To both the ancient Greeks and the Romans, pygmies were a tribe of tiny people who attacked Hercules while he lay sleeping. By "tiny," I mean thumb-sized. They were angry because Hercules had killed their earth-brother, a giant named Antaeus. As Hercules slept, they piled up brush around his head and set it on fire. That, of course, awakened Hercules.
When he finally saw the tiny people, and talked to them, he admired them for their courage. And so, he left them where he had encountered them, and took no vengeance on them.
English word: Our word pygmy refers to a tribe of dwarf people living in central Africa, and has come to be used for any dwarf or unusually small creatures.
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