TheSiege Many centuries ago, a man ran from the Thermopolae pass in Greece, to inform the authorities of Sparta that 300 men, under one of their co-kings, were about to join battle with the whole Persian army. He spoke only truth and had been ordered to do what he did by has commander. Such was his achievement in doing this, that The Marathon was added to The Olympic Games to laud his achievement. Of course, he was called a coward at the time and was widely derided by the Spartans who had not put their lives on the line. I am TheSiege, I may sometimes bring bad news to people who wish to push their heads into the sand, I may sometimes suggest upgrades to our playing staff, that people disagree with, but, don't blame the messenger! I speak the truth as I see it! When people abuse me for this, I verbally hammer them! Simples!
Er ok um slightly pedant mode on. You may be getting your Battle of Marathon and Battle of Thermopylae slightly mixed up. The guy who was sent as a messenger, Pheidippides, was meant to have been asking for Spartan help, as it was the Athenians that fought the Persians at Marathon. It was an historically inaccurate myth that he ran to Athens which inspired the Marathon, if he did run it would have been to Sparta. The absence of mention of this runner from the accounts of Herodotus, who wrote the history of the battle on eyewitness accounts 30-40 years after the event has led some to question whether it occurred at all.
The man who received scorn from Spartans after Thermopylae was called Aristodemus. He was sent home before the battle by King Leonidas as he had an eye infection alongside another soldier called Eurytus. Eurytus, though blind, went back to the battle and died. Thus, Aristodemus was regarded as a coward and derided. He was killed fighting at the Battle of Platea the next year, where the stain of cowardice was removed but he was still not regarded as a hero as he died in an act of suicidal recklessness. Ok pedant off. :
