Titormus ( ''Títormos'') was a legendary shepherd of

Aetolia Aetolia () is a mountainous region of Greece on the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth, forming the eastern part of the modern regional unit of Aetolia-Acarnania. Geography The Achelous River separates Aetolia from Acarnania to the west; on ...

, famous in Antiquity for his victory over

Milo of Croton Milo or Milon of Croton () was a famous Ancient Greece, ancient Greek athlete from Crotone, Croton, which is today in the Magna Graecia region of southern Italy. Milo was a six-time winner at the Ancient Olympic Games, Olympics, once for boys' w ...

, who in turn, was the most successful wrestler of the Ancient

Olympics The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competit ...

. The duel between Milo and Titormus, however, was not an ordinary wrestlers' competition: according to

Claudius Aelianus Claudius Aelianus (; ), commonly Aelian (), born at Praeneste, was a Roman author and teacher of rhetoric who flourished under Septimius Severus and probably outlived Elagabalus, who died in 222. He spoke Greek so fluently that he was called "h ...

, rivals compared their strength in a wild Aetolian scenery, while lifting or throwing rocks, or catching bulls. Defeated, Milo praised his victor as "the second

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

". Titormus, considered the strongest man ever living, was believed to inhabit the most remote parts of peripheral Aetolia. From 5th century BC onwards, his legend served to strengthen Aetolia's ethnic identity.Jacek Rzepka. 'Titormus of Aetolia and his Loneliness', in: B. Kratzmüller, M. Marschik, R. Müllner, H. D. Szemethy, E. Trinkl (eds.), ''Sport and the Construction of Identities / Sport und Identitätskonstruktion: Proceedings of the XIth International CESH-Congress'', Vienna, September 17th-20th 2006 (Wien, Turia+Kant, 2007) pp. 222-229.

References

6th-century BC Greek people Ancient Aetolians Ancient Greek wrestlers {{AncientGreece-bio-stub

See also

References