Theseus

An Epic Hero By Cielle Theseus was born to Aethra and was fathered by Aegus, had super strength, and defeated many monsters making him an epic hero of Greece. (Graves 61).An epic hero is “a larger than life figure who undertakes great journeys and performs deeds requiring remarkable strength and cunning.” Theseus was the definition of epic hero. His main pleasure was adventure, and he seeked it constantly. When he was adventuring to new lands, he brought back tales of beautiful women, hideous demons, and overcoming great difficulties.  Born in Troizen, Theseus was raised by his mother Aethra, and was told that Poseidon, God of the Sea, was his father. When he was a young man, his mother revealed to him that his true father was Aegus, King of Athens. (Philip).She also told Theseus that his father had left gifts for him under a rock in a clearing near their home, and if he could move the rock, he could earn his right to the throne. Using his amazing strength, he moved the rock easily, and found under it a sword with a golden snake pattern inlaid on it, and a pair of sandals. Aethra told Theseus to find his father in Athens,and tell him that he had found the items under a rock. The shorter and safer route was by sea, but being the adventurous boy he was, Theseus decided to go by land. (folklore.greenwood.com).( http://www.mythweb.com/heroes/theseus/index.html). On Theseus’s way to Athens, the first monster he crossed was Periphetes. Periphetes had one eye like a cyclops, and he had a bronze club which he used to kill travelers. Theseus threw a boulder at Periphetes, killed him, and took his club as a souvenir. The next monster he encountered was Sinis. Sinis tied travellers to two pine trees, bent the trees to the ground, and then let the trees go, ripping his victims apart. Theseus tied Sinis to two trees in the same way he had to the travelers, and killed him. The third monster was not a monster but a woman, in the shape of the Crommyonian Sow, or Phaea. Phaea was a wild pig who pillaged the countryside, and in some versions of the story, Theseus killed her with both a sword and spear. Sciron was the next bandit Theseus conquered. He would force passing travellers to wash his feet, and when they bent down, Sciron would kick them off of a cliff, and they would be eaten by a giant sea turtle. Theseus overpowered Sciron, and through him off of the cliff. Cercyon promised anyone who beat him at a wrestling match his kingdom, but he was extremely strong man, and always won and killed the travellers. Theseus did not use his strength, but his mind, to overcome Cercyon. He won the kingdom of Elusis, and also started the sport of wrestling. The final monster Theseus battled was Procrustes. Procrustes had two iron beds, one short and one long, and he invited tired travellers to stay the night in them. If the travellers were short, he would put them in the long bed and hit them with a hammer and stretch their limbs to fit the bed. If they were tall, he would put them in the short bed and cut off their legs or head to fit. Theseus put Procrustes in the short bed, and chopped of his legs and head. He used his immense strength and cunning to help him reach his father. (www.greek-mythology-gods.com/theseus.html). When Theseus finally arrived at Athens, Aegus had no idea who he was. His new wife, Medea, who was a witch, used her sorcery powers and recognized Theseus immediately. ([|www.in2greece.com/english/historymyth/mythology/names/theseus.htm]). She tried to poison Theseus so she could get the kingdom, but Aegus saw the snake pattern on Theseus’s sword, and knocked the cup of poison wine away from his lips, and hugged him. Every year in Athens, seven boys and seven girls were sent to the Minotaur (Minos), the King of Crete, who was part bull, as a sacrifice, and Theseus volunteered himself. He prayed to the goddess Apohrodite for help, and she cast a spell on Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, that made her fall in love with him. Ariadne told Theseus she would help him survive and slay Minos, who lived in a Labrynth, if he promised to marry her. The Labrynth was a maze of twists and turns that only Minos knew, and Theseus agreed. Ariadne gave him a magic ball of string, and told him to tie one end to the door of the Labrynth, and tie the other end to his clothes.(classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/theseus.html). After he slayed the Minotaur, Theseus could find his way out by following the string to the door. They met at the Labryinth at midnight, since that was the only hour that Minos slept. Theseus tied the string to the door and himself, snuck up on the sleeping Minotaur, and slit his throat. He released the prisoners, and met Ariadne outside. They started the sail home, but stopped on the island of Naxos as they needed to eat and drink, and spent the night there. (www.greeka.com/attica/athens/athens-myths/theseus.htm).  While everyone was sleeping, @Dionysus came to Theseus in a dream. He told Theseus that he was madly in love with Ariadne, and told him to leave her on the island in the morning. Theseus agreed, and although he was sad to desert Ariadne, he knew she would be in good hands with Dionysus. ( [|www.greekmythology.com/Myths/The_Myths/Theseus_Adventures/theseus_adventures.html]). Early the next morning, he and his crew set sail. He had promised his father that if he lived, his boats would fly white sails, and if he died, the sails would be black. There had been so much hubbub when they were leaving and sailing, and the crew forgot to change the sails from black to white. Seeing the black sails in the distance, King Aegus was distraught, and killed himself. As soon as their ship arrived back at Athens, Theseus was crowned king.  While Theseus was king, he formed a democratic government. He was known for leading Athens with compassion and loyalty, and he was very insightful. He helped the near city of Thebes when they had civil tumult. He provided burials for the Thebian soldiers when their leader didn’t. He still enjoyed adventures, and on one he ended up on the beaches of the island Lemnos, home to the Amazonian women warriors. A beautiful warrior named Antigone was sent out to find if the intentions of the visitors were good or bad. Theseus fell deeply in love with her the moment he saw her, and brought her back to Athens immediately. He made Antigone his queen, and they had a son, Hippolytus.( www.timelessmyths.com/classical/theseus.html).  The Amazonians were angered that Theseus had taken Antigone, and attacked Athens. Theseus gathered his soldiers together, and counter attacked the warriors. The Amazonians retreated, but Antigone, who was battling her own people by Theseus’s side, had been very badly injured and died. ( [|www.steliart.com/theseus_fights_the_amazons.html] ). After being broken hearted by the love of his life’s death, he became fast friends with Prithious, prince of the Lapiths. One day, they agreed that they should both take a daughter of Zeus as a wife. Theseus chose Helen, and even though she was only twelve at the time, his plan was to keep her safe until the time she could become queen. Theseus and Prithious abducted Helen first, and Theseus sent her to live with his mother, Aethra, still living in Troizen. Sadly for Theseus, Helen’s brothers came and brought her back to Sparta, where they lived. ( []).

Theseus was married again, to Phaedra, the sister of Ariadne. She bore two children to Theseus, Demophone and Acamas. His other son, Hippolytus, had grown into a strapping young lad, and he decided to become devoted to the god Artemis, instead of following in the footsteps of his father, who was a devotee to @Aphrodite. Aphrodite took this very personally and was extremely hurt, and as revenge, she made Phaedra fall deeply in love with her stepson. When Hippolytus warded off his stepmother’s attempts of seduction, she became beside herself with grief, and committed suicide. She wrote a letter to Theseus, telling him she had killed herself because Hippolytus tried to rape her. Theseus’s blood began to boil, and he begged Poseidon to punish his son. Poseidon sent a monster that scared the horses who were carrying Hippolytus’s chariot, and the young man was dragged by the reins. Meanwhile, Theseus found out the truth about Phaedra, and came to save his son. He found Hippolytus almost dead, and in the arms of his father, he perished. This event lead Theseus into a state of depression. (www.greeka.com/attica/athens/athens-myths/theseus.htm). Theseus was in such a dark state of mind, he was losing popularity among his people. His acts of greatness and heroism were long forgotten, and riots had broken out among the Athenians. Theseus, gave up his throne and moved to an island called[| Lycomedes]. The king of Lycomedes suspected that Theseus would try to rule his land, and pushed him off of the top of a mountain into the ocean, murdering one of the noblest kings in all the history of Athens. (www.greeka.com/attica/athens/athens-myths/theseus.htm).  Being an epic hero wasn’t always easy, but Theseus handled it as best he could. In my own words, I defined a hero as someone who puts others before himself, tries to do the best he can, and helps his community. Theseus achieves all of these things. He fights off monsters for the better of other people, provides proper burials for people that are not his own, and he used his skill as well as his strength to achieve goals. Theseus also made wrestling a popular sport, one that is still performed today. He made mistakes, but held himself responsible for them, and tried to make things right. If all rulers today were like Theseus, we would live in a much more rewarding world.

=Works Cited = Books:

Graves, Robert. "Chapter 16: Theseus." //Greek Gods and Heroes.// Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1960. 62-69. Print.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ardagh, Philip. //Ancient Greek Myths and Legends//. Parsippany, NJ: Dillon, 1999. Print.

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Websites:

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> Skidmore, Joel. "Theseus." //Greek Mythology//. 1997. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.mythweb.com/heroes/theseus/index.html>.`

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">Brumble, H. David. "Classical Myths and Legends in the Middle Ages and Renaissance: Theseus." //Http://folklore.greenwood.com//. ABC-CLIO. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://folklore.greenwood.com/wff.aspx?k=6&x=GR9451&bc=DBFL1632&p=GR9451-3044&tab=f&id=2&u=#hit>.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">// Dryden, John. "The Internet Classics Archive | Theseus by Plutarch." //The Internet Classics Archive: 441 Searchable Works of Classical Literature//. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. <http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/theseus.html>.//

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">// Churchill, Justin. "Theseus." //Encyclopedia Mythica: Mythology, Folklore, and Religion.//Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/theseus.html>.//

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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">// "Greek Sandals." //TTS: Educational Supplies for Schools, Nurseries & Childminders//. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.tts-group.co.uk/shops/tts/Products/PD1721297/Greek-Sandals/>.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">// "The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur." //Greek Myths - Greek Mythology//. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/myth-of-theseus-and-minotaur/>.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">// "Greek Mythology Reference - Procrustes." //Welcome//. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://www.groseducationalmedia.ca/greekm/mythproc.html>.//

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">// Harrsch, Mary. "Kimon and the Sea Raids of the Delian League." //Passionate about History//. 29 June 2008. Web. 15 Dec. 2011. <http://passionateabouthistory.blogspot.com/2008/06/kimon-and-sea-raids-of-delian-league.html>.