Editing Procrustes (section)

==Mythology==
Procrustes had a stronghold on Mount [[Corydallus|Korydallos]] at [[Erineus, Attica|Erineus]], on the [[Sacred Way|sacred way]] between Athens and [[Eleusis]].<ref>Tripp, Edward. ''The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology.'' Meridian, 1970, p. 498.</ref> There he had a bed, in which he invited every passer-by to spend the night, and where he set to work on them with his smith's hammer, to stretch them to fit. In later tellings, if the guest proved too tall, Procrustes would amputate the excess length; if the guest was too short Procrustes would stretch them until they died; nobody ever fit the bed exactly.<ref>This detail, which injects a note of [[verisimilitude]], is reported by both pseudo-Apollodorus (''Epitome''1.4) and Hyginus. "Later it was stated, by those who did not think of the meaning of Prokrustes,<!--Prokrustes in original--> Prokoptas and Damastes, that he even had two beds, a large one and a small one." ([[Karl Kerenyi]], ''The Heroes of the Greeks'', 1959:223, noting pseudo-Apollodorus[[Diodorus Siculus]], 4.59.5.)</ref> Procrustes continued his reign of terror until he was captured by [[Theseus]], travelling to Athens along the sacred way, who "fitted" Procrustes to his own bed:

<blockquote>He killed Damastes, surnamed Procrustes, by compelling him to make his own body fit his bed, as he had been wont to do with those of strangers. And he did this in imitation of [[Heracles]]. For that hero punished those who offered him violence in the manner in which they had plotted to serve him.<ref>[[Plutarch]], ''Vita Thesei'' §11a. ([http://www.theoi.com/Text/PlutarchTheseus.html Theoi.com  on-line English translation]).</ref></blockquote>

Killing Procrustes was Theseus's last adventure on his journey from [[Troezen]] to [[Athens]].