Theseus

Theseus's father, Aegeus, is an Athenian king who leaves Theseus and his mother in her home in
southern Greece. Before Aegeus leaves, he places a sword and a pair of shoes in a hollow under a heavy
rock. When Theseus is able to move the rock and claim the items beneath, he is strong enough to come
to Athens and claim his father. Theseus travels to Athens by land, believing the sea route is too easy. He
encounters bandits on the journey and kills them all, dispatching each bandit using the same method
the bandit used to kill his own victims.

For ridding the land of bandits, Theseus receives a hero's welcome in Athens and is invited to dine with
the king. Aegeus does not yet know Theseus is his son and plans to poison him at dinner—an idea
planted by Medea, who has gained influence over Aegeus after leaving Jason. She does not want her
influence threatened by Aegeus's son. When Theseus draws his sword, Aegeus recognizes it and dashes
the poisoned cup to the ground. Aegeus announces Theseus as his son and heir, and Medea flees to
Asia.

Athens lives under constant threat from King Minos of Crete, who has promised to raze the city every
nine years unless Athens sends seven young men and seven young women to Crete each year as a
sacrifice to his Minotaur. The Minotaur is the product of Poseidon's revenge on Minos for refusing to
sacrifice a bull to him. Poseidon inspires Minos's wife, Pasiphaë, to fall in love with the bull, and the
Minotaur is the result—a creature that is half man and half bull. Minos keeps the Minotaur in a
Labyrinth on Crete.

Theseus offers to go to Crete as one of the sacrifices, promising his father he will end the sacrifices, kill
the Minotaur, and return to Athens under a white sail. When Theseus arrives, Minos's daughter Ariadne
falls in love with Theseus at first sight and asks the Labyrinth's builder, Daedalus, to help her provide
Theseus with a means of escape. Theseus attaches a thread inside the Labyrinth's door and unwinds the
ball as he moves through the maze. He finds the Minotaur and kills it with his bare hands, then leads the
young people to be sacrificed out of the Labyrinth by following the thread.

On the return trip to Athens, Ariadne either dies or Theseus abandons her, depending on the version of
the story. Theseus also forgets to raise the white sail, which leads his father Aegeus to believe he has
died, so Aegeus flings himself into the sea in despair. Theseus becomes king of Athens and introduces a
democratic government. His wisdom earns high regard around the world. He assists the nations at war
with Thebes when Thebes will not allow them to bury their dead. He gives the outcast King Oedipus
sanctuary when he is exiled, and he comforts Hercules after he kills his wife and children in a fit of
madness.

Theseus also embraces adventure. He goes to the country of the Amazons and has a son, Hippolytus,
with their queen, known as Antiope or Hippolyta. He sails with the Argonauts on the Quest of the
Golden Fleece. He participates in the Great Calydonian Hunt, an effort to kill a boar "laying waste" to the
country of Calydon and saves the life of a fellow hunter named Pirithoüs, establishing a lifelong
friendship.

At Pirithoüs's wedding feast, Theseus helps defeat a horde of Centaurs who invade the party and try to
kidnap the bride. Later, he goes with Pirithoüs to the underworld when Pirithoüs takes a mind to kidnap
Persephone. The two end up on the Chair of Forgetfulness, but Hercules later rescues Theseus while
Pirithoüs remains behind.

When Theseus marries Ariadne's sister Phaedra, she falls in love with Hippolytus, who takes no notice of
his father's new wife, even when she threatens suicide. Phaedra tells Theseus that Hippolytus "laid
violent hands" on her in her suicide note. Theseus banishes his son, who is mortally wounded by a sea
monster and carried back to Theseus's palace. Artemis tells Theseus the truth, so father and son make
amends before Hippolytus dies. Theseus dies years later at the hands of his friend King Lycomedes, and
the Athenians honor him above all other mortals.

Analysis

Edith Hamilton refers to Theseus as "the great Athenian hero." His story includes elements of the heroic
journey as presented by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, but Theseus engages in
multiple adventures during his lifetime, which changes the course of the cycle for him. Still, like most
heroes, he is born to greatness as the son of the respected king of Greece's most powerful city. Destiny is
an important part of the hero's beginnings, and Theseus claims his birthright by overcoming his first
heroic obstacle: the stone placed over the items his father leaves behind for him. Theseus's moving the
stone to claim the sword underneath may have influenced the Anglo-Saxon legend of King Arthur that
emerged in England centuries later. Arthur proves he is destined to become king by pulling a sword out
of a stone. Theseus then overcomes obstacles to travel to Athens, and when he commits to killing the
Minotaur, he overcomes the obstacles of a sea voyage and the Labyrinth—assisted by the love of a
woman. He returns home to cope with the loss of his father. He ultimately transforms Athens by
introducing the concept of democracy to the city's people (and to the world).

Athens honors Theseus over other heroes because he embodies the ideals held most dear in Athenian
culture. He wields intelligence and reason as readily as muscle or weapons. He certainly has the muscle
and the weapons, and he clearly enjoys adventure. He chooses to travel to Athens by land because the
route will allow him more opportunities to test his strength and distinguish himself as a prince and hero.
Later in life, Theseus's thirst for adventure leads him to assist his friend in a doomed attempt to kidnap
Persephone from Hades. Yet, this episode also reveals Theseus's exceptional loyalty to his friends. A man
as intelligent as Theseus must know the journey to Hades is a fool's errand, which is likely why he does
not want his friend to go alone. Theseus also risks his reputation by showing friendship to Hercules and
Oedipus when they are shamed and exiled, but loyalty transcends the social awkwardness. Theseus's
intelligence allows him to see Hercules and Oedipus as victims of exceptionally bad fortune, not
inherently bad people.

Like his predecessor Perseus, Theseus's heroics are driven by a desire to serve others, but he takes this
concept a step further than Perseus. Perseus served individuals; Theseus serves society as a whole. His
first act of heroism—ridding the countryside of bandits—substantially improves the lives of the citizens in
and around Athens. He volunteers to fight the Minotaur to end the series of human sacrifices Athens
must send to Crete. His reward upon return to Athens is for the people, not himself, as he elects to allow
the citizens to govern themselves. Historically, Athens is recognized as the birthplace of democracy, and
the ancient Athenians were proud of their enlightened system of self-governance. It stands to reason
they would give credit to their most honored hero for creating this system. His reputation is based on
kindness to the downtrodden, fairness in resolving conflict, and commitment to justice rather than might
or wealth. These are the traits Athenians value in their heroes and in themselves.

Still, Theseus is not a flawless hero. For example, his forgetfulness costs his father Aegeus his life, even
though Theseus could not have known his father would despair at the loss of his son to the point of
suicide. While Theseus's exceptional qualities are evident in the women he woos and wins throughout his
life, they also bring him trouble. Ariadne is a princess of a powerful nation, and she falls in love with
Theseus at first sight, which indicates Theseus is physically attractive in addition to his other positive
qualities. Even so, though the stories vary in terms of her fate, he is either unable to save her life or he
consciously abandons her on the trip back to Athens—so, at best, his knowledge and wisdom have limits,
and at worst, he is a scoundrel. Theseus later has a child with an Amazon queen, the ruler of a race of
women whose distinguishing characteristics are their prowess in battle and their dismissal of the
company of men. Theseus's ability to win her heart speaks to his own exceptional traits as a hero, but it
also starts a war in the country around Athens. Finally, Theseus is disturbingly shortsighted in his
devotion to his last wife, Phaedra, accepting her words against his son without question or hesitation, an
unusual choice for a man renowned for his love of truth and sense of justice.