Adventures of Theseus: Myth & The City: Foundation Stories: Classical Civilization: GCSE (9:1)

Theseus

the Great Athenian Hero

Aegeus

King of Athens, father of Theseus

sword and shoes

hidden in a hollow under a great stone for Theseus to retrieve before going to Athens

Hercules

the greatest hero, Theseus' cousin

Sciron

made those he had captured kneel down to wash his feet, then kicked them into the sea; hurled over a precipice by Theseus

Sinis

fastened people to bent over pine trees and hurled them into the air; Theseus did the same to him

Procrustes

tied people to an iron bed and made them the right size by either stretching them or cutting off part of them; one or the other was done to him by Theseus, but it is unknown which

Medea

did not want Theseus to ruin the influence she had over Aegeus, so persuaded Aegeus to kill Theseus by saying that he may win over the people and become king

Androgeus

the son of Minos, killed when Aegeus sent him to kill a dangerous bull

Minos

captured Athens and demanded a tribute of 7 maidens and 7 youths every 9 years to be eaten by the Minotaur in Crete

Minotaur

half bull, half human, offspring of Minos' wife and a bull

Pasiphae

Minos' wife, fell in love with a bull given to Minos by Poseidon as a punishment for not sacrificing it

Daedalus

constructed a labyrinth to contain the minotaur

labyrinth

a place full of intricate passageways

black

the colour of the sail that was flown on the ship carrying the tributes

white

the colour that Theseus promised to change the sail to on his return if he survived

Ariadne

Minos' daughter, fell in love with Theseus and asked Daedalus for a way out of the labyrinth, told Theseus how to escape if he would marry her in Athens

thread

unwound behind Theseus so that he could see where in the labyrinth he had been

Naxos

the place where Ariadne was left by Theseus, one story says she was abandoned, another that she died while Theseus was blown out to sea

Aegean Sea

named after Aegeus, who threw himself into the ocean when Theseus forgot to change the sail to white

peoples government

the type of rule installed by Theseus when he became king of Athens

Thebes

refused to bury the dead of the conquered, so Athens marched against her (a city) and buried the dead, but did not loot the city

Oedipus

was cast out by everyone else, received by Theseus, who cared for him and his two daughters until he died, when he sent the daughters home

Amazons

the people whom Theseus and Hercules attacked and brought back either Antiope or Hippolyta, only people to ever invade Attica

Hippolytus

the son of Theseus and either Antiope or Hippolyta

Attica

country around Athens

Argo

Theseus went on this boat on the Quest for the Golden Fleece

Pirithous

King of Lapithae, became Theseus' friend and brother-in-arms

Calydonian Hunt

Theseus attended this killing of a horrible boar

Centaurs

face and chest of man, body of horse, attacked the women at Pirithous' wedding and were driven out of the country by the Lapithae

Persephone

most carefully guarded lady in the universe, wanted by Pirithous

Helen

future heroine of Troy, carried off by Theseus to be married but rescued by her brothers Castor and Pollux

Hades

invited Theseus and Pirithous to sit in the seat of forgetfulness when they came to take Persephone from the underworld so that they would never get up

Theseus' cousin

rescued Theseus from the seat of forgetfulness, but was not permitted to free Pirithous

Phaedra

Ariadne's sister, married by Theseus, fell in love with Hippolytus as punishment to him, killed herself but left a note blaming Hippolytus

Hippolytus

became an athlete and hunter, despised love, easy lives, and Aphrodite, worshiped Artemis, mortally wounded by a monster when sent into exile

Artemis

told Theseus that Aphrodite had killed Phaedra, not Hippolytus

King Lycomedes

killed Theseus while he stayed at his court after being banished from Athens

Theseus' tomb

sanctuary for slaves and for all helpless people