the rope into a cobweb, and Arachne into a spider, so that she could forever weave her masterpieces. (top) Icarus Daedalus was a brilliant mechanic who lived on the Island of Crete. He had fallen out of favour with the King of Minos, and as a result was imprisoned in a high tower along with his young son, Icarus. He searched for a way to escape from his prison, and managed to find a way out, only to discover he was trapped on the island. The ships were being searched thoroughly as the boats sailed out to sea. Daedalus was an ingenious artist and was not discouraged. "Minos may control the land and sea," he said, "but he does not control the air. I will try that way." Finally Daedalus had a plan. He began to collect birds' feathers and place them into a wax framework he had built, to form two pairs of wings for himself and for his son. He began with the smaller feathers to form the frame, and then added larger feathers as the work progressed. The larger feathers he secured with strong thread, but the smaller feathers were fixed on only with wax. When they were finished, Daedalus fastened them to his shoulders and found himself lifted upwards, where he hung poised in the air. Filled with excitement, he made another pair for his son. They were smaller than his own, but strong and beautiful. Together father and son watched the birds flying above, studying their movements and learning how to fly. Finally the day came to escape. The wings were ready to be put to use. There was no trial run. This was their one and only shot. Failure would mean certain death. Daedalus cautioned his young son before setting out on the journey. "Keep at a moderate height, for if you fly too low the fog and spray will clog your wings, and if you fly too high the heat will melt the wax that holds them together. Keep near me and you will be safe." Father and son soared off into the sky, and for a while everything went according to plan. But Icarus was delighted with his new-found freedom, and forgot his father's warning. He felt the sun on his face, and entranced he soared up and up through the blue skies until he had reached the clouds. Soon he was almost completely out of sight. Daedalus called out a warning and tried to chase after Icarus, but he was too heavy. Sure enough, as he had predicted, the nearness of the blazing sun began to melt the wax from the feathers until they came off in bundles. Frantically Icarus beat his arms and called out for his Father, but his father was too far away to be of any use. Icarus plunged into the sea and was drowned. Daedalus searched for him frantically, and found his son's lifeless body, he scooped him up and carried him to shore. Bitterly blaming himself, he called the land Icaria, in memory of his dead child. (top)