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1. The end of Milo

The greatest wrestler of ancient Greece was Milo of Croton, who won the wrestling title in six successive Olympiads beginning in 540 BC. Even Milo’s legendary strength was not enough to save him in the end, alas. It is said that he lost his life in a contest with...

Milo was apparently vain of his might, to the extent that he wore a lion-skin cloak and carried a club, in the manner of Hercules. He was also much given to performing feats of strength. One day while in the forest he came upon a tree into which a woodcutter had driven wedges in an effort to split the wood. Keen to show his prowess yet again, Milo strained to separate the two halves of the tree with muscular strength alone. Sure enough, the trunk began to part slightly, and the woodsman’s wedges fell away. Then, however, the cleft in the tree snapped shut, trapping Milo by the hands in a wooden jaw from which there was no escape. By the time the accident was discovered, the hapless wrestler had been devoured by wild beasts.