Greek Mythology

Theseus

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In Greek mythology, Theseus can truely be thought of as the greatest

Athenian hero. He was the son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Aethra, princess of Troezen, and daughter of Pittheus, king of Troezen.

Before Theseus was born his father Aegeus left Aethra in Troezen of

Argolis and returned to Athens before he was born. But before he left king

Aegeus put his sword and his pair of sandals under a large rock and said to

Aethra that when Theseus was old enough to lift the heavy rock that Theseus should take the sword and sandals and come to see him in Athens.

At the age of 16 after being brought up in Troezen, Theseus was finally able to lift the heavy rock. Theseus with his long blond hair then took the sword and the sandals and began his journey to Athens to claim Aegeus as his father. The young Theseus made his hazardous journey by the coast road along the Isthmus, clearing the road of six villains, murderers, and monsters which inhabited the road. Theseus killed these villains by the same method by which they had murdered their own victims. Among the villains that Theseus killed, were Sciron, Sinis, Procrustes and Phaea.

Theseus arrived in Athens wearing a sword and a pair of sandals that

Aegeus had left for him in Troezen. He was then greeted by his father Aegeus and his stepmother Medea who was a sorceress. But she was jealous of his influence over Aegeus so Medea tried to kill him by sending him to kill a wild bull. But Theseus succeeded and sacrificed the bull to Apollo. He then returned to Athens and was almost poisoned by Medea, but as soon as Aegeus got wind of her plot, he proclaimed Theseus his son and heir to the thrown and banished

Medea from Athens and she escaped to what is now Asia.

According to legend, the people of Athens had to send seven youths and seven Maidens every year as a tribute to Minos, the king of Create, to be eaten by the Minitor, who was a terrible monster, half man and half bull.

Theseus decided to go as one of the youths and try to kill the minitor.

When he reached Create, Ariadne, the beautiful daughter of Minos fell in love will him and helped him kill the Minitor by giving him a sword which he killed the Minitor with and a ball of thread to help him find his way out of the labyrinth in which the Minitor lived.