Thea'genes
2. A Thasian, the son of Timosthenes, renowned for his extraordinary strength and swiftness.
At the age of nine years he was said to have carried home a brazen statue of a god from the agora.
As he grew up he became distinguished in every species of athletic contest, and gained numerous victories at the Olympian, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian games. Altogether he was said to have won 1300 crowns. (
Paus. 6.11.2, &c.; Plut.
Reip. gerend. Praecept. p. 811.)
He gained one victory at Olympia in the 75th Olympiad, B. C. 480. (
Paus. 6.6.5.)
The popular story among the Thasians was, that Hercules was his father.
A curious story is told by Pausanias (
6.11.6, &c.) about a statue of Theagenes, which a man, who had a spite against him, scourged by way of revenge, till one night it fell upon, and killed him ; upon which the statue was thrown into the sea, but was very fortunately fished up again by some fishermen, for barrenness had come upon the country, and the Delphic oracle had declared that it would not be removed till they restored Theagenes. Pausanias mentions having seen many statues of Theagenes among both the Greeks and the Barbarians. (6.11.9.)
