In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the hero Theseus, his dear friend Pirithoüs and others have just hunted the fearsome Calydonian boar, a great exploit, but one which has had a dark outcome of conflict, death and disaster. Some of the survivors are travelling home, when their way is barred by the river Acheloüs in flood. The river God himself invites them to wait in his cavern, lined with moss and with shell-work on its walls. The company are exchanging stories.
Lelex has just told the story of Philemon and Baucis, who honoured the Gods, the duties of hospitality and their mutual love, and who were finally and permanently transformed into a pair of intertwined trees. Now the river-god speaks, pointing out that some are able to transform themselves, not just once, but many times, and to return to their original forms. The example he chooses is the daughter of Erysichthon, a Thessalian lord. The story begins, not with a transformation, but with Erysichthon’s outrageous offence against Ceres, the God of corn and of food in general.
See the next episode of the story here.
See the illustrated blog post here.
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