Lytheros' Banquet

Lytheros' Banquet is a classical myth that takes place during the Golden Age. It is a part of humanity's descent into corruption and serves as a warning against the sin of indulgence.

Summary

Lytheros (Leuthero), the god of pleasure, always enjoyed traveling the world. During one of his travels, he realized what a shame it was that most mortals had never tasted the food or drink of the gods. So, he invited a number of humans to join him in Paradise for a banquet.
The humans who had never tasted divine food or drink were entranced by it, and they invariably over-indulged. Some ate greedily and squabbled over the food even though there was enough to go around; others drank too much and became intoxicated without savoring the wine; yet more did both. Offended that the guests weren't enjoying the banquet, Lytheros cursed them all: the gluttons to have their lives cut short by food instead of prolonged by it, and the drunkards to wake up miserable whenever they indulged in wine. He also cursed all the guests to spend their lives wandering in search of a pleasure as great as the feast they'd missed the opportunity to enjoy but never be satisfied.

Variations & Mutation

In a similar Helmenskan myth, the goddess Fandrarinn decides to share the pleasures of the gods with mortals, so she holds a series of feasts at various places in the mortal world. Like at Lytheros' banquet, the guests over-indulge every time. The original tale ends with Fandrarinn lamenting that humans do not know how to appreciate pleasure and leaving golden apples and mead in the mortal realm in the hope that people will someday learn to properly enjoy them. However, in a well-known later version, she issues the same three curses as Lytheros in her despair.

Cultural Reception

Along with the other corruption myths, Lytheros' Banquet is among the most well-known classical myths, regarded as a cautionary tale against sin.

Date of Setting

The Golden Age