Greek myth tells the tragic story of our depleted forests

Mike Owuor

Greek mythology has the story of King Erysichthon (a name which means ‘earth-tearer’), an arrogant man who did the unthinkable by cutting down trees in a sacred grove that belonged to a goddess. For his impudence, Aethon, the god of famine, was placed in the king’s stomach, giving him insatiable hunger. Despite selling all his possessions, including his daughter, to buy food, the hunger continued.