[proh-kruhs-teez] 
| a robber who stretched or amputated the limbs of travelers to make them conform to the length of his bed. He was killed by Theseus. |
A mythical Greek giant who was a thief and a murderer. He would capture travelers and tie them to an iron bed. If they were longer than the bed, he would hack off their limbs until they fit it. If they were too short, he would stretch them to the right size.
Note: A “procrustean” method is one that relentlessly tries to shape a person, an argument, or an idea to a predetermined pattern.
Procrustes
in Greek legend, a robber dwelling somewhere in Attica-in some versions, in the neighbourhood of Eleusis. His father was said to be Poseidon. Procrustes had an iron bed (or, according to some accounts, two beds) on which he compelled his victims to lie. Here, if a victim was shorter than the bed, he stretched him by hammering or racking the body to fit. Alternatively, if the victim was longer than the bed, he cut off the legs to make the body fit the bed's length. In either event the victim died. Ultimately Procrustes was slain by his own method by the young Attic hero Theseus, who as a young man slayed robbers and monsters whom he encountered while traveling from Trozen to Athens
Learn more about Procrustes with a free trial on Britannica.com.
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