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Myths Retold by Ovid

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Myths Retold by Ovid Fiction Excerpt 6: More Myths Retold by Ovid Born one year after the assassination of Julius Caesar, the poet Ovid lived during the early years of the Roman Empire. He wrote many poems about love, but in his later years, he wrote a poem called Metamorphoses, which retold myths about Greek and Roman gods. The stories in this excerpt are based on Ovid’s retellings. Echo and Narcissus Narcissus was known for his good looks. Even as a baby, he dazzled people with his beauty. But he grew up vain and self-centered. He showed no love or compassion for anyone, nor could he accept love from anyone. One day, a nymph named Echo saw Narcissus and fell in love with him. She began following him everywhere. She wanted to confess her feelings, but she could not. She could only repeat the last words that were said to her. Why? Because Juno, the queen of the gods, had punished her. Juno’s husband, Jupiter, enjoyed being with the nymphs of the forest. When Juno would look for him, Echo distracted her with conversation so Jupiter and the nymphs could escape. When Juno discovered what Echo was doing, she took away Echo’s ability to speak. “From now own,” Juno told her, “you will only be able to speak the last words you hear.” And so Echo could follow Narcissus and gaze at him lovingly, but she could not say a single word to him. Then Narcissus got lost in the forest. “Hello!” he called. “Is there anyone here?” “Here! Here!” Echo repeated, from the tree where she was hiding. “Where are you?” Narcissus asked. “Where are you?” Echo answered. Narcissus looked around. He saw no one. “Are you nearby?” “Nearby.” Narcissus followed the sound of the voice. “Who calls me?” “Who calls me,” Echo said. “I am called Narcissus.” 1 “Narcissus.” Echo rushed toward him, her arms open for a hug. Narcissus stepped back, holding up his arms in defense. “Don’t come any closer. I am going, and you cannot come with me.” “Come with me!” cried Echo. But Narcissus turned and ran away, leaving Echo alone and heartbroken. Days later, while hunting, Narcissus stopped to drink from a pool of water. As he bent down, he saw a beautiful face looking up at him—his reflection. He fell in love with the person he saw. He stared at the image on the water, filled with longing. He tried to kiss the person, but when he did, the water moved and the image vanished. The reflection returned when the water became still again. Narcissus could not leave it alone. He wanted what he could not have. For days, he sat by the pool, never moving, never leaving the sight of his reflection. He grew weak and thin. Echo approached him. She saw he was dangerously ill, but she could not speak to him unless he spoke to her. And he was not speaking to anyone. Narcissus wasted away. With his dying words, he called to his reflection, “My love, my love.” Echo replied, “My love.” Narcissus’s death devastated Echo. She, too, wasted way until there was nothing left but her voice. Even now, her voice can be heard in caves and on hillsides. A flower grew in the place where Narcissus died. It had white petals surrounding a yellow center. To this day, it is called a Narcissus, for the beautiful young man who died loving his own reflection. Pygmalion and Galatea The sculptor Pygmalion (/pig*mail*ee*uhn/) made a living sculpting exceptionally beautiful statues. He had no wife or children, and he enjoyed living alone. He enjoyed being able to work all day and dreaming at night of new sculptures. 2 When friends suggested he get married, he replied, “My art is my family.” One day, Pygmalion set to work on a slab of fine marble. He chipped away at the stone, imagining in his mind a woman more beautiful than any alive. He chiseled at the marble all day, never stopping to eat or rest, until he was done and the beautiful woman stood before him in stone. Pygmalion loved the stone woman as his friends loved their human wives. He spoke to her as though she were a real person. He asked her questions. He praised her beauty. He gave her presents, including a beautiful jeweled necklace. Of course, she never answered or said thank you. When he touched her, he felt only the cold of the marble. Even his friends noticed a change in Pygmalion. “What is happening with you?” they asked. But Pygmalion could not confess his new love. He only said, “I cannot sculpt anymore.” One night, Pygmalion fell asleep by his statue. As he slept, Venus—the goddess of love—watched him. Moved by the strength of Pygmalion’s love for his stone woman, she reached out and touched the statue. “Come, Galatea (/gal*uh*tay*uh/),” she said. “Let love give life.” Pygmalion woke. For a moment, he thought he saw his statue move. “Impossible,” he said, before closing his eyes again. Then he felt arms wrap around his shoulders. He looked and saw Galatea, a woman and no longer a statue. She smiled at him and then kissed him. With Venus’s blessing, Pygmalion and Galatea married. They had a child and made a happy life together. Years later, when Pygmalion died, it was said that Galatea’s spirit accompanied his to the afterlife and her body once again became a marble statue, which was placed at Pygmalion’s grave. 3.
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