Sylvia KarasuNew York City, New York, USA Erysichthon was arrogant and contemptuous of the gods, so Ovid tells us in Book VIII of his Metamorphoses.1 Despite clear warnings, and acting with “pure malice,”2 he chopped down Ceres’ beloved oak. The enormous tree, closely identified with Ceres herself, groaned aloud as blood gushed from its “wounded…