THESEUS

Parents, Birth, Childhood• Aegeus of Athens• Aethra of Troezen

• Young princess who sleeps withAegeus, who’s visiting her dad

• Dream from Athena leads Aethra into the sea

• Poseidon; Double Paternity?• Sword & Sandals

The Adventure Begins

Periphetes

Sinis/Pityocamptes

Crommyonian Sow

Sciron

Procrustes

In Athens• Daddy Aegeus & Queen Medea• Marathonian Bull• Medea tries poison

• Flees after failing

• Next Task: Minotaur

Minotaur Background• King Minos & Queen Pasiphae of Crete• Minos & Poseidon• Cretan Bull• Minos tries to trick

Poseidon• Pasiphae & the bull• Daedalus’s help

Minotaur Background• The Labyrinth• Minos’s son in Athens• 7 Athenian youths &

7 maidens• Theseus volunteers

Theseus’s Quest• Setting sail• Minos’s daughter

Ariadne helps• Slays Minotaur• Escapes with Ariadne

& sister Phaedra

Sad Times• Ariadne; Dionysus• Oops, the sails…• Aegean Sea

Theseus & Pirithous• Pirithous, Prince of the Lapiths• Lapiths vs Centaurs• Pirithous’s great idea• Chair of Forgetfulness

Theseus & Phaedra• Ariadne’s sister who wasn’t abandoned• Theseus marries Phaedra• Phaedra & Hippolytus, one of Theseus’s sons

• Aphrodite made advances on Hippolytus• Hippolytus rejected her because he was a

virgin follower of Artemis• Aphrodite punished Hippolytus by having

Phaedra fall in love with him• Hippolytus rejects Phaedra as well• Phaedra accuses him of rape, Theseus

kills his own son, Phaedra commits suicide

Theseus and Athens• Theseus brings together Attica, region around Athens,

under one rule• Transfers much of his power to the assembly• Helps poor & oppressed• Bad decisions in middle age; loses popularity• Pushed off island of Scyros – various/unclear reasons• Body not returned to Athens for burial• Bones “found” during Persian Wars, returned, buried

23 Hero Traits• Mother is a royal virgin• Father is a king• Father often a near relative

to mother• Unusual conception• Hero reputed to be son of a

god• Attempt to kill hero as an

infant, often by father or maternal grandfather

• Hero spirited away as a child• Reared by foster parents in a

far country• No details of childhood• Returns or goes to future

kingdom

• Is victor over king, giant, dragon or wild beast

• Has a helper, sidekick, or group of them• Marries a princess

(often daughter of predecessor)• Becomes king• For a time he reigns uneventfully• He prescribes laws• Later loses favor with gods or his subjects• Driven from throne and city• Meets with mysterious death• Often at the top of a hill• His children, if any, do not succeed him• His body is not buried• Has one or more holy sepulchers or

tombs