The Typical Antagonist and the Replica of Alcyone and Ceyx

Erysichthon seems to be one of those typical greedy antagonists. But, since Greek mythology is a bit more dramatic than normal stories, Erysichthon is a lot more cruel compared to most of the evil characters that come out in tales. His first act of cruelty is cutting down a tree. This is what a "bad guy" would do in a typical fairytale, but this tree wasn't just a normal tree. It was a very old tree in a sacred grove beloved by the goddess, Ceres. Besides that, Erysichthon forces another guy to cut it down by using foul language. But, this is nothing. When Erysichthon is punished with hunger, and he can't satisfy himself even after eating everything he can, he decides to sell his own mother for money and doesn't really seem to care that much:

Narrator: "Now this part is true, though you may not believe it: His hunger led him to sell his poor, his darling mother."
Buyer: "She doesn't look so strong."
Erysichthon: "Just give--just whatever--just give it to me--"
Buyer: "All right then."
(Tosses him a coin.)

So yes, Erysichthon is a very cruel and selfish character.


On the other hand, Orpheus and Eurydice has only love to share with each other. They both love each other just like the story of Alcyone and Ceyx, but this time, it's the woman (Eurydice) who dies, instead of the man (Ceyx). Here, Orpheus, the man, seems to be the intense one. He literally goes to hell for the love of his life. Trying to bring her back to life, he bargains with Hades, the god of the underworld. The only thing Orpheus had to do in order to be with her was just to not look at Eurydice during the journey out of hell while going through the Styx River. But of course, the curiosity of humans compelled Orpheus to look back, and when he did, he was separated from his wife forever:

Eurydice: "She was already loosened like long hair, poured out like fallen rain, shared like a limitless supply."
(Orpheus slowly turns to look at her.)
Hermes: "He has turned around--"
Narrator Two: "She could not understand, and softly answered,"
Eurydice: "Who?"
(She looks at Hermes, who then looks at Orpheus. Then she looks at Orhpeus.)

So, I think these short Greek stories are very interesting. They are a bit odd sometimes, but they are fun to read.