Miscellaneous Myths: The Wrath Of Demeter

Everyone knows about environmental responsibility and saving the earth, but maybe some people should be more worried about saving themselves FROM the earth. Today let's talk about King Erisichthon and his *absolutely horrifying* divine punishment!

Every story about upsetting Demeter eventually works its way to the conclusion "never piss off the person in charge of your food" and really I think that's the most timeless moral there is

PARTIAL TRACKLIST: Starfall, Voice of Rushing Waters, Fire and Ice, He Who Brings The Night

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[thestranger]

Props to Demeter for only torturing the one guy actually responsible.

[nicholasdanner]

Erysichthon is that guy in a horror movie who’s death is the most cathartic because up until now their stupid decisions have resulted in everyone else dying but them

[nahuelgioia]

The goddess of fertility can ask the goddess of starvation to curse a fool and the later will be like 'Say less'. You gotta love such a healthy relationship between people who are destined by their own nature to be rivals.

[star.master_cranium]

Demeter:Beyond proud of her actions.
Hades:Slightly surprised and terrified.
Persephone:Embarrassed.

[Coratlan]

No but the "hunger so intense that you end up destroying yourself" makes perfect sense in an environmental destruction sense. Overfarming= deplete nutrients from the soil. Over lumbering= loose soil that slips away in land slides. etc.

[thepigeonmanlyon]

Demeter: constantly portrayed as less important than the other olympians
Also Demeter: "I will work with my literal godly antithesis just to inflict the most horrifying fate possible on you."

[justinalicea]

I would argue that it makes perfect sense that Demeter could get along with her antithesis even when they physically can't get near each other. Demeter is the goddess who determines whether or not you have food to eat, meaning anything like crop failure and dying livestock is a sign that Demeter has cast Limos upon you. Because if Demeter is on your side of the court, Limos wouldn't be able to show up.

[Derpinator]

Demeter's grove gets cut down: The king responsible starves until he eats himself out of desperation
Demeter's daughter gets taken: All of humanity starves until she is returned out of desperation
So basically, if you piss off the goddess of nature you're lucky if you have a quick death.

[WestleyTaninger]

Honestly, I'm just glad the king jumped straight to eating himself, and didn't eat anyone else first. I was so sure he'd only get to autocannibalism AFTER the regular kind.

[TroubleReading]

This was my favorite Greek myth growing up! and you missed my favorite part. So he kept selling his daughter and eventually a prince bought her and fell in love with her. When she escaped he followed because he too could shape shift. An awesome shapeshifting chase ensued and eventually they were married. This chase took so long that in the meantime her father ran through the money from selling her, ate all the food, and then ate himself when he had nothing else.

[tristandenny]

Actually, eternal hunger had a relation to the crime against nature committed. Erysichthon's punishment was chosen for him specifically because he chopped down the grove to acquire enough wood to build a dining hall and/or a table of all things (Must have been one heck of a big table).

Demeter was just like "If you're going to kill my dryad friends to build your fancy dining hall, you might as well use it."

[TehTechnoMiser]

I wanna take a moment to appreciate the still shot of Limos hovering over Erysichthon while he's asleep. Red reminds me that her bread and butter is pleasing, semi-simplistic figure drawings, but when she wants to add emphasis she's absolutely incredible in making it work for dramatic affect.

[Peteman]

Signs: "Sacred tree, do not kill"
Erysichthon: "I choose to not understand these signs".

[Chirpysemperboy]

Hades: So...this guy came here and he says he is starving but looks fit as a horse...
Demeter: And you thought to come to me?
Hades: Well I asked the Goddess of Starvstion, who pointed me to a nymph, who pointed me to you...so dish...
Demeter: ...in my defense he killed my magical forest...
Hades: You mean the place full of Dryads with that big tree that may as well have "Do Not Touch" in a giant ass sign over it?
Demeter: Yes...
Hades: ...So...you want me to give him the Tantalus special?
Demeter: ...Have I ever told you you are the best son-in-law ever?
Hades: No.
Demeter: Well then don't get to emotional about it because this is a one time thing.

[gus.smedstad]

I feel like the stuff with Mestra deserved more time. Between "I've had sex with Poseidon, " the shape shifting, and getting sold off a bunch of times, seems like there's a fair amount to tell.

[JohnnyOrc]

This has to be up there with "attempted kidnapping of Hades' wife" for Greek Darwin Awards. Demeter nearly killed the entire planet for her daughter, and Zeus didn't have the balls to face her until after she was reunited! Greece is just lucky Demeter didn't just decide to switch places with Limos for a few decades.

[ArkaSaurusRex]

Demeter and Preshpone really had the whole "Beware the fury of a gentle woman thing".

[reillycurran]

This feels like a distinctly more Eldritch and Gruesome version of what happened to Tantalus. The mechanics are wildly different but the core of divinity cursing an arrogant king with effective eternal unsatiable hunger is still there in both myths.

[RynRobitske]

Okay, I love the implication that Hades goes with Persephone to visit Demeter (and not just play bachelor for 3 months). That's adorable!

[elainerobles]

Erysichthon is the kind of guy to look at himself in the mirror and say: "Is anyone gonna eat that?" and not wait for an answer.