Theseus

Theseus was a famous hero in ancient Greek stories. He is best known for defeating the Minotaur, a creature that was half man and half bull. The tales about Theseus have been loved and retold for many years.

Sometimes, Theseus is said to be the son of Aegeus, the king of Athens, and other times, he is said to be the son of the sea god Poseidon. He was raised by his mother, Aethra, and later traveled to Athens after learning about his true parentage. Along the way, he had many exciting adventures.

When Theseus arrived in Athens, he faced danger because Aegeus was married to Medea, a powerful woman who did not like him. Despite the challenges, Theseus became an important leader. He helped bring different areas together under one rule and built a grand palace on the Acropolis, a strong and important place in Athens.

The stories of Theseus, including his brave deeds and friendships, have inspired many people over the centuries. While we do not know for certain if he was a real person, many believe he might have lived a long time ago.

Birth and early years

Aegeus, a king of Athens, did not have any children. He wanted an heir and asked the Oracle of Delphi for advice. The Oracle gave him a puzzling message, which Aegeus did not understand. His friend Pittheus, the king of Troezen, helped him by getting him drunk and then introducing him to Pittheus's daughter, Aethra.

Later, Aethra had a dream told her by the goddess Athena. She left Aegeus and went to an island nearby called Sphairia. There, she met the god Poseidon and became his companion during the night. This gave Theseus both divine and mortal qualities, which was common for many Greek heroes. After becoming pregnant, Aegeus prepared to leave for Athens. He hid his sandals and sword under a large rock and told Aethra that when their son was grown, if he were brave enough, he could move the rock and take these items to prove his royal family ties.

Theseus grew up in his mother’s home. When he became a young man, he moved the rock, found his father’s tokens, and learned the truth about his parentage. His mother told him to take the sword and sandals to King Aegeus in Athens to claim his rightful place. Theseus had to choose between a safe sea route or a dangerous land path around the Saronic Gulf. Choosing the challenge, he took the land route and defeated several bandits on his journey.

The Six Labours

Theseus had to complete six difficult tasks near the entrances to the underworld. Each task involved defeating a dangerous person who hurt travelers.

• At Epidaurus, Theseus fought a bandit named Periphetes who used a big club to attack people. Theseus took the club away from him.
• At the Isthmian entrance, Theseus faced a robber named Sinis who tied people between two bent pine trees and let the trees snap back, hurting them badly. Theseus used Sinis’s own trick to stop him.
• Near Crommyon, Theseus killed a huge pig called the Crommyonian Sow.
• Near Megara, Theseus defeated a robber named Sciron who pushed people off a cliff where a large turtle would eat them. Theseus pushed Sciron off the cliff instead.
• At Eleusis, Theseus wrestled and defeated King Cercyon, who challenged travelers to wrestling matches and hurt them when he won.
• Finally, Theseus faced Procrustes, who had special beds and would either stretch or cut people to fit them. Theseus used Procrustes’s own method to defeat him.

Medea, the Marathonian Bull, Androgeus, and the Pallantides

When Theseus arrived in Athens, he did not tell people who he really was at first. Aegeus, the king, welcomed him but was unsure about this strong young man. Medea, Aegeus’s wife, knew Theseus was Aegeus’s son and worried he might become the next king instead of her own son, Medus. She tried to get Theseus into danger by asking him to capture the powerful Marathonian Bull.

On his way to Marathon, Theseus stopped at the home of an old woman named Hecale during a storm. She promised to honor Zeus if Theseus succeeded. Theseus did capture the bull, but when he returned, Hecale had passed away. To remember her, Theseus named a village after her, making its people feel like they were her adopted children.

When Theseus came back to Athens, Medea tried to harm him with poisoned wine. Just in time, Aegeus recognized his own sandals and sword on Theseus and stopped him from drinking. Father and son were reunited, and Medea left for Asia.

Theseus was already famous because of his journey through a dangerous road where he defeated several frightening bandits. The Pallantides, who wanted to be Aegeus’s heirs, tried to trap Theseus. They planned an attack, but Theseus learned about it and surprised them instead, defeating those who had hidden to ambush him.

Theseus and the Minotaur

"Theseus and the Minotaur" redirects here. For other uses, see Theseus and the Minotaur (disambiguation).

Pasiphaë, wife of King Minos of Crete, had several children. Her eldest son, Androgeus, traveled to Athens to compete in the Panathenaic Games. He did very well, but some people in Athens were upset and hurt him, which made King Minos very angry.

Because of this, King Minos demanded that every few years, seven brave young men and seven beautiful young women from Athens travel to Crete. There, they would meet a terrible creature called the Minotaur, which was half-man and half-bull and lived in a very confusing maze called the Labyrinth, made by Daedalus.

When it was time for the third group to go, Theseus, a hero from Athens, offered to go in place of one of the young men. He promised his father, King Aegeus, that if he succeeded, he would return with a white sail instead of the black sail they had left with.

When Theseus arrived in Crete, Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, helped him. She gave him a ball of thread so he could find his way out of the Labyrinth. Theseus followed the thread, found the Minotaur, and, after a big struggle, defeated the creature. He then used the thread to find his way out and escaped with the other young people, Ariadne, and her sister Phaedra.

On their way back, Theseus and the group stopped to rest on the island of Naxos, where he left Ariadne. Later, he visited the island of Delos and danced with the young people there. Unfortunately, Theseus forgot to change the ship's sails to white, so his father thought he had not returned safely. In sadness, his father jumped from a cliff at Sounion into the sea, and that area became known as the Aegean Sea.

Ship of Theseus

See also: Ship of Theseus

According to Plutarch, the ship Theseus used to return from Minoan Crete to Athens was kept in the Athenian harbor for many years as a reminder of his journey.

The Athenians replaced any old or broken parts of the ship with new, stronger wood. This made people wonder if it was still the same ship. This question about whether something stays the same even after parts are changed is known as the "Ship of Theseus" paradox.

The ship was important to the Athenians because they believed Theseus was a real hero. Keeping the ship helped them feel connected to their history and to the gods.

Theseus and Pirithous

Theseus had a best friend named Pirithous, who was the king of the Lapiths. Pirithous wanted to see Theseus's bravery, so he took Theseus's cattle from Marathon. Theseus chased after him, and when they met, they were so impressed with each other that they became sworn friends and joined the Calydonian boar hunt.

Later, Pirithous planned to marry Hippodamia. During the wedding feast, some centaurs guests got drunk and tried to take the women, including Hippodamia. The Lapiths, including Pirithous and Theseus, fought back and won.

Theseus and Pirithous once tried to take Helen and Persephone as wives. They left Helen with Theseus's mother, Aethra, but she was later rescued by the Dioscuri. The two heroes then went to the underworld to try to take Persephone. Theseus got stuck to a rock and was only freed later by Heracles, who convinced Persephone to forgive him. Pirithous, however, stayed in the underworld forever. When Theseus returned to Athens, he found that Helen and Aethra had been taken to Sparta by the Dioscuri.

Phaedra and Hippolytus

Phaedra, Theseus's second wife and the daughter of King Minos, had two sons with Theseus, Demophon and Acamas. While they were very young, Phaedra developed strong feelings for Hippolytus, Theseus's son by the Amazon queen Hippolyta. In some stories, Hippolytus had chosen to follow Artemis instead of Aphrodite, which led to Phaedra’s feelings for him.

In one version of the tale, Phaedra's nurse told Hippolytus about her mistress's love, and he promised to keep the secret. To avoid shame, Phaedra left a message for Theseus claiming Hippolytus had done something wrong and then took her own life. Theseus believed her and used a wish he had received from Poseidon to call a sea monster that frightened Hippolytus's horses, leading to a tragic accident. Later, Artemis revealed the truth to Theseus and promised to seek justice for her follower.

Another version tells us that after Phaedra accused Hippolytus, Theseus asked the sea god to harm his son. When Hippolytus died because of the sea monster, Phaedra realized her mistake and also took her own life.

In a different account, Phaedra made her accusation but did not take her own life. A wild bull scared Hippolytus's horses, causing the same tragic outcome.

Over time, a special remembrance grew for Hippolytus. Girls preparing for marriage would honor him by offering pieces of their hair. Some believed that Asclepius had brought Hippolytus back to life, and that he lived in a sacred forest near Aricia in Latium.

Other stories and death of Theseus

Theseus had many stories told about him. Some say he was one of the Argonauts, though others say he was not yet back from another journey. He had a son named Acamas with his wife Phaedra. Acamas later fought in the Trojan War hiding inside the Trojan Horse. Theseus also helped the famous wanderer Oedipus and aided Adrastus in burying soldiers called the Seven against Thebes.

There is a tale that Lycomedes from the island of Skyros pushed Theseus from a high cliff after he lost favor with the people of Athens. Much later, in 475 BC, a leader named Cimon found what were believed to be Theseus’s remains on Skyros. The bones were brought back to Athens for proper honor.

Adaptations of the myth

Literature

Many stories and books have used the tale of Theseus. An old poet wrote about Theseus long ago. Famous writers like Sophocles, Euripides, and William Shakespeare all included Theseus in their plays. Books such as Mary Renault’s The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea tell Theseus’s story in new ways. Other authors like André Gide and Jorge Luis Borges have also created their own versions of these ancient myths.

Opera, film, television and video games

Theseus’s story has also been told through music, movies, and games. Early operas like Thésée by Jean-Baptiste Lully and Hippolyte et Aricie by Jean-Philippe Rameau feature Theseus. Movies such as Immortals (2011) show a new version of Theseus, and the video game Hades includes Theseus as a character players can face. Cartoons and other films continue to bring this old story to new audiences.