Damon and Pythias - The legend, Works based on the legend

Two Pythagoreans of Syracuse, remembered as the models of faithful friendship. Condemned to death by the elder Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse (405–367 BC), Pythias begged to be allowed to go home to arrange his affairs, and Damon pledged his own life for his friend's. Pythias returned just in time to save Damon from death. Struck by so noble an example, the tyrant pardoned Pythias, and desired to be admitted into their sacred fellowship.

In Greek mythology, the legend of Damon and Pythias (or Phintias) symbolizes trust and loyalty in a true friendship.

The legend

Around the 4th century BC, Pythias and his friend Damon, both followers of the philosopher Pythagoras, travelled to Syracuse.

Accepting his sentence, Pythias asked to be allowed to return home one last time, to settle his affairs and bid his family farewell.

Risking his own freedom for his best friend, Damon proposed that Dionysius hold him hostage until Pythias returned. Dionysius agreed, on the condition that, should Pythias not return when promised, Damon would be put to death in his place.

Dionysius was convinced that Pythias would never return, and as the day Pythias promised to return came and went, Dionysius prepared to execute Damon. But just as the executioner was about to kill Damon, Pythias returned.

Apologizing to his friend for his delay, Pythias told of how pirates had captured his ship on the passage back to Syracuse and thrown him overboard.

Dionysius was so taken with the friends' trust and loyalty, that he freed both Damon and Pythias, and kept them on as counsel to his court. Details that differ are:

which one of the two friends is initially sentenced to death reason for the death sentence reason for requesting the reprieve duration of the reprieve cause of the delay in returning whether the two accept Dionysius as their friend

Works based on the legend

The best-known modern treatment of the legend is the German ballad Die Bürgschaft, written in 1799 by Friedrich Schiller. (In this work, Damon is sentenced to death, not Pythias.)

In 1564, the material was made into a tragic-comic play by the English poet Richard Edwards (Damon and Pythias).

In 1821, the Irish poet John Banim wrote a play based on the legend (Damon and Pythias).

The 1962 MGM film version of the same name, Damon and Pythias, remained true to the ancient story, and starred Guy Williams as Damon, and Don Burnett as Pythias.

The 2003 animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas shares a plot similar to this legend, replacing Pythias with Sinbad, and Damon with Proteus.