Mythology
Erysichthon and the hunger that devours itself
Erysichthon, king of Thessaly and descendant of Poseidon, commits an unforgivable act of hubris: he cuts down a grove sacred to Demeter, killing a nymph. The goddess does not punish him with death, but with something worse: she sends Limos, Famine, to dwell inside his body. From that moment, Erysichthon is seized by an insatiable hunger. He eats everything he owns, squanders his wealth, and even sells his daughter Mestra. But nothing appeases his torment. Reduced to poverty, the king begins to devour himself, in one of the earliest and most chilling representations of self-destruction. His name becomes Aithon, "the Burning One", because his hunger is like an unquenchable fire. A story of pride, sacrilege, and divine vengeance that shows how unbridled desire ends up devouring the man himself.
