Iraklis and Theseus, as well as those that followed in the Iliad, to the dark years of Ottoman rule. Specifically, the tradition of the Akrites is a source of great pride and is celebrated in both song and dance.

During the decline of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Roman administration of Constantinople retreated from the fringes of what were ancestral Greek lands. Solitary outposts manned by Hellenic warriors were often left to protect vast expanses. Oftentimes, they were caught in the onslaught of vast barbarian hordes; small ships in a vast sea. Against all odds, they persevered to protect their people. Epic poems and songs of their deeds in Pontos, Kriti, Ipiros, Samos and other areas were written. These guardians came to be known as the Akrites. The most famous and well known of the the border guardians came to be known as Diogenes Akritis.