Damon and Pythias - in Popular Culture

In Popular Culture

• The Knights of Pythias fraternal organization in 1864 took their name from Pythias to symbolize qualities such as loyalty and friendship.

• A chapter in Little Men, Louisa May Alcott's 1871 novel, is titled "Damon and Pythias".

• Leave It to Beaver, "Friendship" (7 May 1959: Season 2, Episode 32): Beaver and Larry get into an argument. Ward finds out that the two boys had a fight and abruptly end their friendship. Ward tells the story of Damon and Pythias. Beaver sees Larry and makes a friendship pact with him, like Damon and Pythias. Larry then asks to test it out. He wants to take Beaver's homework assignment because he did not do his. Beaver relents, giving Larry his homework. When Miss Landers collects the assignments, Beaver doesn't have his, and she makes him stay after school and lose recess privileges for a week. Larry shows no remorse, happy that Beaver is taking the fall for him; of course Larry actually does the right thing in the end.

• In 1961, Episode 13, Second Season of the TV comedy series My Three Sons, is entitled "Damon and Pythias".

• In 1966, Episode 20, Season 1 of the television series "Batman", Catwoman says "It's time to separate Damon and Pythias" just before enclosing Robin in a cylinder and vacuuming him up to God knows where.

• An episode of the HBO series the Wire, Know Your Place, interweaves several story lines that allude to the Damon & Pythias myth's topic of loyalty and honor between friends. In fact, the myth is explicitly stated in a classroom scene in which a teacher reads an excerpt of the myth to his class. In an interesting spin in the same episode, the main idea of the myth—loyalty among friends—is inverted when a Balitimore City cop, "Herc," violates his promise to protect the drug addict, street vendor, and police informant, "Bubbles," after Bubbles took a risk by providing the police with valuable information on a crime suspect. Bubbles pays the consequences for Herc's unreliability.

• Damon and Pythias were featured in the Adventures from the Book of Virtues episode "Friendship" with Damon voiced by George Newbern and Pythias voiced by Jim Cummings.

• Damon and Pythias were featured in their self-titled episode of Mythic Warriors with Damon voiced by David Klar and Pythias voiced by Lyon Smith.

• Part of the plot of the 2003 animated film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is based on Damon and Pythias.

• A short film entitled "Lines" was shot in Dallas, Texas in July 2007 by Twisted15 (Tw15t'D) (a collaboration of Twisted Reel Productions and Studio15) for entry into the 48 Hour Film Project. The main character, named Damon (though unspoken in the film, it is noted in the credits), mentions the "Pythias System". The entire film is loosely based on ideas from Pythagoras (of whom Damon and Pythias were followers). At the end of the film one can infer that Pythias has returned to Damon. The film won Best Cinematography.

• Australian grunge band Silverchair's song Israel's Son is supposedly based in part on this story.