Theseus

The legends of Attica fall into three groups:

-Foundation myths and legends of the early kings of Athens.

-The saga of Theseus.

-Legends involving Minos, king of Crete.

AEGEUS, son of Pandion and king of Athens, was father of Theseus by AETHRA, daughter of Pittheus, king of Troezen, where Theseus spent his childhood.

When Theseus grew up and became a brave young man, he moved the rock and recovered his father's arms. His mother then told him the truth about his father's identity and that he must take the weapons back to the king and claim his birthright. To get to Athens, Theseus could choose to go by sea (which was the safe way) or by land, following a dangerous path around the Saronic Gulf, where he would encounter a string of six entrances to the Underworld, each guarded by a chthonic enemy. Young, brave and ambitious, Theseus decided to go alone by the land route, and defeated a great many bandits along the way.

The Six Entrances of the Underworld

The Labors of Theseus. On his journey from Troezen to Athens, Theseus performed six labors.
1. He killed a son of Hephaestus, PERIPHETES (“club-man”), from the club that was his weapon.
2. He killed SINIS (“pine-bender”), by tying him to two bent trees, which he then released; this had been the way in which Sinis killed his victims.
3. He killed the monstrous Sow of Crommyon.
4. He killed SCIRON, who kicked travelers on the narrow path on the sea-cliffs into the sea, where a huge turtle devoured them. Theseus killed him in the same way.
5. He wrestled to the death with CERCYON at Eleusis.
6. He killed PROCRUSTES (“the stretcher”), who would kill travelers by making them lie on a bed. He would hammer out those who were too short, until they fitted the bed, and he would shorten with a saw those who were too long. Theseus killed him by his own methods.

Theseus and Aegeus. Theseus arrived at Athens and was almost poisoned by Aegeus on the advice of Medea. Aegeus recognized his son in time by the sword that Theseus bore, which Aegeus had left in Troezen, and made him his successor. Pallas (brother of Aegeus) and his sons disputed Theseus’ claim to the throne and many of them were killed by Theseus.

The Bull of Marathon. Theseus caught the bull of Marathon and sacrificed it at Athens to Apollo. On his way to Marathon he was entertained by HECALE, and after her death, on his orders, she was honored at the annual festival of Zeus.

Theseus Kills the Minotaur. Theseus’ most important myth is the killing of the MINOTAUR, the monstrous son of MINOS and PASIPHAË, which was shut up in the Labyrinth in the palace of Minos at KNOSSOS. While visiting Athens, Androgeos, son of Minos, was killed by the Athenians, and Minos attacked Athens (and her ally Megara), in a war of revenge. As a result, the Athenians agreed to send fourteen girls and boys every seven years to be devoured by the Minotaur, and Theseus volunteered to go. On the voyage to Crete, Minos challenged Theseus to prove that he was the son of Poseidon by recovering a ring that he threw into the sea. Theseus jumped into the sea and came to the palace of Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon, who gave him a robe and a wreath (and, presumably, the ring).

Theseus and Ariadne. At Knossos, Theseus, was helped by ARIADNE. Some say Ariadne gave Theseus the wreath to illuminate the Labyrinth, but others say she gave him a thread by which to find his way out of the Labyrinth. Thus Theseus slew the Minotaur and emerged from the Labyrinth. He sailed from Crete with Ariadne, whom he deserted on the island of NAXOS. She was rescued by Dionysus, who took her wreath and set it in the heavens as the constellation Corona, making Ariadne his wife.

Theseus, King of Athens. Theseus sailed from Naxos to Delos, where he danced the Crane dance (a traditional dance at Delos with labyrinthine movements). From Delos he sailed to Athens, forgetting to change his sails from black to white, the signal to Aegeus that he had been successful. When Aegeus saw the black sails he threw himself into the sea, which was thenceforth called the Aegean Sea, and Theseus became king of Athens.

Theseus and the Amazons. Theseus joined Heracles in his ninth labor and fought the Amazons, bringing back with him the Amazon queen HIPPOLYTA (or, others say, ANTIOPE, with whom he fathered Hippolytus. He defended Athens from an attack by the Amazons during which Hippolyta (or Antiope) died.

Other Adventures. Theseus took part in the Argonauts’ expedition and the Calydonian boar hunt.

Theseus and Phaedra. At some time after his encounter with the Amazons and the birth of Hippolytus, Theseus married PHAEDRA, daughter of Minos and sister of Ariadne.

Theseus’ Friendship with Pirithoüs. PIRITHOÜS, son of Ixion and king of the Thessalian Lapiths, was Theseus’ friend. Theseus attended the marriage feast of Pirithoüs and Hippodamia and fought against the drunken centaurs. They later decided each to take a wife worthy of their divine ancestry. Together they seized Helen for Theseus.

Theseus and Helen. While Theseus was away in the Underworld, he left Helen with his mother, Aethra, in the Attic village of Aphidnae. The Dioscuri, Helen’s brothers, rescued her and took Aethra back to Sparta as Helen’s slave. She went with Helen to Troy.

Theseus and Pirithoüs in the Underworld. After seizing Helen, the two friends then descended to the Underworld to seize Persephone for Pirithoüs. There Hades imprisoned them on magic chairs; Heracles set Theseus free during his twelfth labor, but Pirithoüs was left in the house of Hades for ever.

Theseus the Protector. Theseus protected Oedipus in his old age and was present at his “translation” at Colonus. He championed the mothers and widows of the Seven against Thebes, and he offered a refuge at Athens to Heracles after he had murdered his wife and children.

Theseus’ Death and Successors. Theseus was driven out of Athens by the usurper Menestheus and went to the island of Scyros, where King Lycomedes probably killed him. Demophon, son of Theseus, succeeded Menestheus as king and rescued his grandmother, Aethra, at the fall of Troy. He gave refuge to Alcmena, mother of Heracles, and helped the Heraclidae.

Minos was the son of Europa and Zeus, and much of his legend has been told above.

Minos and Scylla. In his war against Athens and Megara, because of the murder of his son Androgeos, Minos attacked Megara. SCYLLA, daughter of Nisus, king of Megara, betrayed her father out of love for Minos, by cutting off a magic purple lock from the head of Nisus. Rejected by Minos, she clung to his ship as he sailed away and was turned into a sea bird, the ciris.

Daedalus, Pasiphaë, and the Minotaur. The Athenian craftsman and inventor DAEDALUS fled from Athens to Crete after he had hurled PERDIX, the inventor of the saw, off the Acropolis. Perdix was turned into a partridge.

Minos had kept for himself a bull, sent from the sea by Poseidon, instead of sacrificing it to the god as he had vowed. Poseidon caused PASIPHAË to fall in love with the bull, and Daedalus built a hollow wooden cow, into which Pasiphaë climbed to mate with the bull. From this union came the MINOTAUR, which was shut up in the Labyrinth, built by Daedalus.

Daedalus and Icarus. Daedalus escaped from Crete by flying with the aid of wings that he invented for himself and his son, ICARUS. Icarus, flying too near the sun, fell into the sea, but Daedalus came to Sicily, where he was protected by King Cocalus. The story of Daedalus and Icarus is similar in its motifs to that of Apollo and Phaëthon.

The Death of Minos. Minos followed Daedalus to Sicily and there was killed by the daughters of Cocalus. As son of Zeus he became a judge in the Underworld.