Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 29a

 Theseus

Theseus was one of the heroes of Greek mythology.  His most famous exploit was killing the Minotaur, but we'll look at that tomorrow.  Today, we look at Theseus' exploits before the Minotaur.

Theseus was the son of King Aegeus of Athens.  The story begins when King Aegeus was visiting Troezen in the Peloponnese, south of Athens.  The local king, Pittheus, invited Aegeus to share the bed of a woman who turned out to be Princess Aithre, King Pittheus' daughter.

King Aegeus knew that he had gotten Princess Aithre pregnant (don't ask how he knew; it's a myth).  He hid a sword and a pair of sandals under a huge stone and told her that if she had a son, when he came to manhood, if he could lift the stone, he should take the sword and sandals and come to Athens.

Well, sure enough, she was pregnant and had a son, Theseus.  When he grew to manhood, his mother showed him the stone, he lifted it (above, from a Roman 1st century relief) and set out for Athens.

On the road to Athens, Theseus performed "labors" or heroic deeds, similar to the labors of Hercules.  First, in the city of Epidauros, he met a man called Periphetes who attacked and killed travelers with a bronze club.  Theseus fought and killed Periphetes (above) and took the bronze club as a symbol of his invincibility.

Next, in the town of Cromyon, there was a huge fierce sow that menaced travelers.  Theseus killed the sow (above).

At Corinth, Theseus met a man named Sinis who bent trees over and tied travelers to two bent trees, then released the trees, which ripped the travelers apart.  Theseus defeated Sinis and dispatched him with his own trick by tying him to to two trees.

Between Corith and Megara on a cliff overlooking the sea lived Skiron, who would rob travelers, force them to wash his feet, and then kick them off the cliff to a man-eating sea-turtle that lived below.  Theseus pushed Skiron off the cliff to be eaten by the turtle.

At Eleusis, a wrestler named Cercyon (Kerkyon) wrestled people to the death.  He was so strong that he always won.  Until he met Theseus, of course, who won and killed Cercyon.

Outside Eleusis lived Procrustes.  This man offered travelers a bed to sleep in, and then he tied them to the bed.  If they were too tall for the bed, he cut off pieces of them until they fit, and if they were shorter than the bed, he stretched them until they fit.  In either case, the results were fatal.  Theseus made Procrustes lie in his own bed and "fitted" him to the bed, as shown above.

When Theseus finally arrived in Athens (above), King Aegeus recognized the sword that he had left under the stone in Troezen and proclaimed Theseus to be his heir.

Tomorrow: Theseus and the Minotaur.