Mestra
Daughter of Erysichthon who was given the power of shapeshifting by Poseidon, sold repeatedly by her starving father.
The Legend of Mestra
Her father sold her into slavery over and over — and she escaped every time by changing shape. Poseidon had given Mestra the ability to transform, so each time Erysichthon sold her to buy food, she shifted form and returned to him. He sold her as a woman and she came back as a horse, a bird, an ox. The cycle repeated endlessly, feeding his cursed hunger. Ovid tells this in the Metamorphoses as dark comedy. Mestra is one of the rare female shapeshifters in Greek myth — a power usually reserved for gods like Proteus and Thetis. Her story raises questions about bodily autonomy and exploitation that remain uncomfortably modern.
Parents
Erysichthon
Symbols
Fun Fact
Mestra is one of the very few mortal women in Greek myth granted the power of shapeshifting.
Explore Further
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Grandson of Poseidon and defender of Pylos who could shapeshift into any animal but was killed by Heracles with Athena's help.
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🗡 heroheroism
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