L2B01172010: Narcissus' Echo

Narcissus Gazing in the Pool

Dearest B.,

MMRFRO has been on my mind way too often as of late. I think the reason being due to the fact it’s approaching the year anniversary of our so called friendship imploding. It was on the weekend of Valentine’s Day last year when he sent me his infamous this is “too much for me” email and told me to “take care” as he walked away, virtually, in an all too familiar and continued callous manner.

Given that I continually live my life as an extended free association psychotherapy session all of the recent thoughts of MMRFRO have caused the myth of Narcissus and Echo to bubble up from my subconscious. You may remember the story, it’s the one about the classically beautiful, but cruel boy, Narcissus who fell tragically in love with his own image and killed himself as a result.

Narcissus was born to his blue wood Nymph mother Leiriope as a result of her being seduced by the river god Cephisus. Leiriope concerned about her son’s welfare consulted the Oracle Teiresias as to his future. The Oracle foretold that Narcissus would live to a ripe old age provided one thing—as long as he never knew himself.

He proved to be a beautiful child, the deepening of whose beauty was rivaled only by the development of his cruel and sadistic nature as he matured into a young man. By the time he reached mid-adolescence, he had broken many a heart of an admirer both male and female. And had garnered the reputation of being particularly unkind in his rejection of those who express their admiration to him.

One such admirer was Echo, a wood Nymph who lived in the woods near where Narcissus hunted on a regular basis. Echo suffered the affliction of only being able to speak the last words spoken to her, the result of a curse placed upon her by the Goddess Juno due to Echo fooling the Goddess with words. When Narcissus was out hunting stags one day, Echo stealthily followed him through the woods. Upon discovering her presence by the sound of her footsteps, Narcissus inquired as to the presence of who was following him. After a few moments of him calling and Echo returning his words, she emerged from the trees and rushed to embrace him.

“Hands off!“ he shouted as she attempted to embrace him. He drew back and shouted, “I would rather die than you should have me!”

“Have me!” Echo returned in vain as Narcissus left her grief-stricken and heart broken in the recesses of the woods where from that point forward she hid. She lived in caves and among mountain cliffs until her form faded from the grief and all her flesh shrank away. When her bones changed into rock and there was nothing left her voice remained and continued to carry the curse of repeating whatever words happened to be spoken in her presence.

One of Narcissus’ most ardent of admirers was Ameninius. Ameninius had on several occasions expressed his desire for the beautiful youth. In one particularly cruel response, Narcissus sent him a sword with the note asking him to “prove his love.” Ameinious proceeded to plunge the sword into his own heart on the doorstep of Narcissus to demonstrate his love. But while doing so, prayed to the Goddess Nemesis to punish the cruel youth by one day bringing him to feel the pain of unrequited love.

The day eventually came to pass.

Narcissus came upon a clear spring one day as he was hunting in the woods. It was a fountain with water like silver. A spot of such enchanted beauty all beings—human, animal, spirit or any combination thereof rarely if ever drank from this well. Being tired and thirsty from his hunt Narcissus sat down by the pool and lowered his torso toward the water to take a drink. In doing so, for the first time caught sight of himself in the reflected image of the mirror-like surface of the pool. He immediately became infatuated with the image of the beautiful creature staring back at him. After spending many hours attempting to seduce the enchanting but elusive spirit from its resting place, Narcissus came to realize it was his own image with which he had become enamored.

And so, Narcissus became ensnared in his own trap as so many had before him and was now tortured by the realization he would never posses the object of his desire—himself. Narcissus was now tormented much like those who previously had the misfortune of falling in love with him. Unable to endure a future of such agony, he plunged a dagger into his heart thereby closing the quantum logic circuit established and left opened at the death of his admirer Ameinius.

Legend states a white flower sprung forth from where his blood soaked the earth, which to this day bears his name.

So how does this related to MMRFRO? More on that in my next letter.

Sending you much love!

eg
theghotilover@gmail.com
www.theghotiletters.com
@EroGhoti

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