THESEUS

From Agepedia

THESEUS ; king of Athens, and son of iEgeus by iEthra, the daughter of Pittheus; one of the most celebrated of the heroes of antiquity. He was educated at Trcezene, at the house of Pittheus, and passed for the son of Neptune. When he came to years of maturity, he was sent by his mother to his father, and a sword was given him, by which he might make himself known to iEgeus, in a private manner. (See Mgeus.) His journey to Athens was not across the sea, as was usual with travellers; for he determined to sig nalize himself in going by land, and eir countering difficulties. The road which led from Trcezene to Athens was infested with robbers and wild beasts; but these obstacles were removed by his courage! He destroyed Corynetes, Sinnis, Sciroi^ Protrustes, Cercyon andPhaea. At Athene, however, his reception was not cordial Medea lived there with iEgeus; and as she knew that her influence would fall to tkie ground if Theseus was received iritis father's house, she attempted to destroy him before his arrival was made public. iEgeus was to give the cup of poison to the stranger; but at the sight of his sword on the side of Theseus, he knew him to be his son. The Pallantides, who expected to succeed their uncle iEgeua on the throne, as he had no children, attempted to assassinate Theseus; but they failed in the attempt, and were all put to death by the young prince. The ball of Marathon next engaged the attention of THESEUS. He caught the animal alive, and, after he had led it through the streets of Athens, sacrificed it to Minerva or the god of Delphi. After this, Theseus went to £Jrote among the seven chosen youths whom the Athenians yearly sent to be devoured by the Minotaur. The wish to deliver his country from so dreadful a tribute engaged him to. undertake this expedition. He was successful, by means of Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, who was enamored of him; and, after he had escaped from the labyrinth with a clew of thread, and killed the Minotaur (see Mi?iotaurus), he sailed from Crete with the six boys and seven maidens whom his victory had redeemed from death. In the island of Naxos, whither he was driven by the winds, he had the meanness to abandon Ariadne, to whom he was indebted for his safety. The rejoicings which his return might have occasioned at Athens,were interrupted by the death of iEgeus, who threw himself into the sea, when he saw his son's ship return with black sails, which was the signal of ill success. He succeeded his father. The Athenians were governed with mildness, and Theseus made new regulations, and enacted new laws. The number of the inhabitants of Athens was increased ; a court was instituted, which had the care of all civil affairs; and Theseus made the government democratical, while he reserved for himself only the command of the armies. (See Attica.) The fame which he had gained by his victories and policy made his alliance courted; but Pirithous, king of the Lapithse, alone wished to gain his friendship, by meeting him in the field of battle. He invaded the territories of Attica ; and, when Theseus marched out to meet him, the two enemies, struck at the sight of each other, cordially embraced; and from that time began the most sincere friendship, which has become proverbial. Theseus was present at the nuptials of his friend ; and he was the most courageous of the Lapithse, in the defence of Hippodamia, and her female attendants, against the attempts of the Centaurs. When Pirithous (q. v.) had lost Hippodamia, he agreed with Theseus, whose wife was also dead, to carry away some of the daughters of the gods. Their first attempt was upon Helen. After they had obtained the prize, they cast lots, and she became the property of Theseus; but the resentment of Castor and Pollux soon obliged him to restore her into their hands. Theseus assisted his friend in procuring a wife, and they descended into the infernal regions to carry away Proserpine. Pluto, apprized of their intentions, stopped them; and Pirithous was placed on his father's wheel, and Theseus was tied to a huge stone, on which he had sat to rest himself. Virgil represents him in this state of punishment ; but others declare, that he was not long detained in hell. When Hercules came to steal the dog Cerberus, he tore him away from the stone, but with such violence, that his skin was left behind. During the captivity of Theseus in the kingdom of Pluto (see Phaedra), Mnestheus, one of the descendants of Erechtheus, ingratiated himself into the favor of the people of Athens, and obtained the crown. Theseus attempted to eject the usurper, but to no purpose. The Athenians had forgotten his services; and he retired to the court of Lycomedes, king of Scyros, who, either jealous of his fame, or bribed by Mnestheus, threw him down a deep precipice. Some suppose that Theseus inadvertently fell down this precipice, and that he was crushed to death. The children of Theseus, after the death of Mnestheus, recovered the Athenian throne, brought his remains from Scyros, and gave them a magnificent burial. They also raised statues and a temple; and festivals and games were publicly instituted to commemorate his actions. These festivals were still celebrated in the age of Pausanias and Plutarch, about 1200 years after the death of Theseus. The historians disagree with the poets in their accounts of this hero; and they all suppose, that, instead of attempting to carry away the wife of Pluto, the two friends wished to seduce a daughter of Aidoneus, king of the Molossi. This daughter, as they say, bore the name of Proserpine ; and the dog which kept the gates of the palace was called Cerberus; and hence arises the fiction of the poets. Pirithous was torn to pieces by the clog: but Theseus was confined in prison, from whence he made his escape some time after, by the assistance of Hercules. Some authors place Theseus and his friend in the number of the Argonauts ; but they were both detained, either in the infernal regions, or in the country of the Molossi, at the time of Jason's expedition to Colchis.