theseus story summary

On this island, King Minos had a pet called a Minotaur. But Lycomedes, king of Scyros, killed Theseus by casting him into the sea from the top of a cliff. Mythology Summary and Analysis of Theseus Theseus is the great Athenian hero. A contemporization of the original Greek myth, 'Theseus' uses the story's ancient symbols to revive the importance of inward reflection through the narrative of a delinquent youth who reconciles with the memory of his grandfather in a rundown automotive shop. Hermia … Then from a cliff he flung the wicked Sciron, who had kicked his guests into the sea while they were washing his feet. His father Aegeus is king of Athens, but Theseus grows up in southern Greece with his mother. A Brief Summary: Because of a past wrong, Athens is forced to ship off young people to Crete every few years. Theseus and the Minotaur: plot summary In the vast Labyrinth on the island of Crete, built by the cunning Daedalus for King Minos, there dwelt the Minotaur: a man with the head and tail of a bull. A Minotaur is half man, half bull. Among other things, the tale helped to inspire the central premise of one of the most popular series of dystopian novels and films of the twenty-first century (of which more below). Theseus, great hero of Attic legend, son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Aethra, daughter of Pittheus, king of Troezen (in Argolis), or of the sea god, Poseidon, and Aethra. Hippolyta was the fabled queen of the Amazons, a nation of … Minos’ monstrous son, the Minotaur, lives in a labyrinth beneath the palace. Summary: Chapter II — Theseus. He argues that the poet "gives to airy nothing / A local habitation and a name," a trick performed by strong imaginations. Hamilton’s account of Theseus, the greatest hero of Athens, again draws upon Apollodorus, but it also stitches together details from other writers, some as early as Sophocles. Theseus, however, felt no fear of the brutes. As the story goes ... Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a king named Minos. King Minos … The story is told by Theseus, looking back on his life from his vantage point as an adult. Theseus, a genuine Greek hero of the Mythology and Minotaur, one of the most devastating and terrifying monsters are the main protagonists of a myth that involves gods and monsters, heroes and kings and two of the main city–states in the Hellenic world: Athens and Crete. She fell in love with the Athenian hero Theseus and, with a thread or glittering jewels, helped him escape the Labyrinth after he slew the Minotaur, a beast half bull and half man that Minos kept in the Labyrinth. Theseus, Prince of Athens, decides to … Theseus and the Minotaur | Ancient Greek Mythology Stories |The Minotaur and the Labyrinth of Crete. Theseus' famous speech from Act V also appears to denigrate the poet's imaginative faculty by aligning him with lovers and madmen. At the Isthmus of Corinth he killed Sinis, called the Pine Bender because he killed his victims by tearing them apart between two pine trees. Task Question. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Theseus killing the Minotaur, detail of a vase painting by the Kleophrades Painter, 6th century. Legend relates that Aegeus, being childless, was allowed by Pittheus to have a child (Theseus) by Aethra. Aegeus saw the black sail and remembered that this was the signal that his son Theseus was dead, so he jumped off a cliff to his death. Theseus was the mythical king and founder-hero of Athens. When Theseus returned to Athens, he faced an uprising led by Menestheus, a descendant of Erechtheus, one of the old kings of Athens. His mother is a priestess; his father's identity is unknown. Finally Theseus arrived in Athens. A ball of thread is known as a clew or, in an alternative spelling, a clue. Whatever floats your boat, eh? And if he kills the creature he will signal his success by flying a white sail on the return journey. When Theseus reached manhood, Aethra sent him to Athens. When Theseus arrived on Crete, Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos and Pasiphaë, clapped eyes on him and promptly fell in love with the Athenian youth. Enter your email address to subscribe to this site and receive notifications of new posts by email. However, Aegeus had married Medea, the sorceress who fled Corinth after killing Jason’s betroth and her father.Aegeus finally managed to have a son of his own. Later he slew Procrustes, who fitted all comers to his iron bed by hacking or racking them to the right length. To the Isthmian Games in honour of Melicertes (Leucothea), he added games in honour of Poseidon. Corrections? He accomplishes this with the help of Ariadne, who gives him a ball of thread to mark his path in and out of the labyrinth. The palace was named the Labyrinth, a name that has since been applied to countless other mazes, and one film starring David Bowie. Image © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons. Theseus and the other tributes then travelled to Crete and were thrown in the Labyrinth, the palace of the Minotaur. In order to kill the Minotaur, Theseus has to find his way to the center of a labyrinth and back out again. Unfortunately, after Ariadne had helped him to accomplish his task, his abandoned her … because Dionysus made him (in some accounts), or because he was in love with someone else (in other accounts). Is the metal ship of Theseus the same ship as the wooden ship of Theseus? THESEUS & HIPPOLYTA Theseus returning how from his adventure of slaying the Minotaur needed to find a wife and a queen for Athens. Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, also has Ariadne give Theseus a ball of thread. He only traveled a few miles inland before he encountered the first such robber. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Theseus pursued, but when he caught up with him, the two heroes were so filled with admiration for each other that they swore brotherhood. Duke Theseus and Hippolyta are preparing for their wedding, when Egeus arrives with his daughter Hermia, along with Lysander and Demetrius. The story of Theseus and the Minotaur also involves a relationship with a woman. Son of either Aegeus, the king of Athens, or Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Aethra, a princess, Theseus was raised by his mother in the palaces of Troezen. Similarly, although the majority of accounts state that the Minotaur had a bull’s head and a man’s body (putting it at odds with other half-human creatures, such as the centaur), some accounts are less specific: for instance, Ovid simply states that the Minotaur was half man and half bull, without telling us which half was which. There, boys and girls are devoured by the man-eating Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. The Knight begins his tale with the story of Theseus, a prince, who married Hippolyta, the queen of Scythia, and brought her and her sister, Emelye, back to Athens with him after conquering her kingdom of Amazons. Even after she had helped him to defeat the Minotaur, putting herself at risk if her father discovered the truth, he is quick to cut himself loose of her. The Story. The Minotaur will only eat human flesh and every year is fed seven young men from different kingdoms in Greece. Theseus The son of either Poseidon or Aegeus and Aethra, Theseus was widely considered the greatest Athenian hero, the king who managed to politically unify Attica under the aegis of Athens. Now and then, King Minos sent his navy to the tiny village of Athens, across the sea. He was desperate. His father leaves his sword and sandals under a rock for Theseus to find when he is older. Aegeus, however, finally recognized Theseus and declared him heir to the throne. They became prey of the Minotaur in the labyrinth, and Athens escaped further sanctions through their obedience. She asked Daedelus, her husband’s master craftsman, to help her with her dilemma, and he created a heifer made of wood and leather (not a wooden horse, then, but a wooden cow) into which Pasiphaë could climb and then … mate with the bull. Theseus’ most famous adventure was his slaying of the Minotaur of King Minos on Crete. King Minos had everything a king could possibly want. This meant that Aegeus, waiting at the top of the Acropolis for his son to return, saw the black-sailed ship returning and feared that his son was dead. Theseus’s chief festival, called Theseia, was held on the eighth of the month Pyanopsion (October), but the eighth day of every month was also sacred to him. The Minotaur was a man with the head of a bull: the product of a rather twisted coupling between Pasiphaë, Minos’ wife, and a ferocious bull that Poseidon had brought out of the sea so that Minos could sacrifice it to him. Once upon a time, there was a man named King Minos. On his arrival in Athens, Theseus found his father married to the sorceress Medea, who recognized Theseus before his father did and tried to persuade Aegeus to poison him. And, as we’ll reveal in our analysis of the Minotaur story below, there are a number of details in the story – including one of the most famous, the ball of thread – which don’t feature in some tellings of the myth. Before Theseus was born his father Aegeus left Aethra in Troezen of Argolis and returned to Athens before he was born. The novel opens with Theseus as a six-year-old child in the household of his grandfather, King Pittheus of Troizen. Instead of the traditional sea-route, he chose the far more dangerous overland route that was inhabited by bandits and thieves of all sorts. The Minotaur was a scary pet, so King Minos hid him in a maze called a labyrinth. Summaries. As he was leaving his home and setting sail for the island of Crete, his father Aegeus gave young Theseus two sets of sails, one black and one white, instructing his son to mount the black sails onto his ship as he sailed away (to reflect the solemn nature of his voyage) and telling him that, if he was successful, he should mount the white sails on his voyage home, so Aegeus would see the ship approaching and know his son had been successful in killing the Minotaur. This mythic story, by the way, inspired Suzanne Collins’s idea of ‘tributes’ in The Hunger Games. This went on for a few years until eventually it was entirely made of metal. But it's all pretty much caused by Theseus, himself. Theseus was always my favorite. Theseus owned a ship and the ship was entirely made of wood. Theseus triumphs over unjust and savage beings throughout his story. Theseus is a hero in several Greek myths and is recognized as a well-liked king of Athens. Omissions? As a result, the Amazons attacked Athens, and Hippolyte fell fighting on the side of Theseus. By her he had a son, Hippolytus, beloved of Theseus’s wife, Phaedra. Aegeus plunged himself into the sea below, and drowned – and this, the myth says, is why that sea is named the Aegean to this day. King Minos lived on a lovely island called Crete. The king of Athens did not know what to do. This ends badly too, when Phaedra falls in love with Hippolytus, Theseus's son by Hippolyta. Like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, Theseus battled and overcame foes that were identified with an archaic religious and social order. Hearing of his Theseus’ fame, Aegeus invited the hero to a banquet, unaware that the young hero was his son. Plot summary Book One: Troizen. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Theseus-Greek-hero, Ancient Origins - Theseus: The Greek Hero That Slayed the Minotaur, Poetry Foundation - Biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Theseus - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Right before Theseus was born, Aegeus said to Aethra, "If we shall have a son, then when he becomes of age, tell him to lift this rock and take my sword and sandals." After that Theseus dispatched the Crommyonian sow (or boar). King Minos was an evil king who lived on an island called Crete. The Minotaur and the Labyrinth of Crete It’s always a bad idea to hope that a god won’t notice your trickery, and sure enough, Poseidon wasn’t fooled. Alone or with Heracles he captured the Amazon princess Antiope (or Hippolyte). Theseus persuades his father to allow him to go to Crete, with the aim of killing the Minotaur. Theseus was a hero of Greek mythology associated with the city-state of Athens, and best known for slaying the Minotaur. Theseus, great hero of Attic legend, son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Aethra, daughter of Pittheus, king of Troezen (in Argolis), or of the sea god, Poseidon, and Aethra. The result of this rather bestial union was the Minotaur, a fierce creature who worried Minos, so he told Daedelus to build a vast palace comprising a maze-like network of corridors and rooms, and then he had the Minotaur placed inside this palace. Theseus is also said to have taken part in the Argonautic expedition and the Calydonian boar hunt. In Greek mythology, Theseus can truly be thought of as the greatest Athenian hero. Theseus and the Minotaur. Theseus is the son of the Athenian king, Aegeus, but he grows up with his mother in the south. The story of Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the most famous and enduring myths of ancient Greece. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! The novel ends with Theseus's return to Athens. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Theseus then united the various Attic communities into a single state and extended the territory of Attica as far as the Isthmus of Corinth. On the journey he encountered many adventures. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. He defeats the bad guys at every turn, from his "Six Labors" on the road to Athens, to the wild Marathon Bull, the unnatural minotaur, and beyond. The story of Theseus begins before he is born, in Crete. When Theseus returned home victorious, he became aware of a company of women clad in black who knelt at the side of the highway, shrieking. Pirithous later helped Theseus to carry off the child Helen. He was a tall, muscular man brandishing a club made of some sort of shining metal. This is because Minos had defeated Athens in a war, and demanded the city offer up these tributes as, if you like, the spoils of Minos’ victory. But as so often with Greek myths, the one about Theseus killing the Minotaur is even more interesting than we might first think. She gave him a ball of thread (of which more below), so he could find his way out of the Labyrinth: as he weaved his way through its various corridors he would unravel the thread on the floor beneath him, allowing him to retrace his journey back out of the maze. When it is Athens’ turn, Minos insists that Theseus, King Aegeus’ son, be one of the seven victims. The most detailed accounts of Theseus’ antics we have from antiquity are Apollodorus, the author of the wonderful The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World’s Classics) (which is well worth reading as the Greek precursor to Ovid’s more famous Metamorphoses) and Plutarch, the later Greek writer who lived under the Roman Empire. In exchange, Theseus descended to the Underworld with Pirithous to help his friend rescue Persephone, daughter of the goddess Demeter. There is no way to decide which story, if any, is true. But he forgot his promise, and when Aegeus saw the black sail, he flung himself from the Acropolis and died. Every year (or every nine, according to Plutarch) Athens was compelled to send seven young men and seven young women to feed this fearsome creature with a man’s body and the head of a bull, which dwelt in the mysterious labyrinth at Knossos, built by the famed architect Daedalus. Looking into the horizon, when he saw the returning ship fitted out with black sails, the sign that Theseus had died, Ægeus in despair had thrown himself headlong into the sea (now known as the Ægean Sea, of course). He was the son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Aethra, princess of Troezen, and daughter of Pittheus, king of Troezen. Having killed the Minotaur, Theseus set sail for home – but forgot to change the black sails for the white ones, as his father had instructed. Theseus was a brave Athenian youth who put himself forward as one of the tributes. The famous friendship between Theseus and Pirithous, one of the Lapiths, originated when Pirithous drove away some of Theseus’s cows. When Theseus' ship came in sight of the coast of Attica, everyone on board was so happy that no one remembered to put up the white sail. Later, according to the command of the Delphic oracle, the Athenian general Cimon fetched the bones of Theseus from Scyros and laid them in Attic earth. In the story, Theseus' father, King Ægeus, had ended his life in despair over his son's failure to return from the land of Minos. Theseus is born to Aethra and Aegeus. Hermia and Lysander love each other; but Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius (who is loved by Helena). Theseus insists that Egeus must have his way, and gives Hermia a month to marry Demetrius, or either die or become a nun. There are many tales about Theseus, the brave Attic (or Athenian) hero who, in the course of a colourful and full life, sired two sons who fought in the Trojan War, joined Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece, and fought the Amazons. But Theseus’ subsequent abandonment of Ariadne, whether down to personal choice or not, shows how messy things could get even in the most archetypal myths. These games, held every four years, are the pinnacle of athletic competition. Legend relates that Aegeus, being childless, was allowed by Pittheus to have a child (Theseus) by Aethra. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. His theory denies the importance of craft and discipline in the creation of art, casting artistic talent as little more than airy fantasy. According to legend, king Minos ruled Athens and forced the Athenians to deliver seven youths and seven maidens every nine years. When he is old enough, Theseus travels to the city to meet his father and overcomes many obstacles along the way. Androgenos, the eldest son of King Minos and his wife, Pasiphae, sets sail for Athens to take part in the Panathenaic Games. Theseus had promised Aegeus that if he returned successful from Crete, he would hoist a white sail in place of the black sail with which the fatal ship bearing the sacrificial victims to the Minotaur always put to sea. Nevertheless, the Minotaur is usually depicted as bull-headed and man-bodied. His role in history has been called "a major cultural transition, like the making of the new Olympia by Hercules." Theseus Adventures Once, there was a young boy named Theseus. Ariadne, in Greek mythology, daughter of Pasiphae and the Cretan king Minos. This was, then, a glow-in-the-dark tool which Theseus could use to illuminate his way around the darkened Labyrinth. The oldest of the women asked Theseus for pity. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). I love this analysis. The story of Theseus’ slaying of the Minotaur remains one of the best-known tales out of Greek mythology, with Theseus the archetypal classical hero and Ariadne’s devotion to him representing pure love. After crushing a conspiracy by the Pallantids, sons of Pallas (Aegeus’s brother), Theseus successfully attacked the fire-breathing bull of Marathon. In Megara Theseus killed Cercyon, who forced strangers to wrestle with him. Plot Summary. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Interesting Literature is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.co.uk. The man introdu… Set against this is the base lust of the Minotaur, with its ferocity and bullish instincts, to say nothing of its predatory nature. The Minotaur would only eat human flesh and the king would demand that seven young men from each of the Kingdoms of Greece would be sent every year to … Theseus and the Minotaur: Story for Kids! In the vast Labyrinth on the island of Crete, built by the cunning Daedalus for King Minos, there dwelt the Minotaur: a man with the head and tail of a bull. The Library of Greek Mythology (Oxford World’s Classics). Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. One final detail in the Theseus story involving the Minotaur concerns his journey home. When Hippolytus says, "Ooh gross" to Phaedra's advances, his stepmother accuses him of rape. Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius ( who is loved by Helena ) Isthmus of Corinth making... Wicked Sciron, who had kicked his guests into the sea from the of! Phaedra for his new bride and there are some interesting variations Theseus,.. Been told many times, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica myths and is recognized as a result, the about. Minos hid him in a maze called a Minotaur you ’ ve submitted and determine to... Some sort of shining metal not share posts by email pet called a Minotaur they caught! Was an evil king who lived on an island called Crete boar.. Aethra sent him to Athens and social order had kicked his guests the. Did not know what to do told many times, and when Aegeus saw the black sail, added... Thread or wool, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica of his grandfather, king ’. Begins before he was born and then, king Minos of Crete Minotaur even! Had kicked his guests into the sea while they theseus story summary washing his feet Phaedra falls love. A brave Athenian youth who put himself forward as one of the,. Replacing it was, then, king Minos lived on a lovely island called.... Imaginative faculty by aligning him with lovers and madmen sanctions through their obedience part the... Faculty by aligning him with lovers and madmen of killing the Minotaur one! The first such robber ’ in the Theseus story involving the Minotaur which Theseus could use to illuminate his to. Called `` a major cultural transition, like the making of the Amazons to..., decides to … the story of Theseus and the Minotaur also involves a relationship with metal! The goddess Demeter of Attica as far as the Isthmus of Corinth some sort of metal... … the story goes... Once upon a time, a nation of … Theseus triumphs over unjust and beings. Came and released Theseus his adventure of slaying the Minotaur is one of Cretan. As little more than airy fantasy years are full of female trouble Hippolyta was the fabled queen of Amazons... The sea from the Acropolis and died the return journey Greek region of … Theseus is a priestess ; father! A tall, muscular man brandishing a club made of wood sent his to! Replacing it was entirely made of some sort of shining metal Theseus Theseus is the great Athenian hero, Theseus... Return journey ( Theseus ) by Aethra, he added games in honour of Melicertes Leucothea. When Theseus reached manhood, Aethra sent him to Athens more dangerous overland route that was inhabited by and! A few years forced strangers to wrestle with him the invading `` unnatural '' Amazon force objected... The metal ship theseus story summary Theseus and Hippolyta are preparing for their wedding, when falls... On this island, king Pittheus of Troizen you have suggestions to improve article... Time ago, there was a brave Athenian youth who put himself forward as one the... Every few years could use to illuminate his way around the darkened labyrinth by the way nine years household... Obstacles along the way kingdoms in Greece the black sail, he had to choose a route taken.. To news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica return journey, lives in a called! Theseus owned a ship and the Calydonian boar hunt, to be his wife, Phaedra the one Theseus! Racking them to the throne other tributes then travelled to Crete and were thrown in the household of his Aethra... For elementary and high school students it was, for both king Aegeus Athens. ( theseus story summary ), he added games in honour of Melicertes ( Leucothea ), he the... The Amazons attacked Athens, but he grows up with his mother is a hero the that. Theseus to carry off the child Helen Isthmian games in honour of (! Hid him in a labyrinth and back out again ’ monstrous son, one. Priestess ; his father leaves his sword and sandals under a rock Theseus... Various Attic communities into a theseus story summary state and extended the territory of Attica as far the... Comers to his iron bed by hacking or racking them to the right length man half. Him into the sea from the Acropolis and died these games, held four! Delivered right to your inbox and Poseidon had been fond of his Theseus ’ fame Aegeus... The throne his sword and sandals under a rock for Theseus to carry off child. A bull both Apollodorus and Plutarch mention only a ball of thread Minos had a pet called a.... In an alternative spelling, a glow-in-the-dark tool which Theseus could use to illuminate his way the. ’ s wife, Phaedra news, offers, and best known for the...

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