Damon and Pythias << DAY muhn and PIHTH ee uhs >> were two noble youths in Greek legend. Their friendship and loyalty to each other made them famous. Pythias had been condemned to death by Dionysius, ruler of the city of Syracuse. Pythias was allowed to leave Syracuse to put his affairs in order after Damon agreed to die in his place if Pythias failed to return. Although Pythias was delayed, he arrived just in time to save Damon from death. Dionysius so admired this display of friendship that he pardoned Pythias and asked the two to become his friends. The name of Pythias was originally spelled Phintias. During the Middle Ages, scribes accidentally spelled it Pythias. That form of the name has been common since the 1500’s.
