Birth and first exploits of Theseus. One of the most famous Greek heroes was Theseus, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus. During the journey, Aegeus lived for some time in the small town of Troezen. There he married a Troezen princess, but did not take his wife with him to Athens, since Aegeus’s relatives wanted to seize power and could kill the princess in a rage. Before leaving Troezen, Aegeus hid his sword and sandals under a huge heavy stone and said to the princess: “If a son is born to you and becomes as strong as me, let him lift this stone, take out his sword and sandals and come to me in Athens.” Soon the princess gave birth to a son and named him Theseus. When Theseus grew up, his mother revealed to him who his father was and led him to a huge stone. Theseus easily picked up this stone, put on his father's sandals, attached his father's sword to his belt and went to Athens.

Procrustes' bed. The road was very dangerous because it was ruled by robbers. The most terrible was Procrustes. He announced to travelers that he would only let in those who fit his bed. He put tall people on a short bed and cut off their legs, and short people - on a long bed and stretched them out. No one could get past the cruel robber into Athens. He killed many people. Theseus also had to follow this road. Smiling evilly, Procrustes came out to meet him and, seeing that the young man was tall, was about to put him on a short bed. But Theseus grabbed Procrustes, forced him to lie on his own bed and killed the villain. The road turned out to be clear, and soon Theseus came to Athens to the court of the king.

Theseus and his father. Things were uneasy at that time in Athens. King Aegeus was already old. Many wanted to seize royal power, knowing that the ruler had no heir. Aegeus was suspicious of strangers, fearing that he might be killed. Therefore, he agreed to the proposal of the sorceress Medea, who lived in his palace, to poison Theseus during the treat.

Theseus did not reveal his name; he wanted his father to recognize him himself. And so, when the meat was served, the guest pulled out a sword from its sheath to cut the food. Aegeus immediately recognized his sword, threw away the cup of poison and hugged his son.

Bull head

Theseus and the Minotaur. The people of Athens were overwhelmed with great sadness at that time. The fact is that every nine years they had to send tribute to the Cretan king Minos - seven boys and seven girls - to the island of Crete. And Minos gave them to be devoured by the Minotaur - a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, who lived in a terrible and confusing Labyrinth.

Soon the time came to send the unfortunate young men and women to the island of Crete again. Theseus wanted to go with them. He decided to kill the Minotaur. Aegeus begged his son to stay, but Theseus replied: “I cannot indifferently watch how the best people are taken away to their deaths. I will go with them, kill the monster and free Athens from this cruel tribute.”

Usually, a ship sailing to Crete had a black sail as a sign that those going to Minos had no hope of returning. But this time Theseus took a white sail with him and said to his father: “If I stay alive, the ship will come to Athens under a white sail. If not, under black.”

Ariadne helps Theseus. After some time, the ship was off the coast of Crete. Among the residents who came to the sea to look at the beautiful captives was the daughter of King Minos, Ariadne. She saw sad young men and women leaving the ship. Only one of them walked with his head raised, looking around - Theseus. Ariadne's heart burned with love for this foreign young man, and she decided to save him from the terrible jaws of the monster. At night, she secretly made her way to the dungeon where the prisoners were locked and brought a dagger to Theseus. Theseus must use this dagger to kill the Minotaur. But how will he then get out of the Labyrinth? There are such intricate passages that you can wander through them endlessly. Nobody knows which way to go to find a way out. And Ariadne came up with such a trick. She gave Theseus a ball of thread so that he could tie the end of the thread at the entrance to the Labyrinth.


Battle of Theseus with the Minotaur.
Greek amphora of the 6th century. BC.

Theseus kills the Minotaur. In the morning, the unfortunate prisoners were taken into the labyrinth. Theseus was the first to walk through the Labyrinth, and the thread of the ball marked his path. Theseus made his way for a long time through the intricate corridors, and then a terrible roar was heard ahead. It was the Minotaur who sensed the approach of the man and rushed towards him. Theseus hid behind a ledge of the wall and, when the Minotaur approached, he killed the monster with a decisive and quick blow. With the help of a guiding thread, Theseus got out back.

That same morning the ship set off on its return journey. Joy filled the hearts of the rescued young men and women. In honor of the successful outcome, Theseus decided to land at Delos and make a thanksgiving sacrifice to the god Apollo. Then, together with his companions, he performed a joyful dance, moving now in one direction, now in the other, now forward, now backward, as if reproducing the intricate passages of the labyrinth. The inhabitants of Delos liked the dance, and they began to perform it at all holidays and celebrations.

Aegeus throws himself into the sea. To celebrate, Theseus forgot to change the sails. And his old father stood day after day on the shore, on a high rock, and peered into the deserted surface of the sea. Finally a ship appeared on the horizon. But its sails are not visible. Aegeus peers into the distance until his eyes hurt and sees with horror that the sails remain black. In despair, he throws himself off a cliff into the sea. And since then it has been called Aegean.

The day of Theseus' return became both joyful and sad. The inhabitants of Athens rejoiced when they learned about the victory over the monster and the salvation of the young men and women, and cried when they heard about the death of Aegeus. The Athenians erected the ship on which Theseus sailed to Crete on the shore as a monument.

After the murder of Androgeus, the son of the Cretan ruler Minos, by the bull from Marathon, Athens had to pay a terrible tribute to powerful Crete. Minos constantly demanded seven beautiful girls and seven young boys, whom immediately upon arrival he sent to the Labyrinth of his own palace to be devoured by the bull-man Minotaur, who was born from the bull sent to Crete by Poseidon and Minos’ wife Paisaphia.

In the third ship with the “tribute” sailed young Theseus, the only son of the poor Athenian ruler Aegeus. The Delphic oracle chose Theseus as a patroness in this campaign in the person of the beautiful Aphrodite.

On Crete, Theseus immediately attracted the attention of both Minos, who began to threaten the royal youth with torn to pieces, and his daughter Ariadne, who, thanks to the efforts of Aphrodite, immediately fell in love with him.

After a series of bullying from Minos, who considered himself the son of Zeus, Theseus recalled that the blood of Poseidon flowed in his veins. As proof of his descent from the god of the seas, the brave young man jumped into the depths of the sea after the golden ring arrogantly thrown there by Minos. The god Triton came to Theseus' aid, and in an instant brought the hero to the gates of Poseidon's palace, where he found the ring of Minos.

Ariadne in love, seeing that her lover had returned from the bottom of the sea safe and sound, gave him a skein of thread and a sharp sword. Having tied Ariadne's thread at the entrance to the Labyrinth, Theseus reached the Minotaur, plunged a dagger into his chest and successfully got out with the rest of the doomed.

Photo: Minotaur by Pablo Picasso.

In the photo above, Theseus kills the Minotaur.

Having made a hole in the bottom of all the Cretan ships, Theseus calmly set off on the return journey, taking his beloved with him. In a dream, Theseus had a vision where the god Dionysus called on the young man to give him Ariadne as his wife and disembark her from the ship in Naxos. So Ariadne entered the pantheon of Greek gods.

Having forgotten to change the black ship sails to white ones, Theseus quickly approached the Athenian shores. His father Aegeus noticed from afar a black color, which, as he thought, announced the death of his son, and out of grief he threw himself off a cliff into the sea. This is how the seething sea began to be called the Aegean.

myths of ancient Greece Minotaur part 1

myths of ancient Greece Minotaur part 2

Battles of the Gods. Labyrinth of the Minotaur

Theseus. The myth of Theseus, The exploits of Theseus. N. A. Kun. Legends and myths of Ancient Greece

Theseus is the greatest hero of Athens, having much in common with Hercules. Theseus is the hero of the military-tribal aristocracy, and then the hero of the ruling Athenian slave-owning aristocracy of landowners, who attributed the creation of the entire ancient state system of Athens to Theseus. He was credited, first of all, with dividing the population into three classes: “zvpatrids”, or nobles, “geomors”, or farmers, and “demiurges”, or artisans, and granting the exclusive right to fill positions with one noble. The following fact is also characteristic: they said that during the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), in which the Greeks defeated the Persians, many Athenians allegedly saw Theseus in a helmet with a spear and shield, walking ahead of the Athenian battle formation. The aristocrats took advantage of these fabulous stories. Their representative Kimon transported the remains of Theseus to Athens from the island of Skyros, which in reality, of course, did not exist, since Theseus never existed.

Based on Plutarch's biography Theseus

Birth and upbringing of Theseus

Pandion's son, Aegeus, ruled in Athens after he and his brothers expelled their relatives, the sons of Metion, from Attica, who had unlawfully seized power. For a long time Aegeus ruled happily. Only one thing saddened him: he did not have children. Finally, Aegeus went to the oracle of Apollo in Delphi and there asked the luminous god why the gods did not send him children. The oracle gave Aegeus an unclear answer. He thought for a long time, trying to unravel the hidden meaning of the answer, but could not unravel it. Finally, Aegeus decided to go to the city of Troisena (City in Argolis in the Peloponnese) to the wise king of Argolis Pittheus, so that he would unravel the secret of Apollo’s answer. Pitfey immediately guessed the meaning of the answer. He realized that Aegeus should have a son who would be the greatest hero of Athens. Pittheus wanted the honor of being the birthplace of the great hero to belong to Troisena. Therefore, he gave Aegeus his daughter Ephra as a wife. And then Efra, when she became the wife of Aegeus, had a son, but it was the son of the god Poseidon, not Aegeus. The newborn was given the name Theseus. Soon after the birth of Theseus, King Aegeus had to leave Troisena and return to Athens. When leaving, Aegeus took his sword and sandals, put them under a rock in the mountains near Troisena and said to Ephra:
- When my son Theseus is able to move this rock and get my sword and sandals, then send him with them to me in Athens. I recognize him by my sword and sandals. (Myth of Theseus)
Until the age of sixteen, Theseus was raised in the house of his grandfather Pittheus. Pitfey, famous for his wisdom, took care of the upbringing of his grandson and rejoiced when he saw that his grandson was superior to his peers in everything. But Theseus turned sixteen years old; Even then no one could compare with him either in strength, or in dexterity, or in the ability to wield weapons. Theseus was beautiful: tall, slender, with the clear gaze of beautiful eyes, dark curls that fell in lush rings to his shoulders; in front, on the forehead, the curls were cut off, since he dedicated them to Apollo; the hero's young, muscular body clearly spoke of his mighty strength.

The exploits of Theseus on the road to Athens

When Ephra saw that her son was superior in strength to all his peers, she led him to the rock under which lay the sword and sandals of Aegeus, and said:
- My son, here under this rock lie the sword and sandals of your father, the ruler of Athens, Aegeus. Move the rock and take the sword and sandals, they will be the sign by which your father will recognize you.
Theseus pushed the rock and easily moved it from its place. He took his sword and sandals, said goodbye to his mother and grandfather and set off on a long journey to Athens. Theseus did not heed the requests of his mother and grandfather to choose a safer sea route; he decided to go to Athens by land, through the Isthmus.
This path was difficult. Theseus had to overcome many dangers during his journey, and he had to perform many feats. Already on the border of Troisena and Epidaurus (a city on the eastern coast of Argolis), the hero met the giant Periphetus, the son of the god Hephaestus. Like the god Hephaestus himself, his son, the giant Periphetus, was lame, but his arms were powerful and his body was huge. Periphetus was formidable. Not a single wanderer passed through the mountains in which Periphetus lived; the giant killed them all with his iron club, but Theseus easily defeated Periphetes. This was the hero’s first feat, and as a sign of his victory he took the iron club of Periphetus, whom he had killed.

Theseus walked further all the way to Isthmus without being exposed to danger. On Isthmus, in a pine grove dedicated to Poseidon, Theseus met the pine bender Sinid. He was a fierce robber. He put all travelers to a terrible death. Having bent two pine trees so that their tops touched, Sinid tied the unfortunate traveler to the pine trees and released them. With terrible force, the pines straightened and tore the body of the unfortunate man. Theseus avenged all those whom Sinid had destroyed. He tied up the robber, bent two huge pine trees with his mighty hands, tied Sinid to them and let the pine trees go. The ferocious robber died the same death with which he destroyed innocent travelers. The path through the Isthmus was now clear. Later, in memory of his victory, Theseus established the Isthmian Games at the place where he defeated Sinid (Isthmian Games - a pan-Greek festival celebrated every two years on the Isthmus of Corinth - Isthmus. During the games, which lasted several days, wrestling competitions took place , running, fist fighting, discus and javelin throwing, as well as chariot races).
Theseus's further journey went through Kromion (City on the Isthmus, not far from Corinth). The entire area around was devastated by a huge wild pig generated by Typhon and Echidna. The inhabitants of Kromion prayed to the young hero to save them from this monster. Theseus overtook the pig and killed it with his sword.
Theseus went further. In the most dangerous place of Isthmus, at the borders of Megara (the region in the north of Isthmus, bordering on the east with Attica), where sheer cliffs rose high to the sky, at the foot of which foamy sea walls roared menacingly, Theseus met a new danger. At the very edge of the cliff lived the robber Skiron. He forced everyone who passed by to wash his feet. As soon as the traveler bent down to wash Skiron’s feet, the cruel robber, with a strong push of his foot, threw the unfortunate man off the cliff into the stormy waves of the sea, where he crashed to death on sharp stones sticking out of the water, and his body was devoured by a monstrous turtle. Theseus, when Skiron wanted to push him too, grabbed the robber by the leg and threw him into the sea.
Not far from Eleusis, Theseus had to fight Kerkion, just as Hercules had to fight Antaeus. The mighty Kerkion killed many, but Theseus, wrapping his arms around Kerkion, squeezed him as if in an iron vice and killed him. Theseus freed the daughter of Kerkion, Alope, and Theseus gave power over the country of Kerkion to the son of Alope and Poseidon, Hippothoont. (The Labors of Theseus)
Having passed Eleusis and approaching the valley of the Cephisus River in Attica, Theseus came to the robber Damastus, who was usually called Procrustes (the drawer). This robber came up with a particularly painful torture for everyone who came to him. Procrustes had a bed; he forced those who fell into his hands to lie on it. If the bed was too long, Procrustes pulled the unfortunate man out until the victim's legs touched the edge of the bed. If the bed was short, then Procrustes cut off the unfortunate man’s legs. Theseus threw Procrustes himself onto the bed, but the bed, of course, turned out to be too short for the giant Procrustes, and Theseus killed him the same way the villain killed the travelers. (Myth of Theseus)
This was Theseus's last labor on his way to Athens. Theseus did not want to come to Athens stained (The Greeks believed that shed blood defiles a person. Therefore, anyone who kills a person must perform special cleansing rites at the altar of any god) with the shed blood of Sinid, Sciron, Procrustes and others; he asked the Phitalids (Descendants of the hero Phital, who founded the Mysteries in Eleusis - a special religious cult in honor of the goddess Demeter) to cleanse him with special religious ceremonies at the altar of Zeus-Melichius (Melichius means “merciful”). The phytalids welcomed the young hero as cordially as a guest. They fulfilled his request and cleansed him from the filth of shed blood. Now Theseus could go to Athens, to his father Aegeus. (The Labors of Theseus)

Theseus in Athens

In long Ionian clothes, shining with beauty, Theseus walked through the streets of Athens; lush curls fell over his shoulders. The young hero in his long robe looked more like a girl than a hero who had accomplished so many great feats. Theseus had to pass by the temple of Apollo under construction, on which workers were already erecting a roof. The workers saw the hero, mistook him for a girl and began to mock him. Laughing, the workers shouted:
- Look, there’s a girl wandering around the city alone, unaccompanied! Look how she let her hair down for show, and with her long clothes she sweeps up the street dust.
Angered by the ridicule of the workers, Theseus ran to the oxcart, unharnessed the oxen, grabbed the cart and threw it so high that it flew over the heads of the workers standing on the roof of the temple. The workers who mocked Theseus were horrified when they saw that this was not a girl, but a young hero possessing terrible power. They expected the hero to take cruel revenge on them for their ridicule, but Theseus calmly continued on his way.
Finally, Theseus came to the palace of Aegeus. He did not immediately reveal to the elderly father who he was, but said that he was a stranger seeking protection. Aegeus did not recognize his son, but the sorceress Medea recognized him. She, having fled from Corinth to Athens, became the wife of Aegeus. The cunning Medea, having promised Aegeus to restore his youth through witchcraft, ruled in the house of the king of Athens, and Aegeus himself obeyed her in everything. The power-hungry Medea immediately understood the danger that threatened her if Aegeus found out who the beautiful stranger he had received in his palace was. So as not to lose power. Medea planned to destroy the hero. She persuaded Aegeus to poison Theseus, assuring the old king that the young man was a spy sent by his enemies. Decrepit, weak Aegeus, afraid that someone would deprive him of power, agreed to this atrocity.
During the feast, Medea placed a cup of poisoned wine in front of Theseus. Just at that moment Theseus took out his sword for some reason. Aegeus immediately recognized the sword that he himself had placed under the rock near Troisena sixteen years ago. He looked at Theseus's feet and saw his sandals on them. Now he understood who this stranger was. Having knocked over the cup of poisoned wine, Aegeus hugged Theseus, his son. Medea was expelled from Athens and fled with her son Medon to Media.
Aegeus solemnly announced to the entire Athenian people the arrival of his son and spoke about his great exploits accomplished during the journey from Troisena to Athens. The Athenians rejoiced along with Aegeus and greeted their future king with loud shouts.
The rumor that the son of Aegeus had come to Athens also reached the sons of Pallant, brother of Aegeus. With the arrival of Theseus, their hope of ruling in Athens after the death of Aegeus collapsed - after all, he now had a legitimate heir. The harsh pallantides did not want to lose power in Athens. They decided to take over Athens by force. Led by their father, all fifteen Pallantides moved against Athens. Knowing the mighty power of Theseus, they came up with the following trick: part of the Pallantides openly approached the walls of Athens, while others had already taken refuge in ambush in order to unexpectedly attack Aegeus. But the messenger of the Pallantides, Leos, revealed their plan to Theseus. The young hero quickly decided how he should act; he attacked the Pallantides hiding in ambush and killed them all; Neither strength nor courage saved them. When the Pallantides, who stood under the walls of Athens, learned of the death of their brothers, they were overcome by such fear that they fled shamefully. Now Aegeus could reign calmly in Athens under the protection of his son. (Myth of Theseus)
Theseus did not remain inactive in Athens. He decided to free Attica from the wild bull that was devastating the area around Marathon. This bull was brought, by order of Eurystheus, from Crete to Mycenae by Hercules and released there into the wild. The bull fled to Attica and has since been a great evil for all farmers. Theseus set out fearlessly for this new feat. In Marathon he met an old woman, Hekala. She received the hero as a guest and advised him to make a sacrifice to Zeus the Savior before his new feat, so that Zeus would protect him during a dangerous battle with a monstrous bull. Theseus listened to Hekala's advice. Soon Theseus found the bull: the bull rushed at the hero, but he grabbed him by the horns. The bull rushed, but could not escape from Theseus’ mighty hands. Theseus bent the bull's head to the ground, tied it up, tamed it and led it to Athens. On the way back, Theseus did not find old Hekala alive; she has already died. Theseus honored the deceased with great honors for the advice and hospitality that Hekala had shown him so recently. Having brought the bull to Athens, Theseus sacrificed it to the god Apollo. (The Labors of Theseus)

Theseus' Journey to Crete

When Theseus came to Athens, all of Attica was plunged into deep sadness. For the third time, ambassadors from Crete arrived from the powerful King Minos to collect tribute. This tribute was heavy and shameful. The Athenians had to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete every nine years. There they were locked in a huge palace, the Labyrinth, and they were devoured by the terrible monster Minotaur, with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Minos imposed this tribute on the Athenians because they killed his son Androgeus. Now for the third time the Athenians had to send a terrible tribute to Crete. They have already equipped a ship with black sails as a sign of grief for the young victims of the Minotaur.
Seeing the general sadness, the young hero Theseus decided to go with the Athenian boys and girls to Crete, free them and stop paying this terrible tribute. It was possible to stop payment only by killing the Minotaur. Therefore, Theseus decided to engage in battle with the Minotaur and either kill him or die. The elderly Aegeus did not want to hear about the departure of his only son, but Theseus insisted on his own. He made a sacrifice to Apollo-Delphinius, the patron of sea travel, and from Delphi, just before leaving, he was given an oracle so that he would choose the goddess of love Aphrodite as his patroness in this feat. Having called upon Aphrodite for help and made a sacrifice to her, Theseus went to Crete.
The ship happily arrived at the island of Crete. The Athenian youths and girls were taken to Minos. The powerful king of Crete immediately drew attention to the beautiful young hero. The king’s daughter, Ariadne, also noticed him, and Theseus’ patroness, Aphrodite, aroused in Ariadne’s heart a strong love for the young son of Aegeus. The daughter of Minos decided to help Theseus; she could not even imagine that the young hero would die in the Labyrinth, torn to pieces by the Minotaur.
Before going to battle with the Minotaur, Theseus had to perform one more feat. Minos insulted one of the Athenian girls. Theseus stood up for her, but, proud of his origin, the king of Crete began to mock Theseus; he was angry that some Athenian dared to oppose him, the son of Zeus. Theseus proudly answered the king:
- You are proud of your descent from Zeus, but I am not the son of a mere mortal, my father is the great shaker of the earth, the god of the sea Poseidon.
“If you are the son of the god Poseidon, then prove it and get the ring from the depths of the sea,” Minos answered Theseus and threw the golden ring into the sea.
Calling on his father Poseidon, Theseus fearlessly threw himself from the steep shore into the sea waves. The salty spray flew high and hid the waves of the sea of ​​Theseus. Everyone looked with fear at the sea that had swallowed the hero, and were sure that he would not return back. Ariadne stood full of despair; and she was sure that Theseus was dead.
And Theseus, as soon as the sea waves closed over his head, was picked up by the god Triton and in the blink of an eye rushed to the underwater palace of Poseidon. Poseidon joyfully welcomed his son into his magical underwater palace and gave him the ring of Minos, and Poseidon’s wife, Amphitrite, admiring the beauty and courage of the hero, laid a golden wreath on Theseus’s lush curls. Triton again picked up Theseus and carried him out of the depths of the sea to the shore to the place from which the hero threw himself into the sea. Theseus proved to Minos that he was the son of Poseidon, lord of the sea. Minos' daughter Ariadne rejoiced that Theseus returned unharmed from the depths of the sea. (The Labors of Theseus)
But an even more dangerous feat lay ahead: it was necessary to kill the Minotaur. Here Ariadne came to Theseus' aid. She gave Theseus, secretly from his father, a sharp sword and a ball of thread. When Theseus and all those doomed to be torn to pieces were taken to the Labyrinth, Theseus tied the end of a ball of thread at the entrance to the Labyrinth and walked along the confusing endless passages of the Labyrinth, from which it was impossible to find a way out; He gradually unwound the ball to find his way back along the thread. Theseus walked further and further and finally came to the place where the Minotaur was. With a menacing roar, bowing his head with huge sharp horns, the Minotaur rushed at the young hero, and a terrible battle began. The Minotaur, full of rage, rushed at Theseus several times, but he repelled him with his sword. Finally, Theseus grabbed the Minotaur by the horn and plunged his sharp sword into his chest. Having killed the Minotaur, Theseus followed the thread of a ball out of the Labyrinth and brought out all the Athenian boys and girls. Ariadne met them at the exit; she joyfully greeted Theseus. The young men and women saved by Theseus rejoiced. Decorated with wreaths of roses, glorifying the hero and his patroness Aphrodite, they led a merry round dance.
Now it was necessary to take care of salvation from the wrath of Minos. Theseus quickly equipped his ship and, having cut through the bottom of all the Cretan ships pulled ashore, quickly set off on the return journey to Athens. Ariadne followed Theseus, whom she fell in love with. (Myth of Theseus)
On the way back, Theseus came to the shore of Naxos. When Theseus and his companions were resting from their journey, the god of wine Dionysus appeared to Theseus in a dream and told him that he must leave Ariadne on the deserted shore of Naxos, since the gods had appointed her to be his wife, the god Dionysus. Theseus woke up and, full of sadness, quickly got ready to set off. He did not dare to disobey the will of the gods. Ariadne, the wife of the great Dionysus, became the goddess. The companions of Dionysus loudly greeted Ariadne and praised the wife of the great god with singing.
And Theseus's ship quickly rushed on its black sails across the azure sea. The coast of Attica has already appeared in the distance. Theseus, saddened by the loss of Ariadne, forgot his promise to Aegeus - to replace the black sails with white ones if he, having defeated the Minotaur, happily returned to Athens. Aegeus was waiting for his son. Staring into the distance of the sea, he stood on a high rock near the seashore. A black dot appeared in the distance; it grew, approaching the shore. This is his son's ship. He's getting closer. Aegeus looks, straining his eyes, to see what kind of sails he has. No, white sails do not shine in the sun, the sails are black. This means Theseus died. In despair, Aegeus threw himself from a high cliff into the sea and died in the sea waves; only his lifeless body was thrown ashore by the waves. Since then, the sea in which Aegeus perished has been called the Aegean. And Theseus landed on the shores of Attica and was already making thanksgiving sacrifices to the gods, when suddenly, to his horror, he learned that he had become the involuntary cause of his father’s death. Theseus, grief-stricken, buried his father's body with great honors, and after the funeral took power over Athens.

Theseus and the Amazons

Theseus ruled wisely in Athens. But he did not live quietly in Athens; he often left them in order to take part in the exploits of the heroes of Greece. Thus, Theseus participated in the Calydonian hunt, in the campaign of the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece and in the campaign of Hercules against the Amazons. When the Amazon city of Themiscyra was taken, Theseus took the Amazon queen Antiope with him to Athens as a reward for her bravery. In Athens, Antiope became the wife of Theseus. The hero celebrated his wedding with the queen of the Amazons magnificently.
The Amazons plotted to take revenge on the Greeks for the destruction of their city and decided to free Queen Antiope from what they thought was a difficult captivity under Theseus. A large army of Amazons invaded Attica. The Athenians were forced to take refuge from the onslaught of the warlike Amazons behind the city walls. The Amazons even burst into the city itself and forced the inhabitants to hide behind the impregnable Acropolis. The Amazons set up their camp on the hill of the Areopagus and kept the Athenians under siege. The Athenians made forays several times, trying to drive out the formidable warriors. Finally, a decisive battle took place.
Antiope herself fought alongside Theseus against the very Amazons whom she had previously commanded. Antiope did not want to leave her hero-husband, whom she dearly loved. In this formidable battle, death awaited Antiope. A spear thrown by one of the Amazons flashed in the air, its deadly tip pierced Antiope’s chest, and she fell dead at the feet of her husband. Both troops looked in horror at Antiope, who had been struck to death. Theseus bowed in grief over the body of his wife. The bloody battle was interrupted. Full of sorrow, the Amazons and Athenians buried the young queen. The Amazons left Attica and returned to their distant homeland. For a long time there was sadness in Athens for the untimely death of the beautiful Antiope.

Theseus and Peirifoy

In Thessaly there lived a tribe of warlike Lapiths (Lapiths are a mythical people), and the mighty hero Peirithous reigned over them. He heard about the great courage and strength of the invincible Theseus and wanted to measure his strength with him. To challenge Theseus to battle, Peirifou went to Marathon and there, in rich pastures, he stole a herd of bulls that belonged to Theseus. As soon as Theseus found out about this, he immediately set off in pursuit of the kidnapper and quickly overtook him. Both heroes met. Dressed in shining armor, they stood opposite each other, like formidable immortal gods. Both of them were amazed by the greatness of each other, both were equally filled with courage, both were powerful, both were beautiful. They threw down their weapons and, holding out their hands to each other, entered into an alliance of close, indestructible friendship and exchanged weapons as a sign of this. Thus, the two great heroes, Theseus and Peirifou, became friends.
Shortly after this meeting, Theseus went to Thessaly for the wedding of his friend Peirithoe with Hippodamia. This wedding was magnificent. Many glorious heroes gathered for it from all over Greece. Wild centaurs, half-humans and half-horses, were also invited to the wedding. The wedding feast was rich. The entire royal palace was full of guests reclining at the banquet tables, and some of the guests - since there was not enough space in the palace for all those gathered for the wedding - feasted in a large, cool grotto. Incense was smoked, wedding hymns and music were heard, and the cheerful cries of the feasters were heard loudly. All the guests praised the bride and groom, who shone among everyone with her beauty, like a heavenly star. The guests feasted merrily. The wine flowed like a river. The feast shouts grew louder and louder. Suddenly, intoxicated with wine, the most powerful and wild of the centaurs, Eurytus, jumped up and rushed at the bride. He grabbed her with his powerful hands and wanted to kidnap her. Seeing this, other centaurs rushed at the women who were at the feast. Everyone wanted to take possession of the spoils. Theseus, Peirifou and the Greek heroes jumped up from the banquet tables and rushed to protect the women. The feast was interrupted and a frantic battle began. Heroes did not fight with centaurs with weapons. They came to the feast unarmed. Everything served as a weapon in this battle: heavy goblets, large vessels for wine, legs of broken tables, tripods on which incense had just been burned - everything was put into use. Step by step, the heroes are pushing the wild centaurs out of the feast hall, but the battle continues outside the hall. Now the Greek heroes are fighting with weapons in their hands, covered with shields. The centaurs uproot trees and throw entire rocks at the heroes. Theseus, Peirithous, Peleus and Nestor, the son of Peleus, fight ahead of the heroes. A bloody mound of centaurs' bodies piles higher and higher around them. The slain centaurs fall one after another. Finally, they wavered, fled and took refuge in the forests of high Pelion. The heroes of Greece defeated the wild centaurs, and few of them escaped the terrible battle.

Elena's kidnapping. Theseus and Peirifoy decide to kidnap Persephone. Death of Theseus

Peirifoy's beautiful wife, Hippodamia, did not live long; she died in the full bloom of her beauty. The widowed Peirifoy, having mourned his wife, after some time decided to marry again. He went to his friend Theseus in Athens, and there they decided to kidnap the beautiful Helen. She was still a very young girl, but the fame of her beauty resounded far throughout Greece. Friends arrived secretly in Laconia and kidnapped Helen while she was dancing merrily with her friends during the festival of Artemis. Theseus and Peirifoy grabbed Helen and quickly carried her to the mountains of Arcadia, and from there, through Corinth and Isthmus, they brought her to Attica, to the fortress of Athens. The Spartans rushed in pursuit, but could not overtake the kidnappers. Having hidden Elena in the city of Athens, in Attica, the friends cast lots to see which of them should own the wondrous beauty. The lot fell to Theseus. But even earlier, the friends swore an oath to each other that the one who gets the beautiful-haired Elena must help the other get a wife.
When Helen went to Theseus, Peirifoy demanded from his friend that he help him get Persephone, the wife of the terrible god Hades, lord of the kingdom of the shadows of the dead, as his wife. Theseus was horrified, but what could he do? He made an oath, he could not break it. He had to accompany Peirifoy to the kingdom of the dead. Through a gloomy crevice near the village of Colona, ​​near Athens, friends descended into the underworld. There, in the kingdom of horrors, both friends appeared before Hades and demanded that he give them Persephone. The gloomy ruler of the kingdom of the dead was angry, but hid his anger and invited the heroes to sit on a throne carved into the rock at the very entrance to the kingdom of the dead. As soon as both heroes sat down on the throne, they became rooted to it and could no longer move. This is how Hades punished them for their wicked demand.
While Theseus remained in the kingdom of Hades, the brothers of the beautiful Helen, Castor and Polydeuces, looked everywhere for their sister. Finally, they found out where Theseus hid Helen. They immediately besieged Athens, and the impregnable fortress could not stand. Castor and Polydeuces took her, freed her sister, and together with her they took Theseus’s mother, Ephra, into captivity. Castor and Polydeuces gave power over Athens and all of Attica to Menestheus, Theseus’s longtime enemy. Theseus spent a long time in the kingdom of Hades. He suffered severe torment there, but finally the greatest of the heroes, Hercules, freed him.
Theseus returned again to the light of the sun, but this return did not bring him joy. Impregnable Athens was destroyed, Helen was freed, his mother was in grave captivity in Sparta, the sons of Theseus, Demophon and Acamant, were forced to flee from Athens, and all power was in the hands of the hated Menestheus. Theseus left Attica and retired to the island of Euboea, where he had possessions. Misfortune now accompanied Theseus. The king of Skyros, Lycomedes, did not want to give Theseus his possessions; he lured the great hero onto a high cliff and pushed him into the sea. Thus the greatest hero of Attica died from the treacherous hand. Only many years after the death of Menestheus, the sons of Theseus returned to Athens after the campaign at Troy. There, in Troy, the sons of Theseus found his mother Ephra. She was brought there as a slave by the son of King Priam, Paris, along with the beautiful Helen he kidnapped.


Theseus, Theseus - in ancient Greek mythology, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus (or the god Poseidon) and Ephra, the 10th king of Athens. A central figure in Attic mythology and one of the most famous characters in all of Greek mythology. Mentioned already in the Iliad (I 265) and the Odyssey (XI 323, 631). In Mycenaean texts the name te-se-u (Theses) appears.

Source: Myths and legends of Ancient Greece

Origin of Theseus

The name Theseus indicates strength. Theseus belongs to the generation of heroes before the Trojan War. The birth of Theseus is unusual. On his father’s side, Theseus had among his ancestors the autochthon Erichthonius, born from the seed of Hephaestus by Gaia and raised by Athena, and the autochthon Kranai and the first Attic king Cecrops. The ancestors of Theseus are wise half-snake-half-people. However, Theseus himself is a representative of pure heroism, he is simultaneously the son of man and god. On his mother’s side, Theseus descends from Pelops, the father of Pittheus, Atreus and Thyestes, and therefore from Tantalus and, finally, from Zeus himself.

Being childless, Aegeus went to the oracle, but could not guess his answer. But the oracle was solved by the Troezen king Pittheus, who realized that power in Athens would belong to the descendants of Aegeus, and, having given the guest a drink, put him to bed with his daughter Ephra. On the same night, Poseidon became close to her, or had coupled with her the day before on the island of Spheros. Thus, the son born by Ephra had (as befits a great hero) two fathers - the earthly Aegeus and the divine Poseidon. Born in the town of Genetliy near the harbor of Kelenderis.

Labors of Theseus

Leaving Ephra, Aegeus asked to raise his future son, without naming his father, and left him his sword and sandals, placing them under a large stone, so that, having matured, Theseus, wearing his father’s sandals and with his sword, would go to Athens to Aegeus, but so that no one knew about it, since Aegeus was afraid of the machinations of the Pallantids (children of Pallant's younger brother), who claimed power because of Aegeus' childlessness. Ephra hides the true origin of Theseus and Pittheus spread the rumor that the boy was born from Poseidon (the most revered god in Troezen). When Theseus grew up, Ephra revealed to him the secret of his birth and ordered him, taking Aegeus’ things, to go to Athens to his father.

Even before leaving Troezen, Theseus, having become a young man, dedicated a lock of hair in front, like an abantha, to the god Apollo in Delphi, thereby, as it were, entrusting himself to the god and concluding an alliance with him. This type of haircut was called “Theseeev”. When he was sixteen years old, he took out his father’s sandals and sword from under the stone. The Rock of Theseus (formerly the altar of Zeus Sphenius) was located on the way from Troezen to Epidaurus.

Theseus did not go to Athens the easy way - by sea, but by land, through the Isthmus of Corinth, along a particularly dangerous road, where robbers and descendants of monsters lay in wait for travelers on the way from Megara to Athens. On the way, Theseus defeated and killed:

The robber Periphetus, son of Hephaestus, killed travelers with a copper club.
The robber Sinis (nicknamed the Pine Bender), who lived in a pine grove and dealt with travelers by tying them to two bent pine trees.
Crommyon pig,
The robber Skiron, who forced travelers to wash his feet at the cliff and kicked them into the abyss, where the unfortunates were eaten by a giant turtle.
The robber Kerkion, who forced travelers to fight to the death.
The robber Damastus (nicknamed Procrustes).

In Athens, King Aegeus fell under the power of the sorceress Medea, who found shelter with him and hoped that her son from Aegeus, Mede, would receive the right to the throne.

There is a story about how Theseus arrived in Athens when the temple of Apollo Delphinius was being built, and the workers mockingly called him a girl, then he threw a cart, showing his strength. Theseus came to Athens as a liberator from monsters, a beautiful young hero, but was not recognized by Aegeus, to whom Medea instilled fears of the stranger and forced him to drug the young man with poison. During the meal, Theseus pulled out his sword to cut the meat. The father recognized his son and threw away the cup of poison.

Theseus also had to contend with 50 Pallantides whom he ambushed. Having exterminated his cousins ​​and expelled their allies, Theseus established himself as the son and heir of the Athenian king.

Travel to Crete

Came to Athens on Kronion 8 (hecatombeon) (end of July), munichion 6 (end of April) sailed, entered the city upon return on pianepsion 7 (end of October). Theseus glorified himself as a worthy heir to royal power during the clash of Athens with the Cretan king Minos, who demanded tribute of 7 boys and 7 girls every ninth year as atonement for the death of his son Androgeus. Under Theseus, tribute was sent for the third time (see Companions and companions of Theseus). According to other versions, either 7 people every year, or 14 every 7 years.

When Minos came for the third time for tribute, Theseus decided to go to Crete himself to measure his strength with the monstrous Minotaur, to whose devouring the victims were doomed. According to Hellanicus, there was no lot, and Minos himself arrived in Athens and chose Theseus.

The ship set off under a black sail, but Theseus took with him a spare white one, under which he was supposed to return home after defeating the monster. On the way to Crete, Theseus proved to Minos his descent from Poseidon by retrieving from the bottom of the sea a ring thrown by Minos. Theseus and his companions were placed in a labyrinth, where Theseus killed the Minotaur. Theseus and his companions emerged from the labyrinth thanks to the help of Ariadne, who fell in love with Theseus. According to the version, he escaped from the labyrinth thanks to the radiance emitted by Ariadne's crown. At night, Theseus with the Athenian youth and Ariadne secretly fled to the island of Naxos. Theseus, caught there by a storm, not wanting to take Ariadne to Athens, left her while she was sleeping. However, Ariadne was kidnapped by Dionysus, who was in love with her. According to a number of mythographers, Theseus was forced to leave Ariadne on the island because Dionysus appeared to him in a dream and said that the girl should belong to him.

On Crete, Daedalus taught Theseus and his companions a sacred dance. Returning from Crete, he organized competitions in Delos in honor of Apollo and crowned the winners with a palm wreath. He dedicated to Apollo the xoan of Aphrodite, the work of Daedalus, which Ariadne captured from Crete.

Theseus went further, forgetting to change the sails, which caused the death of Aegeus, who threw himself into the sea when he saw the black sail and thereby became convinced of the death of his son. According to legend, this is why the sea is called the Aegean. There is also a version that Minos made sacrifices to the gods and the god Apollo managed to create a sudden storm that carried away the “victorious” white sail - that is why Theseus was forced to return under the black sail and the long-standing curse of Aegeus was accomplished. According to Simonides, Aegeus gave not a white, but a “purple sail, colored by the juice of the flowers of a branchy oak.” The Athenians kept the 30-oar ship of Theseus until the time of Demetrius of Phalerum. Returning from Crete, Theseus erected a temple to Artemis Sotera in Troezen. The ship of Theseus, according to legend, was kept in Athens until the era of Demetrius of Phalerus, the fact of its storage giving rise to the paradox of the same name.

Other exploits of Theseus

Established government and democracy in 1259/58 BC. e.

According to some, he organized the Isthmian Games in honor of Melicert.

Poseidon promised him to grant him three wishes.

According to the Athenian version, at the head of the Athenian army he defeated the Thebans of Creon, who refused to hand over the corpses of the fallen.

Together with Hercules he participated in the campaign for the belt of the Amazons.

Theseus took part in the Calydonian hunt. Some authors name him among the Argonauts, which is doubtful, since Theseus's stepmother was Medea, the ex-wife of the Argonaut leader Jason.

He took part in the battle with the centaurs who were rampaging at the wedding of Pirithous, Theseus’s closest friend. Signs of friendship between Theseus and Pirithous are buried near the Hollow Chalice in Colonus. But he was not among the Argonauts, since at that time he helped Pirithous get the goddess of the kingdom of the dead, Persephone, as his wife. By this act, Theseus crossed the limit of what was possible, established by the gods for heroes, and thereby became a disobedient and daring hero. He would have remained in Hades, where he was forever chained to the rock of Pirithous, if not for Hercules, who saved Theseus and sent him to Athens. Hercules freed him from Hades, and part of his seat remained on the rock.

An equally daring act of Theseus was his abduction of Helen, who was recaptured by her brothers and later became the cause of the Trojan War. Having taken Helen as his wife, Theseus built a temple to Aphrodite Nymphia in the region of Troezen. Returning from his trip to the kingdom of Hades, he found the throne occupied by Menestheus.

Theseus was forced to go into exile, unable to pacify his enemies. When the Athenians drove him away, he went to Crete to Deucalion, but due to the winds he was brought to Skyros. He secretly transported the children to Euboea, and he himself, having cursed the Athenians, sailed to the island of Skyros, where Theseus’s father once had land. But the king of Skyros, Lycomedes, not wanting to part with his land, treacherously killed Theseus by pushing him off a cliff. Theseus was buried on Skyros.

A separate plot is the story of how Phaedra, the wife of Theseus, having fallen in love with her stepson Hippolytus, unsuccessfully persuaded him to love. Unable to get Hippolytus, she slandered him to his father, after which Theseus cursed his son and he died. Then Phaedra hanged herself, and Theseus learned the truth.

Historical prototype

Eusebius of Caesarea in his chronography calls Theseus the 10th king of Athens, who reigned 30 years after Aegeus from 1234 to 1205. BC e. Plutarch, in his biography of Theseus, provides evidence of the real existence of such an ancient king in Athens. Many details were taken by Plutarch from Philochorus, an author of the 3rd century. BC e.

During the reign of Theseus, the Athenians killed the son of Minos Androgeus, for which Athenian boys had to pay tribute to Crete. However, Theseus himself went to the competition established by Minos in memory of his deceased son, and defeated the strongest of the Cretans, the Minotaur, in the fight, as a result of which the boys’ tribute was canceled.

Theseus gathered the Athenians, who lived scattered throughout their country, into a single community, and became the actual founder of Athens. Here is how Plutarch (“Theseus”) writes about it:

“He gathered all the inhabitants of Attica, making them a single people, citizens of one city, whereas before they were scattered, it was difficult to convene them, even if it was about the common good, and often discord and real wars flared up between them. Going around dem after dem and clan after clan, he explained his plan everywhere, ordinary citizens and the poor quickly bowed to his admonitions, and to influential people he promised a state without a king, a democratic system that would give him, Theseus, only the place of a military leader and guardian of the laws, for the rest, he will bring equality to everyone - and he managed to persuade some, while others, fearing his courage and power, which by that time were already considerable, preferred to yield with kindness rather than submit to coercion. (...) He erected a single prytaneia and council house common to all in the current old part of the city, calling the city Athens (...)

In an effort to further enlarge the city, Theseus called everyone into it, offering citizenship rights (...) But he did not allow the disorderly crowds of settlers to cause confusion and disorder in the state - he for the first time identified the classes of nobles, landowners and artisans, and left it to the nobles to judge the worship of God , occupy the highest positions, as well as teach laws and interpret divine and human institutions, although in general he seemed to equalize all three classes among themselves (...) That Theseus, according to Aristotle, was the first to show favor to the common people and renounce autocracy , apparently, is evidenced by Homer, who in his “List of Ships” calls only the Athenians “people.”

Theseus kidnapped one of the Amazons, Antiope, because of which the Amazons invaded Attica, and only with great difficulty did the Athenians defeat the warriors. After the death of Antiope, Theseus took Phaedra as his wife and had a son, Hippolytus, with her. Then Theseus, already over 50 years old, and his friends went to Epirus for the daughter of the king of the Molossians (an Epirus tribe), where he was captured and thrown into prison. When he was able to return to Athens, he found a dissatisfied people, incited against him by Menestheus. Having been defeated in the fight against his enemies, Theseus retired to the island of Skyros, and died there, either killed by the king of Skyros, Lycomedes, or simply falling off a rocky cliff.

According to Eusebius, Theseus was expelled from Athens by ostracism, a rule against tyranny, which he was the first to introduce as a law. Menestheus took the Athenian throne.

Veneration in Attica

The cult of Theseus, as a heroic ancestor, existed in Attica. A special surge in it in the historical era occurred after the appearance of the king’s shadow at the Battle of Marathon, which is believed to have helped the Greeks win.

Theseus (Theseus, Theseus), Greek - the son of the Athenian king Aegeus or the god of the sea Poseidon and the Troezen princess Efra, an Athenian hero and king.

Theseus was one of the greatest heroes of Greek myths and rightly takes second place after, with whom he had a strong friendship. This friendship between the Ionian Theseus and the Doryan Hercules symbolized the unity of the Greeks, and Greek artists willingly reminded their fellow countrymen of this, especially politicians from hostile poleis (city-states). As an example, let us cite the relief of Phidias, depicting the joint struggle of Theseus and Hercules with the Amazons; this relief adorned the throne of the statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the “seven wonders of the world.”

The most detailed biography of Theseus was created by Plutarch, who at the beginning of the 2nd century. n. e. brought together ancient myths that often contradicted each other, especially chronologically. The father of Theseus was officially considered the Athenian king Aegeus, a descendant of the founder of Athens Cecrops, and less officially, but all the more often, the god of the sea Poseidon. His mother Efra was either the wife of Aegeus, or just his beloved. Through Ephra's father, the Troezenian king Pittheus, Theseus could trace his origins back to the conqueror of the Peloponnese, Pelops. The genealogy, of course, is not as impressive as that of Hercules, whose generally accepted father was Zeus himself, but it is quite suitable for the role intended for Theseus in myth. (By the way, there are many sons of Zeus born to mortal women, but not all of them left a bright mark on the myths.)

Stills from the film “War of the Gods. Immortals" (2011)

The first labors of Theseus

So, Theseus was born in Troezen (see the article “Pittheus”), on the northeastern coast of Argolis, and spent his childhood and youth there. Before returning to Athens, where his duties as a monarch called him, Aegeus left his newborn son only a sword and sandals. Aegeus placed these objects, by which he hoped to identify his son when he came to him in Athens, under a huge stone. At the age of sixteen, Theseus, who had grown into a beautiful, brave and powerful young man, superior to his peers in all respects, easily rolled away the heavy stone and went to his father. By sea it was possible to reach Athens by ship in a day, but Theseus chose a longer and more dangerous route by land. He wanted to see the world and, if possible, accomplish some kind of feat so that, so to speak, he would not come empty-handed to Athens, where he would eventually become king. Such an opportunity presented itself to him already on the border of Troezen and Epidaurus, where the lame giant Periphetus lived, who had the cruel habit of killing travelers with an iron club. Theseus weaned him from this habit in a very effective way and moved on. On the Isthmian (Corinthian) Isthmus, he pacified another cruel robber, Sinis. In Crommion, Theseus killed, at the request of the peasants, a huge gray pig that was ravaging their fields; or rather, it was not just a pig, but a real monster, born of Typhon and Echidna. Theseus delivered the Megarian region from the robber Skiron, the Eleusinian region from the bloodthirsty giant Kerkion, and already in Attica itself, near the Kephisus River, he was met by the robber Damastus, nicknamed Procrustes, that is, “The Puller.” All these villains, who instilled fear in the local population and travelers between Troezen and Athens, are described in the corresponding articles, but here we would like to draw attention to the way Theseus dealt with them: Theseus did with each of them exactly as he did with their victims, and there is something in this, in any case, the educational, edifying effect of this method is undeniable, since since then, after the actions of Theseus, the path between the Peloponnese and Attica became free and safe for merchants and wanderers.

Theseus's fight for his father Aeneas in Athens

Arriving in Athens, Theseus went straight to the royal palace. The elderly Aegeus did not recognize his son, but he was recognized by the sorceress Medea, who ingratiated herself into the king’s trust by promising to restore his youth if he married her. Medea immediately realized that Theseus’s arrival threatened her plans, and persuaded Aegeus to poison the stranger. However, at the feast, Aegeus accidentally noticed Theseus's sword, then looked at his sandals - and hastened to overturn the cup of poisoned wine. Having embraced Theseus, he introduced him to the people as his successor, and expelled Medea.

However, the rejoicing in the Aegean palace did not last long. Fifty sons of Pallant, brother of Aegeus, with a large army approached the city; The Pallantides hoped to take possession of Athens after the death of Aegeus, but with the appearance of Theseus their hopes disappeared. Theseus led the defense of the city, scouted out the location of the enemy forces, found out that an ambush was being prepared for him, and in a brave night raid he killed half of the Pallantides located in ambush. The remaining brothers took to their heels, and Theseus set off to meet new exploits.

At that time, a huge bull was rampaging in Attica, killing people and destroying crops in the fields. He was delivered to Greece from Crete by Hercules, fulfilling the next order of Eurystheus (see the seventh labor of Hercules). Eurystheus wanted to keep the bull for himself, but was frightened by its ferocity and released it into the wild - to the horror of all Greece. Theseus found a bull in a field near Marathon and killed it. But when he returned to Athens, no one greeted him; the whole city was in mourning.

Theseus and the Minotaur

Theseus, the labyrinth of the Minotaur and Ariadne

For the third time, ambassadors from the Cretan king Minos sailed to Athens for the terrible tribute that Aegeus had to pay every nine years as punishment for the murder of Minos’ son, Androgeus. Once Androgeus won a victory over local athletes at the Athenian games, and the irritated Aegeus killed him. As an expiatory tribute, the Athenians sent seven girls and seven boys to Crete, and Minos gave them to be devoured by the monstrous Minotaur, locked in the Knossos labyrinth. It was believed that Athens could only be saved from this tribute by the death of the Minotaur. Despite the resistance of Aegeus, Theseus voluntarily included himself in the list of young people sent to be devoured by the Minotaur, as he considered it his duty to kill the monster. Sailing to Crete under black mourning sails, Theseus promised his father, if successful, to raise white sails upon his return.

When the ship landed in Crete, Minos asked Theseus who his father was. Theseus replied that if Minos is the son of Zeus, then he himself, Theseus, is the son of Poseidon, the brother of Zeus. Minos immediately took the gold ring off his finger and threw it into the sea: if Theseus is telling the truth, let Poseidon help him find the ring. Theseus passed this test: Poseidon's wife Amphitrite willingly handed him the ring, and the surprised Minos received it back.

This test was, of course, child’s play compared to what awaited Theseus, but subsequent events confirmed the ancient saying “Fate helps the brave” - at first sight, Minos’ daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and secretly gave him two gifts: a sword for a duel with the Minotaur and a ball of thread.

When Theseus, along with the rest of the Athenian youths and girls, was taken into the labyrinth, he ordered them to hide at the entrance, handed them the end of the ball and, unwinding it, went along the intricate network of corridors to the very heart of the labyrinth, where the Minotaur was waiting for him. With a terrible roar, the monster rushed forward to pierce him with its huge horns, but Theseus dodged. Theseus contrasted the dull strength and blind rage of the Minotaur with dexterity and ingenuity. Finally, seizing the moment, he literally took the bull by the horns and pierced its chest with a sword. Winding up the thread, Theseus got out of the labyrinth, led his comrades to the exit, where Ariadne was already waiting for them, and hurried to the ship.

Flight of Theseus and Ariadne from Minos

While his companions were launching and equipping the ship, Theseus made holes in the bottoms of all the Cretan ships in the harbor. This allowed them to escape Minos' pursuit. Hurrying home to the north, they made a stop on the island of Naxos to replenish their water supply and refresh themselves with a short sleep. In the morning they continued their journey - but without Ariadne. At night, the god Dionysus appeared to Theseus in a dream and ordered him to leave Ariadne on the island, since she was destined for Dionysus as his wife; Obeying God, Theseus left the sleeping Ariadne. According to another version, Theseus left her on the island, forgetting about her in a hurry. (But there was another version: Theseus simply got rid of Ariadne, not wanting to marry her, since he liked her younger sister Phaedra. Be that as it may, Ariadne really became the wife of Dionysus, and Theseus subsequently married Phaedra.)

After another short stop at Delos, Theseus headed straight for Athens. In constant haste, fearing the pursuit of Minos' ships, and perhaps tormented by remorse because of Ariadne, Theseus forgot to replace the black sails on the mast with white ones. Aegeus, who was waiting for his son, at the sight of the black sails, decided that Theseus had died, and in despair he threw himself off the cliff into the sea, which has since been called the Aegean.

Still from the cartoon “Labyrinth. The Exploits of Theseus" (USSR, 1971)

Theseus - reign in Athens

Theseus became the king of Athens. He ruled wisely and fairly, but he was haunted by the thirst for new exploits, and he did not miss a single opportunity to distinguish himself. He took part in the campaign of the Argonauts, in the Calydonian hunt, in the war of Hercules with the Amazons. From all these campaigns he returned with glory, and from the last one also with his wife: during the division of the captive Amazons, Hercules gave Theseus their beautiful and brave leader Antiope, and Theseus married her. Antiope fell in love with her husband, and when the Amazons invaded Athens to free her, she fought alongside Theseus and died in battle.

Theseus tried to dispel the sadness of his beloved wife with labor. He built walls around Athens, decorated the city with new buildings, gave the Athenian people laws and taught them to govern themselves. Theseus wanted his city to live in peace and rejected aggressive wars. But when the king of the Lapiths, Pirithous, provoked him to war, he did not hesitate to oppose him and challenge him to a duel. Having found out in battle that their forces were equal, Theseus offered peace and friendship to Pirithous. The Treaty of Friendship was concluded because the balance of power does not lead to war, but ensures peace. For Athens, this agreement was beneficial, but Theseus’s friendship with the reckless Pirithous brought disaster.

One example of Pirithous’s recklessness was his wedding with Hippodamia, to which he invited all the famous heroes of Greece, including Hercules and Theseus, but for greater originality, he also invited his wild neighbors, the centaurs, half-humans, half-horses. And this was already a serious mistake: after all, everyone knows that decent people should be invited, and not half-breasts. Having drunk to a purely bestial state, the centaurs attacked the women present, including the bride; the heroes rushed to the rescue, but at first they had a hard time, since they were all unarmed; many of them were injured, some were killed, such as Kenei (see article). In the end, most of the centaurs were killed, the rest fled to the mountains (see "Centaurs").

Theseus and Pirithous in the Underworld of Hades

Returning to Athens, Theseus decided to marry Ariadne's sister, Phaedra, but this marriage was unsuccessful, since Phaedra fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and Antiope, and the matter ended with the death of Hippolytus and Phaedra's suicide (see related articles). At the same time, Pirithous also became a widower and invited Theseus to unite in a joint search for new wives.

Both were attracted to the beautiful Helen of Sparta (who later sparked the Trojan War) and kidnapped her, even though Helen was only 12 years old at the time. Since true friends would never quarrel over a woman, they decided to draw Elena by lot, so that the one who won Elena would help the loser to get himself a wife according to his taste.

Theseus won and took Helen to Athens, and Pirithous declared that Theseus should help him bring Persephone, the wife of the ruler of this kingdom Hades, from the afterlife - it was her that Pirithous wanted to marry. Theseus tried in vain to dissuade him, but Pirithous stood his ground, and Theseus, bound by this word, had to accompany him to the kingdom of Hades. Oddly enough, Hades greeted them warmly, calmly listened to Pirithous and invited both friends to wait in the hallway - he supposedly should still think about whether to separate from his wife or not. But as soon as Pirithous and Theseus sat down in the stone chairs, they immediately grew attached to their cold stone. Pirithous never rose from his frozen throne, but Theseus was rescued by Hercules after a long time. However, meanwhile, Helen was taken away from Athens by her brothers Castor and Polydeuces, and at the same time Theseus’s mother, Ephra, was taken into captivity and slavery, the city walls were demolished and power over Athens was transferred to Theseus’s worst enemy - his relative Menestheus.

Theseus at the end of his life

After returning from the afterlife, the greatest Athenian hero turned into a pathetic outcast. The path to Athens was forbidden to him, so he went to the island of Euboea, where he owned some lands. Theseus hoped to find his sons Demophon and Acamant there and, with their help, regain the Athenian throne. But after the insult inflicted on Hades, the brother of the king of the gods Zeus, the gods and happiness turned away from Theseus, and now neither courage nor strength could help him.

Theseus died ingloriously: Lycomedes, king of the island of Skyros, coveted the last lands that belonged to Theseus, and invited him to his place to discuss controversial issues. Seizing the moment while walking, Lycomedes pushed Theseus from a high cliff into the sea.

So, Theseus, the son of the god of the sea, found death in the waves of the sea - but found immortality in myths, in the memory of the Greeks from ancient times to the present day, in works of literature and art of ancient and modern times.

Actor Henry Keville as Theseus with the Epirus Bow (Immortals, 2011)

Theseus in history and art

The most detailed biography of Theseus was written, as mentioned above, by Plutarch: he opened with it his “Comparative Lives” of outstanding Greeks and Romans. All subsequent authors, in whose works Theseus appeared as the main character or as one of the main characters, drew information from this biography: in Sophocles’ “Theseus” (only fragments have survived), in his “Phaedrus”, in Euripides’ “Hippolytus”, in epillia of Callimachus “Hekala” (that was the name of the old woman who provided Theseus with good advice on the eve of his fight with the Marathon bull; in memory of Hekal Theseus established a special holiday - hekalesia). Ovid and Catullus dedicated their poems to Theseus. Virgil talks about him in the Aeneid.

Already in the 20th century. Theseus became the main character of the drama by I. Magen (1909), the play by A. Gide (1946) and the dramatic poem by Kazantzakis. The opera “Theseus” was written by Handel in 1713, “The Liberation of Theseus” in 1927 by Milhaud, and the ballet “Theseus in the Labyrinth” in 1957 by Mihalovich.

Theseus is depicted on more than 600 antique vases, not counting 17 so-called "cyclic vases" depicting all of Theseus's exploits on one vase. A small copy of the statue of Myron “Theseus and the Minotaur” (5th century BC) has been preserved. The "Labours of Theseus" are depicted next to the Labors of Hercules in the Athenian treasury at Delphi (after 490 BC). The relief metope “Theseus fighting a centaur” adorned the southern frieze of the Parthenon from the 5th century. BC e. until the end of the 18th century, when she was taken to England; metope “Theseus fighting the Amazons” on the frieze of the Temple of Apollo in Bassae (5th century BC) in the 19th century. I also ended up in England. Of the sculptures of the classical period, only the metopes of the “Labours of Theseus” on the Athenian Theseion (450-440 BC) remained in place.

European artists paid attention to Theseus only after the Renaissance. Among the first large canvases, we note Poussin’s painting “Theseus Finds His Father’s Sword” (c. 1650), from works of the 20th century. - “The Return of Theseus” by Shima (1933) and “Theseus in Battle with the Amazons” by Kokoschka (1958). In the sculpture we note at least two authors: Canova (“TESE and the Minotaur”, 1781-1783; “TESE kills the centaur”, 1800) and Bari (“Theseus kills the centaur” and “Theseus in battle with the centaur”, 1850-1860).

Athenian king Theseus as a historical figure

More than any other hero, the Greeks considered Theseus a historical figure. The Athenian statesman and commander Kimon did not hesitate to go to Skyros in 469 BC. e., to bring his remains from there. What Cimon considered to be the remains of Theseus (along with his spear and sword), he took to Athens and buried with all honors. The Athenians credited Theseus with the unification of Attica, the first constitution of Athens, and the formation of the foundations of Athenian democracy. According to Plutarch, Theseus sought to ensure that Athens was ruled not by a king, but by the people, and the king would be only a commander and guardian of the law, while everyone else would be free. Thus, in the eyes of the Athenians, Theseus, in fact, was the founder of their city.

For a long time, the Athenians paid Theseus almost divine honors. It is characteristic that the best preserved ancient temple under the Acropolis was originally dedicated to Hephaestus, then during Christianity they forgot about it and the Athenians began to attribute it to Theseus. And although it was later dedicated to the Christian Saint George, the Athenians stubbornly continued to call the temple Theseion (in the modern Greek version its name sounds like Thision).