Amelia Soth at JSTOR Daily:
According to legend, the ancient Greek poet Philoxenus wished for a throat as long as that of a crane so he could protract the time he spent swallowing. Another formulation of this desire, writes literary critic and historian of ancient Greek literature Pauline LeVen, comes from the third-century BCE poet Machon, who claimed Philoxenus wished “he had a four-foot long throat so as to be able to enjoy food and drink all at the same time.” This gluttony was deadly, writes classical philologist Ioannis M. Konstantakos: Philoxenus caused his own death by devouring a gigantic octopus. Before he had quite finished his meal, he began to perish. With the doctor called to his bedside, he expressed himself with Stoic resignation—all his affairs were in order, his life’s work complete, and his last wish was to polish off the final bite of octopus so that he could take it with him to the Underworld.
more here.
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