SOSTRATUS OF DYME (greek mythological hero)
Figure of myth · Greek mythological hero
- In the sources
- 14 ancient passages
Sostratus of Dyme was a native youth from the area of Dyme, known as a flute-player and the brother of Aristodemus.1,2,3 He was reportedly a student of the sculptor Pythagoras of Rhegium.4
Sostratus achieved remarkable success in competition, securing three victories at the Olympic games and twelve combined victories at the Nemean and Isthmian games.5 He also won two victories at the Pythian games, with his first triumph occurring during the hundred and fourth Festival, an event the Eleans did not count in their records.5 People say that Heracles loved him, and the hero built Sostratus’s tomb, offering some of his own hair as a first offering.1
In the underworld, Minos identified Sostratus as a pirate convicted of endless acts of villainy and murder.6,7 Minos proposed that Sostratus be thrown into the river Pyriphlegethon, but Sostratus argued that his actions were decreed by Fate rather than chosen freely.6 Sostratus asked Minos to consider the justice of his sentence, claiming it was impossible for humans to refuse the decrees of Fate.6,7 Minos released Sostratus from punishment after hearing these philosophical arguments, though he warned Sostratus not to encourage others to ask similar questions.7
His grave remained near the city of Dyme on the right side of the road, where local people sacrificed to him as a hero.1
The codex facts behind this entry
Sostratus is identified as a pirate in the underworld by the speaker Minos. Lucian, Dialogues of the Dead 30 ¶1 +1
