My retelling of the Narcissus and Echo myth was recently published in Carmina Magazine. Here's the link to the story: http://carminamagazine.com/my-narcissus.html. I hope you enjoy my humorous take on this cautionary tale, set in a department store of the 1990's.
In the version found in Ovid's Metamorphosis, Hera curses the chatty nymph, Echo, to a life of repeating only the last of another's words for the part she played in distracting Hera from Zeus' many affairs with the nymphs of the forest. Along comes the beautiful youth Narcissus, with whom Echo falls in love. After being rejected by Narcissus, she withers, and all but her voice dies. Narissus continues his search for love and is met with disappointment, until he falls in love with his own reflection in a pond. He wastes away pining for himself until he drowns trying to satisfy his desire. In the end, all that is left in his place is a delicate flower at the pond's edge.
The depth of vanity and self-love in the original myth is facinating, and so relevant in today's world. The pervasiveness of the selfie, ubiquitous social media presence, and the curation of online personas are exactly what the myth speaks to. We are so infatuated with ourselves, and in many cases blind to the reality of what's is going on around us as a result. I felt compelled to revive the myth in a setting I am intimately familiar with from my days working as a fragrance model for the Unilever brands. I may even write another version starring a present day online influencer. So many stories, so little time.
On a side note, the other day I was at the bookstore doing some shopping and found a table dedicated to myth retellings. I am stoked to see the resurgence in popularity of the myths of my heritage in books (and in television and film too), though I couldn't help but notice a glaring absence of Greek names among the authors featured on the table. I am going to do my part to ameliorate the situation and encourage other Greek, Egyptian, and authors of other cultures whose myths have been claimed by the West, to do the same.
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