Erysichthon of Thessaly

In Greek mythology, Erysichthon (/ˌɛrɪˈsɪkθɒn/ Ἐρυσίχθων ὁ Θεσσαλός 'earth-tearer') (also anglicised as Erisichthon[1]), was a King of Thessaly. He was sometimes called Aethon.[2]

Erysichthon Sells His Daughter Mestra. Engraving by Johann Wilhelm Baur

Family

Erysichthon was the son of Triopas[3] possibly Hiscilla, daughter of Myrmidon and thus, brother to Iphimedeia[4] and Phorbas[5]. In some accounts, however, he was called instead the son of Myrmidon[6] possibly by Peisidice, daughter of Aeolus and Enarete, and thus, brother to Antiphus, Actor[7], Dioplethes[8], Eupolemeia[9] and Hiscilla[10].

Mythology

Erysichthon once ordered all trees in the sacred grove of Demeter to be cut down. One huge oak was covered with votive wreaths, a symbol of every prayer Demeter had granted, and so the men refused to cut it down. Erysichthon grabbed an axe and cut it down himself, killing a dryad nymph in the process. The nymph's dying words were a curse on Erysichthon.

Demeter responded to the nymph's curse and punished him by entreating Limos, the spirit of unrelenting and insatiable hunger, to place herself in his stomach. Food acted like fuel on a fire: The more he ate, the hungrier he got. Erysichthon sold all his possessions to buy food, but was still hungry. At last he sold his own daughter Mestra into slavery. Mestra was freed from slavery by her former lover Poseidon, who gave her the gift of shape-shifting into any creature at will to escape her bonds. Erysichthon used her shape-shifting ability to sell her numerous times to make money to feed himself, but no amount of food was enough. Eventually, Erysichthon ate himself in hunger. Nothing of him remained the following morning.[11][12]

gollark: Killing people is also very uncool.
gollark: What could possibly go wrong.
gollark: I mean, really, all political sides or groups or whatever have infighting, but this is... particularly visible?
gollark: leftist_infighting_irl
gollark: Authleft is quite uncool.

See also

Notes
  1. Bulfinch, Thomas. Mythology: The Age of Fable, The Age of Chivalry, Legends of Charlemagne. T. Y. Crowell Company. Madison, WI. 1913. p. 169
  2. Ioannis Ziogas, Ovid and Hesiod, p. 141
  3. Ovid, Metamorphoses 8.756
  4. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.7.4
  5. Homeric Hymns to Apollo, 3.211
  6. Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 10.9b
  7. Pseudo-Apollodorus. Bibliotheca, 1.7.3
  8. Scholia on Homer, Iliad, 16. 177
  9. Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica, 1. 54
  10. Hyginus, Poetical Astronomy, 2. 14
  11. Ovid. Metamorphoses VIII, 738-878
  12. Callimachus, Hymn to Demeter, 34 ff

References
  • Hunter, Richard, ed. (2008). The Hesiodic Catalogue of Women: Constructions and Reconstructions. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521069823.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.