Theseus was the son of the Aegean king of Athens and Poseidon. His mother was Aethra, a princess of Troezan near Athens. His mixed parentage may seem unusual, however the ancient Greeks believed it was possible for a hero to have two parents.
Shortly after Aegeus married Aethra, he decided to return to Athens. Aethra was instructed to keep her son with her until he was old enough to travel with her father in Athens. Aegeus buried a pair of sandals and a sword under a large stone and told Aethra that when Theseus could lift the stone and remove the objects from under it, he would be ready to go to Athens.
When Theseus came of age, he went to the rock and lifted it with ease and took the sandals and sword from under it. Aethra explained that she would have to travel to Athens to meet her father. She could reach Athens by land or sea, however, the sea route was the safest way, while the land route was fraught with danger. Theseus decided to reach Athens by land and thus put his heroic gifts to the test.
Theseus’ ‘labors’ were known as the six entrances to the underworld that he passed through on his way to Athens.
1. When Theseus arrived at the sanctuary of Epidaurus (in the Peloponnese) he met Periphetes. Periphetes was the son of Hephaestus and a monstrous creature who possessed a bronze club with which he beat travelers to death. Theseus defeated Periphetes, first throwing a rock at the monster and then using the bronze club to finish beating it to death.
2. Then put the Siris monster near the Isthmus (near Corinth). Siris imprisoned unsuspecting travelers and tied them to two trees that were bent to the ground. He would untie the tree, which would tear the unfortunate man apart. Theseus killed Siris in the same way that the monster had killed his victims. Siris had a daughter named Perigune who was raped after Theseus killed Siris.
3. The next monster Theseus encountered was known as the Crommyon sow. This was a huge pig that may have been a descendant of another monster known as Typhon. Theseus killed the pig and continued on his journey.
4. Theseus came to Megara and met the thief Sciron. Sciron would lure people to the edge of a cliff and throw them off when they were caught off guard. He did this so that a giant tortoise or sea monster would be fed regularly.
5. When Theseus arrived at the mysterious sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone in Eleusis, he met King Cercyon. King Cercyon would challenge travelers to a wrestling match and then beat them to death. He needed to do this to stay alive. Anyone who defeated Cercyon would have to do the same. Theseus beat Ceryon to death and then refused to follow this rite, thus ending the bloodshed.
6. Theseus then headed from Eleusis towards Athens. Here he puts Procrustes. Procrustes was known to stretch his victims to death in a special stretching device. If they didn’t fit in it, he would cut off the feet. Theseus stretched Procrustes to death (although it is not known whether he had to cut off his feet first) and then continued on his journey.
When Theseus arrived in Athens, he kept his identity a secret from his father. Aegeus had offered Medea a refuge from Corinth some years before. She had helped Jason retrieve the Golden Fleece from her father, King Aeetes, at Colcis and fled with him. They later married and settled in Corinth with their two sons. Jason decided to leave Medea and marry Glauce, a Corinthian princess.
Medea was furious and poisoned Glauce and her father to death. She then killed her two children and refused to give their bodies to Jason. Shortly before committing these murders, Egeo was passing by. He was looking for a cure for his childless marriage. Medea gave him advice in exchange for her promise to give him a safe haven in Athens. Aegeus agreed to this and later Medea arrived in Athens.
They got married and everything was fine until Theseus arrived. He realized that Theseus would inherit the throne of Aegeus and tried to poison him. Aegeus realized who Theseus was just in time to prevent him from being poisoned. Medea left Athens soon after.
At that time, Athens had lost a war against King Minos of Crete. In retaliation, Minos had imposed very unfavorable terms against the Athenians. Every nine years they had to send seven young men and seven maidens to Crete. No one knew what happened to them, so when it was time to pay tribute, Theseus volunteered to go instead of one of the young men.
When it reached Crete it became apparent that they were an offering or sacrifice to a monster known as the Minotaur. This monster had the head of a bull and the body of a man. The Minotaur was said to be a descendant of King Minos’ queen and a bull that was a gift from the sea king, Poseidon. Minos offended Poseidon, so instead of getting the gift back, he decreed that Minos’ wife fall in love with the bull and procreate with him. Minos was so ashamed of his wife’s actions that when the Minotaur was born, he locked him in a huge labyrinth or labyrinth to prevent the world from knowing about his wife’s guilt.
Minos’ daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and helped him kill the Minotaur. She ran away with him and hoped that he would repay her by becoming her husband. Instead, Theseus abandoned her on the island of Naxos while she slept.
When he returned to Athens he forgot to change his ship’s black sail to a white one, leading Aegeus to believe that Theseus was dead. Aegean threw himself into the sea in despair and died.
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