Menestratus (Thespiae)
Thespian who died slaying a dragon to save his lover.
Menestratus is a figure from Greek mythology, a Thespian man who sacrificed himself to slay a dragon in order to save his lover, Cleostratus. His story is recorded in the second-century work Description of Greece by the Greek traveller and geographer Pausanias.
- Born
- Unknown
- Died
- Thespiae (self-sacrifice to a dragon)
- Field
- Mythology
- Nationality
- Thespian (Greek)
- Known for
- Slaying a dragon by being devoured while wearing a bronze breastplate with fish-hooks
Lore & Background
Menestratus lived in Thespiae, where he became lovers with a man named Cleostratus. A great dragon began ravaging the city, and the citizens sought help from Zeus, who commanded them to sacrifice a teenage boy each year to the monster. This practice continued for an undisclosed number of years.
Reader's Guide
When the lot fell to Cleostratus, Menestratus devised a trick to save him. He made a bronze breastplate with a fish-hook on each plate, points turned upward. Clad in this armor, he willingly offered himself to the dragon, convinced it would kill the beast. The dragon devoured him, and as Menestratus had predicted, it died, though at the cost of his own life. Afterward, the Thespians erected a bronze cult statue to honor Zeus the Saviour.
Did You Know?
- Menestratus' story is recounted in Description of Greece by the second-century writer Pausanias.
- He died by being devoured by a dragon while wearing a bronze breastplate with fish-hooks.
- His lover Cleostratus was the intended sacrificial victim before Menestratus intervened.
- The Thespians erected a bronze cult statue to Zeus the Saviour after the dragon's death.
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