Theseus and the Minotaur
The Origin of the Hero Theseus
The story of Theseus and the Minotaur has become legend, but the Athenian Hero had a troubled beggining.
Aegeus, king of the city of Athens had several women but none managed to give him a male heir. The king decided to pay a visit to the Oracle of Delphi and inquired Pittheus on what was needed to have a son.
As it was customary what the Oracle said to Aegis was quite obscure and arcane and so the king could not decipher the Oracle. As he was heading home Aegeus lodged himself into the palace of the wise King Pythias, after having heard what the Pittheus had said to Aegis the sagacious Pittheus immediately understood the prophecy.
So the king of Troezen inebriated his host with his daughter spending the night with a drunk Aegeus, however during that same night the princess Aethra was visited by the goddess Athena in a dream who told her to go to the beach and make an offering to the gods and your offspring will be blessed by them.
The princess went to the beach and as she stepped on the water, Poseidon the god of the Seas appeared who unified himself with the princess impregnating her with his divine seed. Aegeas became aware of ether as pregnancy and told her
if it is a boy do not tell anyone that he is my son. Aegis lifted a huge rock and put his sandals and sword beneath it
when he has the strength to lift this rock ask him to go to Athens and assume his position as the prince of Attica.
A beautiful and strong boy was born and his name was Theseus, he was raised by his wise grandfather who shaped him to be a true hero. When he was still a child Hercules visited the palace of Theseus his grandfather, knowing that Hercules had arrived the tiny Theseus and his friends ran to find him.
Hercules had left his mantle of lion skin on an armchair, the children who hastily entered the room were terrified of it thinking it was a real lion, but the young Theseus felt no fear in his heart. He pulled out the dagger of the guard who was securing the palace and attacked the lion.
Hercules remarked that with such heart your grandson is destined to have his name marked in the Stars. Zeus’s son was amazed by the courage of the small boy. Hercules and Theseus would later become great friends and together they would face many challenges.
When he was 16 Theseus had decided to lift the rock where Aegeas kept his sandals and sword, he put on his father’s sandals and warned his mother that he was ready to go to Athens. His grandfather offered him a vessel to set sail for the gates of his father’s city.
Theseus is replied there will be no honor in arriving in Athens without dusty sandals and blood on the swords blade. Therefore I reject your courtesy and it will carve my own path and so Theseus went to meet his destiny.
The Journey to Athens
After grabbing his father sandals and sword Theseus headed towards athens on foot. The journey was long and packed with danger, the roads were full of all sorts of thieves and several beasts were loose in the fields and forests but Theseus knew no fear and by himself he blazed his trail in order to reach his father whom he had yet to know.
On his way the young boy face several thieves, among them was Peres feats famous for his iron Club. Theseus disarmed and killed him with his own club. Later on his journey he crossed paths with Sciron who challenged everyone he met to a
one-on-one fight without any weapons involved.
Sciron killed all those who he defeated, the young hero was not intimidated by him and using techniques never seen before Theseus defeated Sciron and even today he is regarded as the inventor of greco-roman wrestling. After defeating
other thieves Theseus was attacked by a large wild boar but not even the creatures of mother nature seemed to be able to stop the stubborn boy.
After having exterminated the Beast the hero faced Procrustes, the most feared character in the region. He had two beds one large and one small, after grabbing his victims he tied them to one of his beds, if the person was big he threw them on the small bed and said it seems you are too big for this bed I can sort things out and Procrustes would then cut the victims leg leaving them to bleed to death.
If the person was small the villain would put them in a large bed tying their arms and legs stretching the limbs until their death. However this villain was no match for the hero, who threw him on the small bed and made him taste his own poison.
Theseus arrived in Athens, but this did not surprise the old King Aegeus who was already waiting for him. He was warned by the sorceress Medea who had foreseen the arrival of the King’s heir apparent, but he was not told the whole truth. The sorceress had managed to conquer a lot of room in Aegeas Court and knew that her influence would be emptied with theseus’s arrival.
She warned the King about the arrival of a man who would be responsible for his kingdoms destruction the King offered his guests a poisoned cup of wine. Theseus raised the cup and proposed a toast to the Kings health when he raised his arm the sword that once belonged to the king was exposed and Agegeas recognised it immediately.
Theseus was about to drink the wine when the king knocked the cup out of his hand and embraced his son who had finally arrived. Aegeas expelled the sorceress Medea from his Kingdom an established Theseus as the crown prince of the city of Athens.
The Labyrinth of the Minotaur
After having returned to Athens and assumed the role of heir of the kingdom of Attica, Theseus faced an outrageous situation emissaries of the king Minos of Crete arrived in Athens with the mission to collect the taxes owed to their king. Athens had been subjugated by Crete after the war between cities prompted by the murder of Minos’ his son when he was visiting the kingdom of the King Aegeus.
As a clause of the peace treaty Athens would have to send to Crete 14 youngsters to serve as a tribute on annual basis, seven men and seven women. After arriving in Crete they would be taken to the famous labyrinth where they
would be delivered as a sacrifice to the terrible Minotaur who was a half-man half-bull creature.
The population of Athens could no longer withstand seeing their offspring as sacrificial lambs but they couldn’t do anything. However, after becoming aware of the situation Theseus decided to put an end to it. He volunteered himself to be one of the youngsters delivered to Crete and said the time of humiliation has ended, I will depart with the other youngsters and I will return with them all after having annihilated the Beast that is nourished by the blood of the sons of Athens.
King Aegeus tried to convince him to give up on such an idea, but he failed to and as he saw his son sail away he blessed him while asking “the ship that will take you to Crete, by tradition, departs with black sails as a sign of mourning recognition of lives that would be sacrificed. But I ask you to return home safely I will hoist to these white sails and with that my heart will be immediately appeased when I spot your ship on the horizon”.
Theseus grabbed the white sails and departed towards Crete, when they reached the island 14 youngsters were taken to the palace of Minos and presented to the king. The beautiful princess Ariadne, was also present, fell immediately in love with the young and good-looking Theseus as soon as she saw him.
Ariadne visited her loved one in his cell, where he waited for the moment when he would be taken to the labyrinth. Ariadne told him “Eros has pierced my heart in the moment I saw you, and I won’t let you be killed by this infamous
creature for that reason I’m giving you the sword and yarn of wool”.
Theseus entered the labyrinth with the other youngsters unfurling a trace of wool as he walked. The labyrinth was dark and frightening the tension was a constant. Sometimes it was possible to hear the creature snorting who was lurking in the shadows. Bloodstains painted the floors and the walls of the labyrinth.
Theseus, fearless, was confident that his blood would not color the floor red the miniature appeared and with an unexpected attack tried to reap the hero’s life. However, Theseus’ agility allowed him to dodge every strike of the
Beast. The counter-attack of the hero was devastating and with just one blow Theseus managed to kill the Beast.
The young hero and his journey comrades followed the thread to leave the labyrinth. There, Ariadne with her eyes full of tears, was waiting for her loved one. Theseus and Ariadne kissed each other warmly and walked to the ship to escape from crete.
During the trip the love between both appeared to grow constantly, but during the night Theseus received the visit of god Dionysus who demanded the end of the affair, since Ariadne was promised to the god of wine. Since he feared the God, Theseus abandoned Ariadne in the island of Naxos.
Disheartened, the young man departed towards Athens the separation was such a source of sadness for Theseus that he forgot to hoist the white sails. King Aegeus who was anxiously waiting for the return of his adorned son felt a strong pinch in his heart when he spotted the black sails, and so he jumped from the top of the rocks into the water.
The sea that served as the king’s tomb would later be called the Aegean Sea, what should have been the triumphal return became a melancholy event but the whole Attica praised Theseus, the young man who killed the Minotaur and who now reigned over Athens.