Theseus— Greek Hero"King of Athens"

The Hidden Prince

Theseus was raised in Troezen, ignorant of his father's identity. Before he was born, King Aegeus of Athens hid a sword and sandals under a heavy rock, telling Theseus's mother to send the boy to Athens if he could lift it. When Theseus came of age, he rolled aside the stone with ease and set out to claim his birthright.

The Road to Athens

Theseus chose the dangerous land route to Athens, though the sea was safer. He wanted to prove himself as Heracles had, by defeating monsters and criminals. He slew Periphetes the club-bearer, Sinis the pine-bender, Sciron who kicked travelers off cliffs, and Procrustes who stretched or cut guests to fit his bed. By the time he reached Athens, he was already famous.

The Labyrinth

Athens owed a terrible tribute to King Minos of Crete: seven youths and seven maidens sent every nine years to be devoured by the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. Theseus volunteered as one of the victims, planning to slay the monster. Minos's daughter Ariadne fell in love with him and gave him a ball of thread to mark his path through the maze.

The Minotaur's Death

Theseus navigated the impossible maze, found the Minotaur, and killed it with his bare hands (or a sword hidden by Ariadne). Following the thread, he led the Athenian captives to freedom. He sailed home with Ariadne but abandoned her on the island of Naxos—where Dionysus found and married her.

The Black Sail

Theseus had promised his father to raise white sails if he survived, black if he died. In his joy at victory—or perhaps his guilt over Ariadne—he forgot. Aegeus, watching from the cliffs, saw black sails and threw himself into the sea. Thus Theseus became king of Athens, his triumph forever shadowed by his father's death. The Aegean Sea bears Aegeus's name to this day.