Theseus - Mythology. Greek Chief hero of Athens, the major city of Attica. Son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Aethra, daughter of King Pittheus of Troezen. Theseus was brought up under the protection of Pittheus and Aethra until he was 16. Then he set off to Athens to claim his birthright. On his way and afterward, he had countless adventures, of which the most famous was the slaying of the Minotaur. Upon the death of Aegeus, Theseus became king of Athens and was the hero of many battles. At the end, he retired to Skyros, an island in the Aegean, where he was murdered by Lycomedes. Scholars believe that the character of Theseus may have been based on a real person, a hero of ancient times, similar in many ways to the demigod Heracles. Mythologists may have adapted the character of Theseus to make him a suitable hero for their city of Athens. Some Adventures of Theseus - Mythology. Theseus, the great hero of ancient Athens, had countless adventures. Among them were some showing that he let the punishment fit the crime. Periphetes was crippled and used a huge bronze club to kill wayfarers. Theseus, on his way to Athens, killed Periphetes with the club, which he carried ever afterward as one of his weapons. Sinis, "The Pinebender," was so strong and monstrously cruel that he bent young pine trees down to the ground, then lashed his victim, a hapless traveler, to the trees so that the victim would be killed by having his limbs torn apart after Sinis let the trees loose. Theseus inflicted the same punishment on Sinis. Procrustes, also called Polypemon, was the father of Sinis. He was another scourge of travelers. He would invite them into his house, where he had an iron bed. If the victim did not fit the bed, Procrustes would either chop off the victim's overhanging parts or stretch his limbs to fit the bed. Theseus forced Procrustes to lie in his own bed, where Theseus slew the villain. The word procrustean has come to denote any cruel attempt to reduce people or ideas to fit one arbitrary standard. In Eleusis, a city northwest of Athens, Theseus defeated the king in a wrestling match. Theseus is said to have perfected the art of wrestling. Eleusis had no king from that day on and came under the leadership of Athens. Theseus and Aegeus - Mythology. Theseus, the great hero of Athens, was the son of King Aegeus, king of Athens. His mother was Princess Aethra, the daughter of King Pittheus of Troezen. Before he left Troezen, Aegeus lifted a heavy rock and hid his sword and sandals beneath it. He instructed Aethra to bring his son to this rock when he became a young man and to remove the sword and sandals. If Theseus succeeded in doing this, he was to bring the items to Athens to claim his birthright from his father, the king. Aethra took Theseus, when he was 16, to the rock, which the lad lifted easily, and sent him on his way to Athens. Theseus had many adventures on his journey and entered Athens as a hero. Warmly welcomed by his father, Theseus then went on to his greatest adventure, the slaying of the Minotaur, the dreaded bullmonster of King Minos of Crete. Every year, Minos demanded seven men and seven maids from Athens to be sacrificed to the Minotaur, thus bringing great sorrow to the people of that city. Theseus determined Theseus 139 to put an end to this tragedy. In spite of his father's protests, he went aboard the fateful ship that took the victims to Crete. Theseus promised Aegeus that if he succeeded in killing the monster, he would bring the ship back flying white sails in place of the black sails it left with. Theseus did indeed defeat the beast, but he forgot to hoist the white sails. Aegeus, watching anxiously from the top of a cliff, saw the black sails and cast himself into the sea in despair. That sea--the Aegean--today bears his name. Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur - Mythology. The slaying of the Minotaur was Theseus's greatest and most famous deed, in which he was helped by Ariadne, daughter of King Minos of Crete. Minos demanded a yearly tribute from Athens because of the murder of his son, Androgeus, by the Athenians. Each year, seven Athenian men and seven maidens were sent to Crete to feed the Minotaur. Theseus determined to end the yearly tragedy suffered by the Athenians. He boarded the ship that bore the victims to Crete. When she saw him, Ariadne fell in love with the hero. She gave him a ball of string that would help him find his way out of the labyrinth where the bull lived. Theseus unwound the string as he followed the tortuous mazes that led him to the Minotaur. He slew the bull after a ferocious battle and then made his way triumphantly back to the entrance of the labyrinthine palace. When he went back to Athens, Theseus took the lovely Ariadne with him, but he abandoned her on the island of Naxos and went on his way. Theseus and Medea - Mythology. When Theseus was a young man, he set forth to claim his birthright from Aegeus. Aegeus had married the sorceress Medea, who knew at once that Theseus was the king's son. She tried to poison the lad; just in time, Theseus revealed the sacred sword that his father had left behind in Troezen. Aegeus dashed the poisoned cup from the boy's hand and embraced his son. Medea fled from Athens with her son, Medus. Theseus and Pirithous - Mythology. Theseus was also famous for having a deep and enduring friendship with Pirithoüs, king of the Lapiths, a mythical people of Thessaly. The friendship originated when Pirithoüs mischievously stole some of Theseus's cattle. Theseus went in pursuit, but the two young men were so filled with admiration for each other that they forgot their quarrel and swore eternal brotherhood. The young heroes had many adventures together. In a fight that started at the wedding feast of Pirithoüs and Hippodameia, Theseus helped his friend to drive the Centaurs, wild creatures that were half human, half horse, out of Thessaly. Pirithoüs later helped Theseus carry off Helen. In return, Theseus descended to the Underworld (1) to help his friend in his attempt to abduct Persephone, reluctant bride of Hades. Hades caught the two friends and they had to remain in the underworld until the hero Heracles came to attempt their rescue. Theseus was freed, but Pirithoüs had to remain a captive for eternity. Theseus and the Amazons - Mythology. Theseus, great hero of Athens, accompanied the demigod Heracles on his ninth labor, which was to capture the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Heracles captured the girdle, whereupon Hippolyta made war on Athens. Theseus vanquished Hippolyta and made her his wife. She bore him a son, Hippolytus. After the death of Hippolyta, Theseus married Phaedra, with disastrous consequences. Phaedra fell in love with her young stepson, Hippolytus, and killed herself in despair, whereupon Theseus invoked the help of the sea god, Poseidon, in causing his son's death. The Death of Theseus - Mythology. Theseus led a life full of triumphant adventures. His most famous exploit was the killing of the dreaded Minotaur. But his end was a sad one. He lost both his wife, Phaedra, and his son, Hippolytus, and finally was driven out of Athens by Menesthius, of the ancient line of Erechtheus. Theseus set sail for Crete, now ruled by Phaedra's brother, Deucalion, who had promised him refuge. Theseus's ship was blown off course and he took shelter on the island of Skyros, where he had a small estate. King Lycomedes of Skyros seemed to welcome the sad and aging king, but he treacherously pushed Theseus off a cliff. Thus the great Theseus died. Later his bones were taken to Athens and enshrined there.
