The Myth of Tithonus: Ageing and Dementia in Ancient Greek Thought

Victor Calil, Leonardo Cruz de Souza, Lucas Porcello Schilling, Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto, Rio de Janeiro, Memory Clinic, Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Hospital Geral da Santa Casa da Misericórdia, Rio de Janeiro, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Escola de Medicina, Serviço de Neurologia, Pontifícia Universidade Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Instituto Do Cérebro Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Pontifícia Universidade Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre, Programa de Pós-Graduação Em Gerontologia Biomédica, Pontifícia Universidade Do Rio Grande Do Sul, Porto Alegre RS

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology

Published online on June 06, 2026

Abstract

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, Ahead of Print.
In Greek mythology, Tithonus was the husband of Eos, the goddess of dawn. Granted immortality without the gift of eternal youth, Tithonus became an illustration of senescence without physical or cognitive wellbeing, characterised by not only physical but ...