Pirithous- Greek HeroHero"King of the Lapiths"

The Bold Companion

Pirithous was King of the Lapiths and the son of Ixion, who had attempted to seduce Hera and was condemned to eternal rotation on a fiery wheel. Pirithous inherited his father's audacity. Hearing tales of Theseus's exploits, he deliberately raided Athenian territory to test the hero's mettle. When Theseus confronted him, the two warriors found themselves equally matched. Rather than fight to the death, they swore eternal friendship, each placing his hand on the other's sword in a sacred oath.

The Battle with the Centaurs

The Centaurs — half-horse creatures kin to Pirithous through Ixion — attended the wedding as guests. They had never tasted wine, and when they drank, they lost all restraint. Eurytion seized the bride Hippodamia by the hair, and others lunged for the Lapith women. Theseus fought alongside the Lapiths, and together they drove the Centaurs from the hall and out of Thessaly.

The Descent to Hades

After Hippodamia's death, Pirithous and Theseus made a reckless pact to win daughters of Zeus as their new wives. Theseus chose Helen of Sparta, whom they kidnapped as a young girl, though she was rescued by her brothers the Dioscuri. Pirithous made the fatal choice: Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.

The two heroes descended to Hades's realm and demanded the goddess. Hades received them with false hospitality, inviting them to rest and offering them seats. But these were the Chairs of Forgetfulness, which bound them fast to the stone. There they sat, trapped at the edge of Tartarus, their flesh growing into the rock. When Heracles descended during his final labor to capture Cerberus, he freed Theseus by tearing him from the chair. But when he tried to free Pirithous, the earth shook beneath them. Pirithous remained bound forever.