The adventures of Theseus
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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