Nothing Without Theseus: The Great Athenian Hero

Nothing Without Theseus

“The great Athenian hero was Theseus. He had so many adventures and took part in so many great enterprises that there grew up a saying in Athens, ‘Nothing without Theseus’” (Hamilton 208). Theseus is the dearest of heroes to the Athenians; he is the son of Zeus, but was thought to be the son of the Athenian King, Aegeus. Befitting Athens, a city well known for its wise thinkers, Theseus, the chief hero of Athenian legends, was known more for his quick wits than his strength. His cleverness made him, along with heroes such as Hercules, Perseus, and Jason, one of the greatest heroes in Greek Mythology. Theseus earned a reputation for not only for his strength and intelligence, but also for his fairness. He is one of the first rulers of Athens to reform the government in the direction of democracy. As both a king and an adventurer, he defended the oppressed and consistently fought for the ideal of justice. In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, Theseus portrays the most admirable characteristics of a hero due to his strength, nobility, and wisdom.

It is true that Theseus wasn’t perfect; he had performed inglorious acts

and questionable decisions at some points. He was responsible for the death of his father, King Aegeus, when he forgot to put the white sail up on his way back from killing the Minotaur. The white sail on the ship meant that his son was alive and safe. The black sail meant that his son was dead, which was what Aegeus had seen due to a careless mistake. He then killed himself by throwing himself down from a rocky height into a sea. While it may have been Theseus’ fault for the tragic death of his father, it wasn’t intentional. He may have been so ecstatic to see his father again, changing the sails may of completely slipped his mind. But because of this, Theseus became the King of Athens, “a most wise and disinterested King” (Hamilton 215).
Moreover, Theseus killed the Minotaur; a half bull, half human monster. The story behind this starts with the powerful ruler of Crete, Minos, who had recently lost his son, Androgeus, while visiting the Athenian King. He then sent his guest on a expedition to kill a dangerous bull, but the bull had killed the youth. Minos then captured Athens and declared he would raze it to the ground unless every nine years the people had sent seven maidens and seven youths into the Labyrinth, an endless maze, and be killed by the Minotaur. Then Theseus came forward and offered to be one of the victims. He came upon the Minotaur and “pinned him [the Minotaur] to the ground; and with his fits… he [Theseus] battered the monster to death” (Hamilton 212-213). It took Theseus an amazing amount of courage and strength to kill the Minotaur with his bare hands, making him a strong hero.
In addition to his strength, Theseus is also wise and noble. After his father had killed himself, Theseus became the King of Athens and established a democracy, where he “declared to the people that he did not wish to rule over them; he wanted a people’s government where all would be equal” (Hamilton 215). He resigned his royal power and organized a commonwealth, building a council hall where citizens would gather and vote. Because of his ruling, Athens became the happiest and most prosperous home of liberty; the one place in the world, of all other cities, where the people governed themselves. This is what makes Theseus wise and kind; his knowledge of ruling as a king, making him a wise hero.
Theseus is the most respectable hero because of his strength, nobility, and wisdom.

He kills the Minotaur, turns Athens into a democracy, and clears the land of monsters for travelers. Even if there were heroes more mighty and strong than Theseus, he is still a great hero because of his fairness and his fight for the ideal of justice. It’s important to remember Theseus because of how his early adventures benefited the city and region of Athens, helping in the consolidation of the Athenian power through shrewd political maneuvering. He also led the Athenian army on a number of victorious campaigns. He is also credited as the founder of democracy, transferring many of his powers as king over to an elected assembly. While Jason, Hercules, and Perseus are all Greek heroes, Theseus portrays the most admirable characteristics of a

hero.