Megistias

Megistias or Themisteas was a soothsayer from Acarnania who voluntarily followed the Greeks to Thermopylae, along with his son. He traced his lineage to Melampus. On the last day of the Battle of Thermopylae, after the decision had been made for the retreat of the other Greeks, Megistias sent his only son away with them and chose to stay until the end. The Acarnanians erected a monument in his honor, on which they praised, with an epigram that was written by Simonides of Ceos, a personal friend of Megistias, to honor his courage and self-sacrifice.