Myrmidons, the followers of Achilles in the Trojan war. They were an old Thessalian race who colonised the island of Ægina. According to Greek legend, Zeus peopled Thessaly by transforming the ants into men; hence myrmidons (murmex = 'an ant').
Myrmidons
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 7: Maltebrun to Pearson, p. 367
Source scan(s): p. 0376