The adventures of Theseus

Who is Theseus?

The Athenian Hero

What did Theseus do?

He united all of Attica under the leadership of Athens

Who was Aegeus?

King of Athens, father of Theseus

What did Aegeus hide and why?

Sword and shoes in a hollow for Theseus to retrieve before going to Athens

Who was Hercules?

A hero, also cousin of Theseus

Who was Periphetes?

A monster who would beat travellers to death with his club after springing out on them on the sides of roads

How did Theseus defeat Periphetes?

Theseus spotted him and beat him with Periphetes’ own club - then Theseus took it as a prize after he killed Periphetes

Why did Theseus take Periphetes’ club?

It made him look more like Heracles, who carried a similar weapon. He could also use it to help him in is later tasks

Who was Sciron?

A man who made those he captured kneel down to wash his feet, then kicked them into the sea

How did Theseus defeat Sciron?

Theseus pushed him into the sea instead

What happened when Sciron fell into the sea?

He was eaten by a giant turtle, which would usually happen to the people he kicked over the cliff edge

Who was Sinis?

A man who fastened people to bent over pine trees, hurling them into the air or ripping them in half when he let go of the trees

How did Theseus defeat Sinis?

Theseus tied him to a tree and ripped him in half

What was the Crommonyian Sow?

Depending on the mythology, either a pig brought up by an old woman, or a woman nicknamed ‘sow’ for her beast-like behaviour

What happened to the Crommonyian Sow?

Theseus killed it

Who was King Cercyon?

The ruler of Eleusis

What did King Cercyon do?

Offer to have a wrestling match with passers by - the winner would become the ruler of Eleusis

What happened to King Cercyon?

Theseus defeated and killed him

Who was Procrustes?

A bandit who claimed that he had a magical bed which would fit anyone - when they lay down, he would cut off their head and feet if they were too tall, or stretch them out if they were too short

How did Theseus defeat Procrustes?

He overpowered Procrustes and tied him to his bed, doing to him what he did to his ‘guests’ and eventually killing him

Who was Medea?

A witch who didn’t 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

What did Medea do when Theseus came to Athens?

She arranged for him to face the Bull of Marathon in the hope that it would kill Theseus

What did Medea pretend?

That if Theseus faced the Bull and defeated it, he would have proven his heroism

Was is another name for the Bull of Marathon?

The Cretan Bull

What happened to the Bull of Marathon?

Theseus defeated it and paraded it around Athens before sacrificing it

What happened after Theseus sacrificed the bull?

Aegeus recognised Theseus as his son, causing Medea to flee and allowing Aegeus and Theseus to be united

Who was Androgeus?

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

Who was Minos?

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

Who was the Minotaur?

A half bull, half human offspring of Minos’ wife and a bull

Where was the Minotaur kept?

On Knossos, Crete

who was Pasiphae?

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

Who was Daedalus?

A man who constructed a labyrinth to contain the Minotaur

What is a labyrinth?

A maze full of intricate passageways

What colour did Theseus promise to change the sail to on his return if he survived?

White

What was the original colour of Theseus’ sails?

Black

Who was Ariadne?

The daughter of Minos who fell in love with Theseus

How did Ariadne help Theseus?

She gave him a weapon and a ball of thread to use in the labyrinth

What did Theseus use to see where in the labyrinth he had been?

Thread which unwound behind him

What was Naxos?

The place where Ariadne was left by Theseus - either she was abandoned or died while Theseus was blown out to sea, depending on mythology

Where did the Aegean Sea get its name from?

It is named after Aegeus, who threw himself into the ocean when Theseus forgot to change the colour of his sail to white

Who was Oedipus?

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

Who were the Amazons?

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

Who is Hippolytus?

The son of Theseus and either Antiope or Hippolyta

What is the significance of Theseus’ myth?

It reveals how Theseus became a founding figure in Athens and there are some parallels between Theseus and Heracles

What are the similarities between Theseus and Heracles?

They both completed tasks, have divine parentage, use a club, have links to royalty, fight the Cretan/Marathon Bull and help innocent people from supernatural monsters

What did Theseus do as King of Athens?

United each part of Attica by promising that they would live under a democracy

Why were the Panathenaic Games begun?

To celebrate all of the different tribes in Attica

Where are the labours of Theseus depicted?

On a kylix