Τρίτη 1 Ιουλίου 2025

Titormos the Aetolian

The most famous hero of Greek mythology is undoubtedly Hercules, a demigod, well-known for his feats, his great achievements and his physical strength. A strength that has never been surpassed in the mythological world. However,

there was once a man who was characterized as a new Hercules, due to his also great strength. This is Titormos the Aetolian.

The interesting thing about the story of Titormos is that it is not a demigod or hero of Greek mythology, but a real person, not known throughout the Greek world, but known in the region where he lived and its surroundings.

We know about Titormos from a Roman writer, Claudius Aelianus (175-235 AD), a lover of Greek tradition, almost all of whose works refer to Greece. His most famous work is perhaps the "Various History", which could be described as a periodical of the time. It is a variety of anecdotes, stories, biographies, myths, natural phenomena, sayings, strange local customs, and all this in 14 books. His sources are the most ancient writers, and his work is considered important because it preserves for us valuable information about life in ancient Greece.


One of the most famous boxers of all time was

Milo from Croton. He won six Olympics, seven times at the Pythia (in Delphi), ten times at the Isthmian and nine times at Nemea. And all this, within 24 years. No one has surpassed him to this day. He was so famous that a whole bunch of legends were woven around his name and he was glorified like no other athlete. He himself knew that he was the strongest man of all time and that no one could ever surpass him in strength. Until rumors reached his ears about an Aetolian shepherd whose muscular strength was unprecedented. At that time, Milo was probably in Olympia and decided to meet this man in person and confirm for himself whether what he was hearing was true or just rumors.


The shepherd, Titormos, was a large man, taller and more robust than any man of his time, and he lived near the river Evinus in Aetolia and used to graze his flocks on Mount Chalkis (Varasova). 

When the two men met, a peculiar duel began between them, not hand to hand, as happened in athletic competitions, but a competition to see which of the two was the strongest. After Milo's insistence, Titormos agreed to demonstrate his abilities. He went down to the bed of the Evinus and caught a huge rock with his hands. He moved it on the ground many times and at one point brought it up to his knees. Then he lifted it onto his shoulders and carried it about 15 meters away and threw it down. Surprised, Croton tries to do the same, but fails.

After that, they headed towards the herd of Titormos and Milo asked the Aetolian to show him something else that would impress the Crotonian athlete. Titormos found the wildest bull in the herd and grabbed it by the leg, immobilizing the furious animal. He did not stop there, but at the same time he grabbed the leg of a second bull, and so Titormos held two very wild bulls immobilized by his strength.

Milo the Crotonian, who saw with his own eyes these miraculous feats of Titormos the Aetolian, raised his hands and said: "Oh, Zeus! Have you not sent us another Hercules?" So impressed was Milo with what he saw that he recognized Titormos' superiority in muscular strength. He was indeed the strongest man in the world. The phrase exclaimed by the astonished Milo prevailed in the language later on and when the ancient Greeks wanted to express themselves about the exploits of an athlete, they exclaimed "This is another Hercules".

Comment: This is the only information we have about Titormos. His meeting with a historical figure - Milo - also proves his historical presence in the lands of Aetolia. But that is where the story ends, without any continuation. Titormos, probably the strongest man in the world, remained in the mountains, continuing his insignificant pastoral life, unlike Milo who was worshipped and glorified. In Calydona, an ancient city, very close to the places where Titormos lived, an important Heroon was found, with an impressive underground tomb, where the inscription was found: "Leon, young Hercules".

Was this a prominent resident of Calydona? A great athlete of the region? Did Titormos finally find the place in history that he deserved and was honored by his fellow citizens? With the data so far, we will never know.


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Titormos the Aetolian


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