Procrustes- Greek FigureMortal
Also known as: Προκρούστης, Damastes, Δαμαστής, Polypemon, and Πολυπήμων
Symbols
Description
His iron bed fits every traveler perfectly, once the stretching and the sawing are done. The last bandit on the road to Athens, he meets Theseus and learns what it means to lie on his own invention.
Mythology & Lore
The Iron Bed
Procrustes kept his stronghold beside the road between Eleusis and Athens, near the hills of Korydallos. He invited weary travelers to rest on his iron bed. The hospitality was a trap. Apollodorus records the method: those too short for the bed he hammered and stretched until they fit; those too tall he sawed to size. No traveler matched, because he kept two beds of different lengths. Plutarch notes that "Procrustes" was a nickname meaning "the stretcher." The man's real names were Damastes and Polypemon.
The Last Bandit
The road from Troezen to Athens ran past six bandits. Sinis bent pines to tear travelers apart. Sciron kicked them from a cliff into the sea. Procrustes waited at the end.
Theseus had killed the others one by one. When he reached Procrustes, the justice was obvious. He forced the bandit onto his own bed. Apollodorus records that Theseus cut him to fit. The road to Athens stood open.
Relationships
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