‘I’ve Seen Several Giants Die on My Land’

Greek mythology can be helpful when trying to make sense of the climate crisis. The imminent threat of total ecological collapse carries a certain mythological air, with its sweeping scale and embedded warnings against hubris. Hubris, after all, landed us here—that mortal weakness that brings individuals to ruin and topples empires, that fixes in us the delusion that power, once obtained, is permanent. That no man or god or gale-force wind can snatch it away.

There are several allusions to myth—Greek and otherwise—in , a new anthology co-edited by Amy Brady and Tajja Isen. One of the most striking is in the science journalist Meera Subramanian’s essay, “Leap.” In it, she retells the story of the giant Antaeus, who channeled the power of his parents—Poseidon, god of the sea,