Megistias (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Μεγιστίας, "the greatest one") or Themisteas () was a

soothsayer Soothsayer may refer to: * One practicing divination, including: ** Fortune-telling ** Haruspex ** Oracle ** Prophet ** Precognition Music * Soothsayers (band), a London-based Afrobeat and reggae group * '' The Soothsayer'', an album by Wayne Sh ...

from

Acarnania Acarnania () is a region of west-central Greece that lies along the Ionian Sea, west of Aetolia, with the Achelous River for a boundary, and north of the gulf of Calydon, which is the entrance to the Gulf of Corinth. Today it forms the western part ...

who voluntarily followed the Greeks to

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; ; Ancient: , Katharevousa: ; ; "hot gates") is a narrow pass and modern town in Lamia (city), Lamia, Phthiotis, Greece. It derives its name from its Mineral spring, hot sulphur springs."Thermopylae" in: S. Hornblower & A. Spaw ...

, along with his son. He traced his lineage to

Melampus In Greek mythology, Melampus (; , ''Melampous'') was a legendary soothsayer and healer, originally of Pylos, who ruled at Argos. He was the introducer of the worship of Dionysus, according to Herodotus, who asserted that his powers as a seer ...

. On the last day of the

Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae ( ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Empire, Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Polis, Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lasting over the course of three days, it wa ...

, after the decision had been made for the retreat of the other Greeks (except for the Spartans, Thespians, and Thebans), Megistias sent his only son away with them and chose to stay until the end. The Acarnanians erected a monument in his honor, on which they praised, with an epigram that was written by

Simonides of Ceos Simonides of Ceos (; ; c. 556 – 468 BC) was a Greek lyric poet, born in Ioulis on Ceos. The scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria included him in the canonical list of the nine lyric poets esteemed by them as worthy of critical study. ...

, a personal friend of Megistias, to honor his courage and self-sacrifice.

In popular culture

In the 1962 movie ''

The 300 Spartans ''The 300 Spartans'' is a 1962 CinemaScope epic historical drama film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. It was directed by Rudolph Maté and stars Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, David Farrar, Diane Baker, and Barry Coe. Produced with ...

'', Megistias appears as a Spartan priest and soothsayer and friend of King Leonidas who, in addition to giving predictions, also acts as a physician for the Spartans at Thermopylae. Megistias was portrayed by

Charles Fernley Fawcett Charles Fernley Fawcett (2 December 1915 – 3 February 2008) was an American adventurer, soldier, film actor, and a co-founder of the International Medical Corps. He was a recipient of the French Croix de Guerre and the American Eisenhowe ...

References

5th-century BC clergy 5th-century BC Greek people Ancient Greek seers Battle of Thermopylae Ancient Greeks killed in battle 480 BC deaths Ancient Acarnanians Year of birth unknown Greek people of the Greco-Persian Wars {{AncientGreece-bio-stub