#cercyon

-Matthew Wright, The Lost Plays of Greek Tragedy (Volume 1): Neglected Authors

Theseus, a skilled wrestler, lifted the bully Cercyon up by his knees and threw him headfirst to the ground, crushing his skull and killing the Arcadian instantly. Close to Athens, in Attic Corydallus, the hero encountered the most monstrous of the predators that had plagued the Isthmus: the evil robber Procrustes, who would offer a night’s lodging to weary travellers. Procrustes had two beds in his house - one large and one small. To short guests he would offer the large bed and then rack them until they were stretched to fit the size of the bed exactly. To tall guests, Procrustes would offer his small bed, then hack off their legs until they fitted it exactly, and so the villain killed his victims and stole their goods. Theseus defeated Procrustes in combat and made him his prisoner. He then racked his captive on Procrustes’ own small bed until his limbs were ripped away, so despatching him. The Isthmus was cleared of bandits and Theseus made his way to Athens.