bandit of Greek mythology
Termerus
Termerus was a bandit in Greek mythology who, according to tradition, preyed on travellers until Heracles killed him. His name gave rise to the saying "Termerian mischief".
The myth
According to the ancient accounts, Termerus attacked passers-by and killed them by charging at them head first. He met his end when Heracles smashed his skull, a punishment Plutarch recalls when describing Theseus' method of returning to his attackers the same violence they used.
Tradition places him in Caria, near Mount Termerion, between Myndus and Halicarnassus, and he is sometimes linked with Lycus, another Lelegian of "beastly nature" with whom he supposedly raided Caria and sailed as far as the island of Kos. A scholiast on Euripides says he founded the city of Termera, in Lycia, which took its name from him.
Legacy
His name gave rise to the expression "Termerian mischief", used for a robber's crime or for cruel, unexpected harm. According to the Suda dictionary, the saying came from a fortified dungeon near Mount Termerion.
Ancient sources: Plutarch's Life of Theseus, Stephanus of Byzantium, a scholiast on Euripides and the Suda dictionary.