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Erysichthon, a MythSource painting
Greek

Erysichthon

01Identity

Erysichthon in Greek tradition

Erysichthon, called Erisicthon in Riley's translation, was the son of Triopas and a man who refused to honour Ceres. He cut down a sacred oak despite the Dryads' warning. When one of his servants tried to stop him, Erysichthon killed him and continued chopping. Ceres sent Famine to punish him, and hunger consumed his wealth. His daughter Metra became the means by which he kept finding food: Neptune had granted her the ability to change shape, so she escaped each new owner and returned to her father. Erysichthon sold her repeatedly, and she took forms including a mare, a bird, a cow and a stag. When nothing remained to sell, he began to bite and eat his own limbs. In this account, the oak's injury, the punishment, and Metra's escapes form one sequence.

SourceThe Metamorphoses of Ovid, Erysichthon's hunger and Metra's escapes, printed pp. 294–298

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02The myths

The myths of Erysichthon

1 myth, with sources recorded for each.

Erysichthon's hunger and Metra's escapes

Erysichthon entered a grove sacred to Ceres and ordered his servants to fell an ancient oak. The Dryads had danced around it, and people had left ribbons and tablets on its trunk after their prayers were answered. The servants hesitated. Erysichthon took up an axe and struck the tree himself. Blood ran from the bark. One man tried to restrain him, but Erysichthon turned the axe on him and killed him. A nymph in the oak warned that punishment was near. Erysichthon continued until the tree fell and levelled part of the grove. Its sisters went to Ceres, who sent Famine against him.

Famine reached Erysichthon while he slept. He woke with an appetite that no meal could quiet. Food vanished as soon as it was set before him, and his wealth went with it. When nothing remained to sell but his daughter Metra, he sold her for provisions. Metra appealed to Neptune, who granted her the power to change form. She escaped her buyer in the shape of a fisherman. Her father sold her again, and she took other shapes to get free. Each time she returned and brought food, but the supplies only delayed the hunger. Erysichthon consumed what remained of his property and still wanted more. With nothing left to eat, he turned on his own body and tore at it with his teeth.

Erysichthon's hunger and Metra's escapes, a MythSource painting of the scene

9 sources· checked 2026-10-01

  1. 1The Metamorphoses of OvidT1
  2. 2The Metamorphoses of OvidT1
  3. 3The Metamorphoses of OvidT1
  4. 4The Metamorphoses of OvidT1
  5. 5The Metamorphoses of OvidT1
  6. 6The Metamorphoses of OvidT1
  7. 7The Metamorphoses of OvidT1
  8. 8The Metamorphoses of OvidT1
  9. 9The Metamorphoses of OvidT1

Also mentioned in

Stories elsewhere on MythSource that mention Erysichthon, each on that figure’s page.