Damon and Pythias

   The story behind the tribulation of Pythias at the hands of the tyrant

   Dionysius the Elder is legendary. Also legendary is the essence of friendship— the comradeship that enables two people to breathe as one— which has been most poignantly depicted by the lives of Damon and Pythias, Pythagoreans of Syracuse in Sicily.

   When Pythias was condemned to death for conspiring against the tyrant, he sought the privilege of returning home to arrange his affairs. To assure Dionysius that Phythias would return, Damon pledged his life as a hostage, an arrangement that the despot accepted. Phythias went home, but his return was delayed. As Damon was being led to the executioner's block, his friend arrived just in time to save him. Dionysius was so deeply impressed by this depth of friendship that he pardoned Pythias and entreated the two to allow him to join their brotherhood.

   Damon and Pythias has become a classical reference meaning two inseparable friends. According to the Greek version, the names of these noble figures are Damon and Phintias. Correctly put, therefore, is the phrase Phintias and Damon. In a play written by Richard Edwards in 1564, the title was switched to Damon and Pythias, a title that has held through the centuries.