Theseus was the Athenian hero who volunteered to be one of the victims of the Minotaur. With the help of one of the Minotaur's half-sisters, Theseus put an end to the Minotaur and found his way out of the Minoan labyrinth, built by Daedalus (of wax-wings fame), in which the Minotaur had been hidden. An Ionian founder-hero, Theseus reorganized the country of Attica.
1. Theseus - Glossary Entry
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Theseus was a legendary hero and king of the Athenians. His mortal father and sons were the eponymous heroes of two of the tribes of Athens. Theseus also had a divine father, Poseidon. Theseus' mother was Aethra, daughter of the king of Troezen, and a descendant of Pelops.
2. Hercules Labor 12 and the Fall of Theseus
Theseus (age 50, according to Plutarch) and Pirithous abducted Helen for Theseus and then went to the Underworld to get another extraordinary woman (Queen Persephone) for Pirithous. There the foolish mortal pair ran into trouble.... While fetching Cerberus for his 12th labor, Hercules saw his friends Theseus and Pirithous bound to chairs in the Underworld. Hercules could only rescue Theseus. Meanwhile, the Dioscuri made war on Attica to retrieve their sister Helen. This helped fuel Athenian displeasure at Theseus. Menestheus took control. When he returned from the Underworld, Theseus was either killed by Lycomedes, possibly trying to ingratiate himself with Menestheus, or he fell to his death by accident.3. Where Does "Sword and Sandals" Come From?
The typical Greek footwear was the sandal, so "sword and sandal" now means an epic movie with lots of fighting between sandaled, toga- or tunic-clad Greeks or Romans, but it comes from the legend of Theseus whose father left him a sword and sandals hidden beneath a tight-fitting stone.4. The Legend of Theseus and the Minotaur
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- Monsters From Greek Mythology
The minotaur was the half-man and half-bull who devoured men and women sent as a tribute from Athens. - Knossos
Minos lived at Knossos where Daedalus built the labyrinth for the minotaur. Theseus came from Athens as a sacrificial victims for the Minotaur, but Ariadne gave Theseus a string with which he was able to find his way around the maze, kill the beast, and run away with his savior. - Betrayals in Greek Mythology
Ariadne gave Theseus a string with to find his way out of the labyrinth. Theseus later abandoned Ariadne. - Theseus had promised to put up a sail signaling his safety upon his return to Attica, but he forgot. When his father saw the sad sail, he leapt to his death.
5. Theseus, the Heroes, and the Amazons
Plutarch reports on various versions of the stories told about Theseus and the Amazons. Theseus may have accompanied Hercules when he went to get the belt of Hippolyte or gone later. Later the Amazons invaded Attica. By the Amazon Antiope Theseus had a son, Hippolytus.6. People in the Life of Theseus
- Dioscuri: Castor and Pollux or Polydeuces
The Dioscuri rescue their sister Helen from Theseus after he abducts her. - Cercyon the Arcadian - Theseus killed him in a wrestling match.
- Crommyonian sow (Phaea) - a wild beast or robber woman whom Theseus killed.
- Hippolytus and Phaedra Fresco
Phaedra falls for her stepson Hippolytus, and when he rejects her advances, she tells her husband Theseus that Hippolytus raped her. Hippolytus dies as a result of Theseus' anger. - Medea
After murdering her children in Corinth, Medea fled to Athens where she was received by Aegeus, the mortal father of Theseus. After, perhaps, trying to kill Theseus she had to leave again.
7. More People in the Life of Theseus
- Perigune - Daughter of Sinnis whom Theseus impregnated. Mother of Melanippus.
- Perithous
A prince of Lapithae and a friend of Theseus. - Periphetes - Club-wielding trouble-maker whom Theseus encountered in his journey from Troezen to Athens.
- Phaedra
Ariadne's sister and Theseus' wife. - Pittheus
Theseus' grandfather. - Procrustes - Theseus killed him by stretching him on his own torture device.
- Sciron - A murderous robber whom Theseus killed on one of his journeys.
- Sinnis - Pine-bender whom Theseus encountered and killed on his journey from Troezen to Athens.
