Theseus is a prominent figure in Greek mythology, often referred to as the dearest of heroes to the Athenians, engaging the attention of many writers.
Sources detailing his life include:
Ovid (Augustan Age)
Apollodorus (1st or 2nd century A.D.)
Plutarch (end of 1st century A.D.)
Euripides (three plays)
Sophocles (one play)
“Nothing without Theseus” became a saying in Athens, reflecting his involvement in numerous adventures and enterprises.
Theseus was the son of the Athenian King, Aegeus. Aegeus left a sword and pair of shoes under a stone for Theseus to claim when he was strong enough, signifying his readiness to be acknowledged as his son.
Theseus chose to travel to Athens by land rather than by sea, seeking danger and glory like his cousin Hercules.
Theseus cleared the road to Athens of bandits, delivering justice in a manner that mirrored their crimes. Examples include:
Sciron: He hurled Sciron over a precipice, mirroring Sciron's act of kicking people into the sea after making them wash his feet.
SInis: He killed Sinis by fastening him to two pine trees bent down to the ground, mirroring Sinis's method of killing people.
Procrustes: Procrustes was placed upon his own iron bed, suffering the same fate he inflicted on his victims by stretching or cutting them to fit the bed.
Theseus in Athens
Theseus was welcomed as a hero in Athens, but King Aegeus, unaware of their relation, feared his popularity and plotted to poison him with Medea’s help.
Medea, having fled to Athens after the Quest of the Golden Fleece, held influence over Aegeus and sought to eliminate Theseus.
Theseus revealed his identity by drawing his sword, leading Aegeus to recognize him and thwart Medea’s poisoning attempt.
Aegeus publicly declared Theseus as his son and heir, providing Theseus an opportunity to serve Athens.
Athens was under a tribute to Minos of Crete, who demanded seven maidens and seven youths every nine years to be devoured by the Minotaur because his son died while visiting Athens.
The Minotaur was a monster, half bull, half human, offspring of Minos’ wife Pasiphaë and a bull, confined in the Labyrinth built by Daedalus.
Theseus volunteered as one of the victims to Crete, intending to kill the Minotaur, promising his father to change the ship’s sail from black to white if successful.
Ariadne, Minos’ daughter, fell in love with Theseus and sought Daedalus’ help to provide a way out of the Labyrinth, offering Theseus a ball of thread to retrace his steps.
Theseus promised Ariadne to take her back to Athens and marry her in return for her help
Theseus entered the Labyrinth, found the Minotaur asleep, killed it with his fists, and retraced his steps using Ariadne’s thread.
Theseus, Ariadne, and the other Athenians sailed back to Athens, stopping at Naxos.
Differing accounts exist regarding Ariadne’s fate: one claims Theseus deserted her, while another suggests she was left ashore due to seasickness but died before he could return.
As Theseus approached Athens, he forgot to change the sail to white, leading Aegeus to believe Theseus was dead, resulting in Aegeus throwing himself into the sea, which was then named the Aegean Sea.
Theseus became King of Athens and, desiring a people’s government, established a commonwealth with a council hall for citizens to vote, retaining only the position of Commander in Chief.
Athens became known as a symbol of liberty and self-governance.
Theseus led Athens to victory against Thebes, ensuring burial for the Argive dead, yet refused to loot the city, embodying the qualities of a perfect knight.
Theseus sheltered Oedipus in his old age and protected his daughters, demonstrating compassion and justice.
Theseus stood by Hercules when he was in madness killed his wife and children, when others feared him.
Theseus ventured to the land of the Amazons and brought back Antiope (or Hippolyta), who bore him Hippolytus. Later, the Amazons invaded Attica to rescue her but were defeated.
Adventures and Friendship
Theseus participated in the quest for the Golden Fleece and the Calydonian Hunt, showcasing his adventurous spirit.
Theseus repeatedly saved his rash friend Pirithoüs.
Pirithoüs tested Theseus’s greatness by stealing his cattle, but their encounter led to a strong friendship and oath of brotherhood.
At Pirithoüs’s wedding, Theseus defended the bride from the intoxicated Centaurs, driving them out of the country after a fierce battle.
Pirithoüs sought to abduct Persephone, and Theseus agreed to help, but first, they kidnapped Helen. Castor and Pollux rescued Helen because Theseus's choice was perilous.
In the underworld, Hades trapped Theseus and Pirithoüs on the Chair of Forgetfulness. Hercules later freed Theseus but could not save Pirithoüs.
In later life, Theseus married Phaedra, leading to tragic events involving her, himself, and Hippolytus.
Phaedra and Hippolytus
Hippolytus, Theseus’s son, scorned love and worshiped Artemis, angering Aphrodite, who caused Phaedra to fall in love with him.
Phaedra, overwhelmed with shame, resolved to die, but her nurse revealed her secret to Hippolytus in an attempt to save her.
Hippolytus, disgusted, rejected Phaedra, prompting her to falsely accuse him of violence in a letter before killing herself.
Theseus, upon reading the letter, cursed Hippolytus and banished him, invoking Poseidon to punish him.
As Hippolytus departed, a sea monster frightened his horses, causing a fatal accident that fulfilled Theseus’s curse.
Artemis revealed the truth to Theseus, proving Hippolytus’s innocence and Phaedra’s guilt.
Hippolytus was carried in still breathing and forgave his father before he died.
Theseus died at the court of King Lycomedes, who killed him. Some accounts claim the Athenians banished him.
The Athenians honored Theseus by building a tomb as a sanctuary for slaves and the helpless, commemorating his role as their protector.
Hercules
Hercules, the greatest hero of Greece, was a figure different from Theseus, embodying the qualities most valued by the Greeks (except for the Athenians).
Ovid provides an account of Hercules’s life but does not care to dwell on heroic exploits.
Sources on Hercules include: Euripides, Sophocles, Pindar, Theocritus, and Apollodorus.
Hercules possessed immense strength and self-confidence, considering himself equal to the gods because they needed his help to conquer the Giants.
Hercules threatened Apollo when the priestess at Delphi didn't respond to his question, displaying his audacious nature.
Intelligence did not play a significant role in Hercules' actions, and his emotions often led to destructive outbursts.
Hercules demonstrated deep remorse for his wrongdoings, willingly accepting severe punishments.
Hercules was born in Thebes and was initially believed to be the son of Amphitryon, but he was actually the son of Zeus and Alcmena.
Hera tried to kill Hercules as a baby by sending two snakes into his crib, but the infant Hercules strangled them.
Teiresias prophesied that Hercules would become the hero of all mankind.
During his education, Hercules killed his music master in a fit of rage, highlighting his uncontrollable temper.
Hercules killed the Thespian lion, wearing its skin as a cloak and hood.
Hercules married Megara and had three sons, but he killed them and Megara in a fit of madness sent by Hera.
According to the common Greek idea for the gods to intervene, Hercules' friend Theseus stood before him and stretched out his hands to clasp those bloodstained hands. According to Theseus, Men great of soul can bear the blows of heaven and not flinch.”
The Athenians, influenced by Theseus, did not consider Hercules defiled from his actions and welcomed him, but Hercules couldn't understand and went to the oracle at Delphi.
At Delphi, the oracle told him that he needed to be purified through a terrible penance, directing him to serve his cousin Eurystheus.
Eurystheus, influenced by Hera, imposed twelve nearly impossible labors on Hercules.
The Twelve Labors of Hercules
Killing the Nemean Lion: Hercules choked the lion, whose skin was invulnerable to weapons.
Killing the Hydra of Lerna: He burned the necks of the Hydra’s heads to prevent them from growing back with the help of his nephew Iolaus, and buried the immortal head under a rock.
Bringing the Cerynitian Hind: Hercules hunted the hind with horns of gold for a year before capturing it alive.
Capturing the Erymanthian Boar: He chased the boar until it was exhausted, then trapped it in deep snow.
Cleaning the Augean Stables: Hercules diverted two rivers to flow through the stables in a single day.
Driving Away the Stymphalian Birds: Athena assisted Hercules in driving the birds out of their coverts, allowing him to shoot them.
Fetching the Cretan Bull: Hercules mastered the bull given to Minos by Poseidon and brought it to Eurystheus.
Obtaining the Mares of Diomedes: Hercules slew King Diomedes and drove off the man-eating mares.
Acquiring Hippolyta's Girdle: Hercules killed Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, and took her girdle after Hera stirred up trouble.
Bringing Back the Cattle of Geryon: Hercules traveled to Erythia, setting up the Pillars of Hercules (Gibraltar and Ceuta) to mark his journey, and brought back Geryon’s cattle.
Obtaining the Golden Apples of the Hesperides: Hercules enlisted Atlas to retrieve the apples, temporarily bearing the weight of the sky, and tricked Atlas into taking the sky back by asking him to hold it for a moment so that Hercules could put a pad on his shoulders to ease the pressure.
Bringing Cerberus from Hades: Hercules brought Cerberus up from the underworld using no weapons and carried him to Eurystheus, then back to Hades.
After completing the labors, Hercules did not find ease, and one of the stories told about his adventures was that he fought Antaeus (a Giant and mighty wrestler) who was invincible as long as he could touch the earth. Hercules lifted him up and strangled him in the air lifting him off the ground.
Further Exploits and Death
Hercules fought the river-god Achelous for the hand of Deianira, breaking off one of his horns when Achelous took the form of a bull.
Hercules rescued a maiden at Troy, killing the sea monster that threatened her, after King Laomedon cheated Apollo and Poseidon of their wages for building the walls of Troy.
Hercules freed Prometheus from the Caucasus, slaying the eagle that preyed on him.
Hercules killed a lad serving him water by accident, and exiled himself temporarily, and also deliberately slew a friend to avenge an insult.
Zeus punished Hercules for killing the friend of the lad he was serving water by sending him to be a slave to Queen Omphale in Lydia.
While traveling to get the mares of Diomedes, Hercules stayed with his friend Admetus, who concealed his wife Alcestis’s death to maintain hospitality.
Hercules got drunk, only to discover the truth, leading him to wrestle with Death and bring Alcestis back.
This story told the character of Hercules, from his inability to not be drunk when someone has died, to trying to amend for his actions
Hercules punished King Eurytus (because he himself had been punished by Zeus for killing Eurytus’son), leading to his own death. Deianira, believing Iole was preferred by Hercules, sent him a robe anointed with Nessus’s blood, causing him immense pain.
Hercules threw the messenger into the sea and had himself carried to a pyre on Mount Oeta, where he asked that he be set on fire.
Hercules gave his bow and arrows to Philoctetes, and as the flames rose, Hercules was taken to heaven, reconciled with Hera, and married her daughter Hebe.
Atalanta
Atalanta's story is fully detailed by Ovid and Apollodorus, with mentions in earlier works like Hesiod and the Iliad.
Sources on Atalanta include: Ovid, Apollodorus, Hesiod, and Homer.
Atalanta's father, disappointed she wasn't a son, abandoned her on a mountainside, where a she-bear raised her.
Atalanta surpassed the hunters who found her, becoming skilled in hunting.
Atalanta killed two Centaurs who pursued her.
Artemis sent the Calydonian boar to ravage Calydon as punishment to King Oeneus who forgot her
During the Calydonian boar hunt, Atalanta was described as neither boy nor maiden, captivating Meleager.
Atalanta was the first to wound the boar, and Meleager killed it, but the honors and skin were given to Atalanta by Meleager.
Meleager killed his uncles for protesting Atalanta receiving the boar's skin, leading to his mother Althea burning the log tied to his life, resulting in his death and her suicide.
Not unlike the Greek heroes Atalanta had a large number of adventures. Atalanta sailed with the Argonauts and appeared at the funeral games of Pelias, defeating Peleus (Achilles’ father) in wrestling.
Many men wanted to marry her and as a test, she declared that she would be married to whoever beat her in a foot race, knowing there was no such man alive.
To beat Atlanta in a race Melanion (Milanion) or Hippomenes by the favor of Aphrodite, had three golden, wondrous apples.
The apples bought Melanion (Milanion) or Hippomenes the victory because they caught Atalanta's eyes.
Atalanta and her husband Melanion (Milanion) or Hippomenes were turned into lions due to offending Zeus or Aphrodite.
Atalanta bore a son, Parthenopaeus, who was one of the Seven against Thebes.