In Greek mythology, Echo was an Oread who resided on Mount Cithaeron. Zeus loved consorting with beautiful nymphs and often visited them on Earth. Eventually, Zeus's wife, Hera, became suspicious, and came from Mount Olympus in an attempt to catch Zeus with the nymphs. Echo, by trying to protect Zeus, endured Hera's wrath, and Hera made her only able to speak the last words spoken to her. So when Echo met Narcissus and fell in love with him, she was unable to tell him how she felt and was forced to watch him as he fell in love with himself.
Echo (right) with Narcissus, from a fresco in Pompeii
Echo and Narcissus (John William Waterhouse, 1903, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool)
Daphnis recounting the tale of Echo to Chloe. (François Boucher, 1743, The Wallace Collection, London)
Echo and Narcissus, a depiction of Echo and Narcissus featuring Cupid and his arrows. (Nicolas Poussin, 1630, Louvre Museum, Paris)
In Greek mythology, an Oread or Orestiad is a mountain nymph. Oreads differ from each other according to their dwelling: the Idaeae were from Mount Ida, Peliades from Mount Pelion, etc. Myths associated the Oreads with Artemis, since the goddess, when she went out hunting, preferred mountains and rocky precipices.
Les Oréades (1902) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, in Musée d'Orsay
