Tales from Greek Myths

12: Adventures of Theseus

Birth of Theseus:

Aegeus, king of Athens, was childless. Desiring a heir, he asked an oracle for advice. Her words were "Do not loosen the bulging mouth of the wineskin until you have reached the height of Athens, lest you die of grief." Aegeus did not understand the prophecy and was disappointed. He asked the advice of his host Pittheus, king of Troezen. Pittheus understood the prophecy, got Aegeus drunk, and gave Aegeus his daughter Aethra.

Following the instructions of Athena in a dream, Aethra left the sleeping Aegeus. She went across to the island of Sphairia where Poseidon raped her. After Aethra became pregnant, Aegeus decided to return to Athens. Before leaving, however, he buried his sandals and sword under a huge rock and told Aethra that when their son grew up, he should move the rock, if he were heroic enough, and take the tokens for himself as evidence of his royal parentage.

 Theseus was raised in his mother's land. When Theseus grew up and became a brave young man, he moved the rock and recovered his father's tokens. His mother then told him the truth about his father's identity and that he must take the sword and sandals back to king to claim his birthright.

The Marathonian Bull:

When Theseus arrived at Athens, he did not reveal his true identity immediately. Aegeus gave him hospitality but was suspicious of the young, powerful stranger's intentions. Aegeus's second wife Medea  recognised Theseus immediately as Aegeus' son and worried that Theseus would be chosen as heir to Aegeus' kingdom instead of her son Medus. She tried to arrange to have Theseus killed by asking him to capture the Marathonian Bull.

The Marathonian Bull was bigger and powerful then any other regular bull but still it was no match for the demigod. When Theseus returned victorious to Athens, where he sacrificed the Bull, Medea tried to poison him. At the last second, Aegeus recognized the sandals and the sword, and knocked the poisoned wine cup from Theseus's hand. Thus father and son were reunited, and Medea, it was said, fled to Asia.

Battle with the Minotaur:

Minos, king of Crete had waged war against Athens and had successfully captured it. He then demanded that every year seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls were to be sent to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster that lived in the Labyrinth(Maze) created by Daedalus.

Theseus took place of one of the seven Athenian boys and promised his father that he would end this madness. Like the others, Theseus was stripped of his weapons when they sailed. On his arrival in Crete, Ariadne, King Minos' daughter, fell in love with the godlike Theseus and, on the advice of Daedalus, gave him a ball of thread, so he could find his way out of the Labyrinth.

That night, Ariadne escorted Theseus to the Labyrinth, and Theseus promised that if he returned from the Labyrinth he would take Ariadne with him. As soon as Theseus entered the Labyrinth, he tied one end of the ball of string to the door post and pulled out his sword which he had kept hidden from the guards. Theseus followed Daedalus' instructions given to Ariadne; go forwards, always down and never left or right. Theseus came to the heart of the Labyrinth and saw the sleeping Minotaur. 

The Minotaur woke up and jumped to attack him. Theseus quickly overpowered the Minotaur and tackled him to the ground. Theseus finally cut his throat open with his sword, finally killing the beast.  Theseus used the string to escape the Labyrinth and managed to escape with all of the young Athenians and Ariadne as well.