On the journey he encountered many adventures. The Minotaur will only eat human flesh and every year is fed seven young men from different kingdoms in Greece. Similarly, although the majority of accounts state that the Minotaur had a bull’s head and a man’s body (putting it at odds with other half-human creatures, such as the centaur), some accounts are less specific: for instance, Ovid simply states that the Minotaur was half man and half bull, without telling us which half was which. This went on for a few years until eventually it was entirely made of metal. He was a tall, muscular man brandishing a club made of some sort of shining metal. At the Isthmus of Corinth he killed Sinis, called the Pine Bender because he killed his victims by tearing them apart between two pine trees. After that Theseus dispatched the Crommyonian sow (or boar). Summary. Before Theseus was born his father Aegeus left Aethra in Troezen of Argolis and returned to Athens before he was born. Summaries. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Minotaur was a man with the head of a bull: the product of a rather twisted coupling between Pasiphaë, Minos’ wife, and a ferocious bull that Poseidon had brought out of the sea so that Minos could sacrifice it to him. He only traveled a few miles inland before he encountered the first such robber. Even after she had helped him to defeat the Minotaur, putting herself at risk if her father discovered the truth, he is quick to cut himself loose of her. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Legend relates that Aegeus, being childless, was allowed by Pittheus to have a child (Theseus) by Aethra. Now and then, King Minos sent his navy to the tiny village of Athens, across the sea. There, boys and girls are devoured by the man-eating Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. Aegeus plunged himself into the sea below, and drowned – and this, the myth says, is why that sea is named the Aegean to this day. Theseus is the son of the Athenian king, Aegeus, but he grows up with his mother in the south. But as so often with Greek myths, the one about Theseus killing the Minotaur is even more interesting than we might first think. Is the metal ship of Theseus the same ship as the wooden ship of Theseus? Once Theseus had decided to travel to Athens, he had to choose a route. Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. Theseus and the Athenian army defeats the invading "unnatural" Amazon force who objected to Theseus taking the Amazon Hippolyta. Every time a piece of the ship needed replacing it was replaced with a metal part. Image © Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons. He was desperate. When Hippolytus says, "Ooh gross" to Phaedra's advances, his stepmother accuses him of rape. When Theseus reached manhood, Aethra sent him to Athens. Mythology Summary and Analysis of Theseus Theseus is the great Athenian hero. In Megara Theseus killed Cercyon, who forced strangers to wrestle with him. Pirithous later helped Theseus to carry off the child Helen. Every year (or every nine, according to Plutarch) Athens was compelled to send seven young men and seven young women to feed this fearsome creature with a man’s body and the head of a bull, which dwelt in the mysterious labyrinth at Knossos, built by the famed architect Daedalus. Aegeus, however, finally recognized Theseus and declared him heir to the throne. King Minos lived on a lovely island called Crete. There are many tales about Theseus, the brave Attic (or Athenian) hero who, in the course of a colourful and full life, sired two sons who fought in the Trojan War, joined Jason in his quest for the Golden Fleece, and fought the Amazons. Hermia … To the Isthmian Games in honour of Melicertes (Leucothea), he added games in honour of Poseidon. This story has been told many times, and there are some interesting variations. Task Question. When Theseus' ship came in sight of the coast of Attica, everyone on board was so happy that no one remembered to put up the white sail. According to legend, king Minos ruled Athens and forced the Athenians to deliver seven youths and seven maidens every nine years. It was, after all, the product of a union founded on lust. Next came the adventure of the Cretan Minotaur, half man and half bull, shut up in the legendary Cretan Labyrinth. Theseus is also said to have taken part in the Argonautic expedition and the Calydonian boar hunt. These games, held every four years, are the pinnacle of athletic competition. Later, according to the command of the Delphic oracle, the Athenian general Cimon fetched the bones of Theseus from Scyros and laid them in Attic earth. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Hamilton’s account of Theseus, the greatest hero of Athens, again draws upon Apollodorus, but it also stitches together details from other writers, some as early as Sophocles. The story is told by Theseus, looking back on his life from his vantage point as an adult. The novel ends with Theseus's return to Athens. Right before Theseus was born, Aegeus said to Aethra, "If we shall have a son, then when he becomes of age, tell him to lift this rock and take my sword and sandals." As a result, the Amazons attacked Athens, and Hippolyte fell fighting on the side of Theseus. The Story. The Minotaur was a scary pet, so King Minos hid him in a maze called a labyrinth. In the vast Labyrinth on the island of Crete, built by the cunning Daedalus for King Minos, there dwelt the Minotaur: a man with the head and tail of a bull. This is because Minos had defeated Athens in a war, and demanded the city offer up these tributes as, if you like, the spoils of Minos’ victory. Hermia and Lysander love each other; but Egeus wants Hermia to marry Demetrius (who is loved by Helena). Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On this island, King Minos had a pet called a Minotaur. Corrections? But they were caught and confined in Hades until Heracles came and released Theseus. They became prey of the Minotaur in the labyrinth, and Athens escaped further sanctions through their obedience. Summary: Chapter II — Theseus. Theseus insists that Egeus must have his way, and gives Hermia a month to marry Demetrius, or either die or become a nun. Theseus' later years are full of female trouble. Legend relates that Aegeus, being childless, was allowed by Pittheus to have a child (Theseus) by Aethra. Whatever floats your boat, eh? Androgenos, the eldest son of King Minos and his wife, Pasiphae, sets sail for Athens to take part in the Panathenaic Games. Theseus and the Minotaur | Ancient Greek Mythology Stories |The Minotaur and the Labyrinth of Crete. The Minotaur would only eat human flesh and the king would demand that seven young men from each of the Kingdoms of Greece would be sent every year to … Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, also has Ariadne give Theseus a ball of thread. Son of either Aegeus, the king of Athens, or Poseidon, the god of the sea, and Aethra, a princess, Theseus was raised by his mother in the palaces of Troezen. The story of Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the most famous and enduring myths of ancient Greece. THESEUS & HIPPOLYTA Theseus returning how from his adventure of slaying the Minotaur needed to find a wife and a queen for Athens. However, Minos was so taken by the bull – a handsome beast, and useful to have as stud for his cattle – that he sacrificed a different animal and hoped Poseidon wouldn’t notice. Minos’ monstrous son, the Minotaur, lives in a labyrinth beneath the palace. In order to kill the Minotaur, Theseus has to find his way to the center of a labyrinth and back out again. Omissions? Set against this is the base lust of the Minotaur, with its ferocity and bullish instincts, to say nothing of its predatory nature. Theseus, however, felt no fear of the brutes. Later he slew Procrustes, who fitted all comers to his iron bed by hacking or racking them to the right length. Theseus persuades his father to allow him to go to Crete, with the aim of killing the Minotaur. Theseus was a hero of Greek mythology associated with the city-state of Athens, and best known for slaying the Minotaur. Theseus, great hero of Attic legend, son of Aegeus, king of Athens, and Aethra, daughter of Pittheus, king of Troezen (in Argolis), or of the sea god, Poseidon, and Aethra.