Strength in Ancient Times
by David Gentle
Most of us are aware of the fabled strength of HERCULES the venerated GREEK
hero son of ZEUS. It is reported that his strength and prowess was
incomparable. Even as a new born infant he strangled two serpents that
attacked him in his cradle. But he was most renowned for certain so called
LABOURS imposed upon him by the KING OF TIRYNS ... EURYSTHEUS, being 12
tasks in all from killing the NEMEAN Lion to catching the fearsome hound
CERBERUS of the underworld without force of arms. Best known labour must be
his cleansing of the AUGEAN STABLES which contained 3000 oxen and had not
been cleaned for 30 years.
Hercules was allowed one day for the task .. achieved by his channeling the rivers ALPHEUS and PENEUS through them. He died on a funeral pyre of his own making and was carried off on a cloud to OLYMPUS to receive the gift of immortality.
SAMSON the son of MANOAH (c) 11OO BC has his full story told in the BOOK OF
JUDGES in the OLD TESTAMENT claiming he was gifted by GOD with enormous strength
used in the main to wage a one man war against his enemies the PHILISTINES. He
killed a lion with his bare hands, thirty Philistines single handed and later
the OLD TESTAMENT reports him slaying 1,OOO Philistines with the "jawbone of an
ass".
Seen right: Samson slaying a lion with his bare hands.
Perhaps even better known than SAMSON's prowess on the field was his fate of losing his strength when betrayed by the beautiful DELILAH into having his hair cut (See LOUIS CYR later) and later blinded by his captors. He died after regaining his hair and strength by pulling down the temples at a Philistine feast in honour of their god DAGON killing both himself and his tormentors.
Amongst the most celebrated of early powerful athletes is MILO of CROTON
winning for 6 times the "Palm" at the ancient OLYMPIC games. Milo credited with
being the originator of progressive strength training by lifting a growing bull
daily .. loved to give proofs of his enormous strength, running a mile with a
four year old ox upon his shoulders, later killing the unfortunate animal with a
single blow of his fist.
Seen right: Samson overpowers enemy
It is said no human power could open his hand. He used to bind a chord around his head and then break it by the swelling of his veins upon holding his breath. He also saved the lives of many of his compatriots when holding up a ceiling which threatened to collapse and kill them all.
His appetite matched his strength being huge .. He would drink fifteen pints of wine and eat twenty pounds of meat and as much bread at an "ordinary" meal.
Another athlete of prodigious power was POLYDAMUS of THESSALIA who could hold back a chariot with one hand ...
The Roman emperor JULIUS VERUS MAXIMINUS is worthy of mention in the realms of strength. Maximinus described as over eight feet in height ,could wear his wife's bracelet as a ring. He pulled up young trees by the roots, could kill a horse with a kick and squeezed into powder hard stones with his fingers.
Such was the power of but a few Ancient Legends of Strength.
Strength in Ancient Times © Copyright by David Gentle All Rights Reserved