Demeter had punished the king Erysichthon

One of the most fascinating myths about ancient Greece is the story of Demeter punishing Erysichthon, King of Thessaly. The tradition started when Erysichthon gave his soldiers the order to remove every tree from Demeter's sacred groves.

While felling the trees, the Erysichthon's soldiers watch the great sacred oak draped in votive wreaths. They refused to cut the trees down because they represented Demeter's answers to prayers. Erysichthon, however, climbs on to slash those trees and, in the process, kills a dryad nymph. The nymph and Demeter both curse the King. Even after eating, he would constantly feel hungry since Demeter had Limos plant a constant, insatiable hunger in him.

Erysichthon grew more ravenous as he consumed more food. Mestra, the obedient daughter of Erysichthon, was born. To buy food, the king sold all of his riches, but the hunger persisted. He sold his daughter, Mestra, into slavery for food when there was nothing else to sell. But Poseidon, her old lover, set her free and gave her the power to change forms. Mestra may so transform into any beast to free herself from her chains. Her power to change shapes allowed the king to routinely trade her for food. However, no quantity of food was sufficient for him, and Erysichthon eventually ate himself to death.