Theseus (Theseus) - Greek hero, the winner of the Minotaur, the king of Athens. Theseus (Theseus, Fesey), Athenian king and great hero Heroes of ancient Greece Theseus and the minotaur

16.01.2021

Theseus, Theseus - in ancient Greek mythology, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus (or the god Poseidon) and Ephra, the 10th king of Athens. The central figure of Attic mythology and one of the most famous characters in all of Greek mythology. Mentioned already in the Iliad (I 265) and the Odyssey (XI 323, 631). In Mycenaean texts, the name te-se-u (Fesey) is found.

A source: Myths and legends Ancient Greece

Origin of Theseus

The name Theseus indicates strength. Theseus belongs to the generation of heroes before the Trojan War. The birth of Theseus is unusual. On the part of his father, Theseus had among his ancestors the autochthonous Erichthonius, born from the seed of Hephaestus Gaia and raised by Athena, and the autochthonous Kranay and the first Attic king Kekrop. The ancestors of Theseus are wise half-snakes, half-people. However, Theseus himself is a representative of pure heroism, he is at the same time the son of a man and a god. On the mother's side, Theseus is descended from Pelops, the father of Pittheus, Atreus and Fiesta, and therefore from Tantalus and, finally, from Zeus himself.

Being childless, Aegeus went to the oracle, but could not guess his answer. But the oracle was unraveled by the Troesen king Pittheus, who realized that the power in Athens would belong to the descendants of Aegeus, and, having drunk the guest, put him to bed with his daughter Ephra. On the same night, Poseidon approached her, or combined with her the day before on the island of Spheros. Thus, the son born to Ephra had (as befits a great hero) two fathers - the earthly Aegeus and the divine Poseidon. Born in the town of Genetliy near the harbor of Kelenderis.

Exploits of Theseus

Leaving Ephra, Aegeus asked to raise his future son, without naming his father, and left him his sword and sandals, placing them under a large stone, so that, having matured, Theseus, in his father’s sandals and with his sword, went to Athens to Aegeus, but so that no one knew about it, since Aegeus was afraid of the intrigues of the Pallantides (children of the younger brother of Pallant), who claimed power because of the childlessness of Aegeus. Ephra hides the true origin of Theseus and Pittheus spread the rumor that the boy was born from Poseidon (the most revered god in Troezen). When Theseus grew up, Ephra revealed to him the secret of his birth and ordered, taking Aegeus' things, to go to Athens to his father.

Even before leaving Troezen, Theseus, having become a young man, dedicated a strand of hair in front, like abantes, to the god Apollo in Delphi, thereby, as it were, handing over himself to the god and entering into an alliance with him. This kind of haircut was called "Teseev". When he was in his sixteenth year, he took out his father's sandals and sword from under the stone. The rock of Theseus (formerly the altar of Zeus Sthenius) was on the way from Troezen to Epidaurus.

Theseus did not go to Athens the easy way - by sea, but by land, through the Isthmus of Corinth, along a particularly dangerous road, where robbers and descendants of monsters lay in wait for travelers on the way from Megara to Athens. On the way, Theseus defeated and killed:

The robber Perifeth, the son of Hephaestus, who killed travelers with a copper club.
The robber Sinis, (nicknamed the Bender of the pines), who lived in a pine grove and cracked down on travelers, tying them to two bent pines.
Crommion pig,
The robber Skiron, who forced travelers to wash his feet at the cliff and kicked them into the abyss, where the unfortunate ones were eaten by a giant tortoise.
The robber Kerkion, who forced travelers to fight to the death.
Robber Damast (nicknamed Procrustes).

In Athens, King Aegeus fell under the rule of the sorceress Medea, who found shelter with him and hoped that her son Med from Aegeus would receive the right to the throne.

There is a story about how Theseus arrived in Athens, when the temple of Apollo Delphinius was being built, and the workers mockingly called him a girl, then he threw up the wagon, showing his strength. Theseus appeared in Athens as a liberator from monsters, a wonderful young hero, but was not recognized by Aegeus, whom Medea instilled fear of the stranger and forced him to drink the young man with poison. During the meal, Theseus drew his sword to cut the meat. The father recognized his son and threw away the bowl of poison.

Theseus also had to contend with 50 Pallantides, whom he ambushed. Having exterminated his cousins and expelled their allies, Theseus established himself as the son and heir of the Athenian king.

Travel to Crete

He came to Athens on the 8th Cronius (hecatombeon) (end of July), set sail on the 6th Munichion (end of April), entered the city on the return of the 7th pianepsion (end of October). Theseus glorified himself as a worthy heir to royal power during the clash between Athens and the Cretan king Minos, who demanded every ninth year a tribute of 7 young men and 7 girls as atonement for the death of his son Androgey. Under Theseus, tribute was sent for the third time (see Companions and Companions of Theseus). According to other versions, either 7 people annually, or 14 every 7 years.

When Minos came for the third time for tribute, Theseus decided to go to Crete himself to measure his strength with the monstrous Minotaur, to which the victims were condemned to be eaten. According to Hellanic, there was no lot, and Minos himself arrived in Athens and chose Theseus.

The ship set off under a black sail, but Theseus took with him a spare white one, under which he was supposed to return home after defeating the monster. On the way to Crete, Theseus proved to Minos that he was descended from Poseidon by retrieving a ring thrown by Minos from the bottom of the sea. Theseus and his companions were placed in a labyrinth where Theseus killed the Minotaur. Theseus and his companions got out of the labyrinth thanks to the help of Ariadne, who fell in love with Theseus. According to the version, he escaped from the labyrinth thanks to the radiance emitted by the crown of Ariadne. At night, Theseus, with the Athenian youth and Ariadne, secretly fled to the island of Naxos. Caught there by a storm, Theseus, not wanting to take Ariadne to Athens, left her when she was sleeping. However, Ariadne was kidnapped by Dionysus, who was in love with her. According to a number of mythographers, Theseus was forced to leave Ariadne on the island, because Dionysus appeared to him in a dream and said that the girl should belong to him.

In Crete, Daedalus taught Theseus and his companions the sacred dance. Returning from Crete, he arranged competitions in honor of Apollo on Delos and crowned the winners with a palm wreath. Dedicated to Apollo the xoan of Aphrodite by Daedalus, which Ariadne captured from Crete.

Theseus went on, forgetting to change the sails, which caused the death of Aegeus, who threw himself into the sea when he saw a black sail and thereby assured himself of the death of his son. According to legend, that is why the sea is called the Aegean. There is also a version that Minos made sacrifices to the gods and the god Apollo managed to arrange a sudden storm that carried away the “victorious” white sail - that is why Theseus was forced to return under a black sail and Aegeus' long-standing curse came true. According to Simonides, Aegeus did not give white, but "a purple sail, colored with the juice of flowers of a branchy oak." The Athenians kept the 30-oared vessel of Theseus until the time of Demetrius of Phaler. Returning from Crete, Theseus erected a temple to Artemis Sotere in Troezen. The ship of Theseus, according to legend, was kept in Athens until the era of Demetrius of Phaler, giving rise to the paradox of the same name by the fact of its storage.

Other exploits of Theseus

Established the state system and democracy in 1259/58 BC. e.

According to some, he arranged the Isthmian games in honor of Melikert.

Poseidon promised him three wishes.

According to the Athenian version, at the head of the Athenian army, he defeated the Thebans of Creon, who refused to hand over the corpses of the fallen.

Together with Hercules, he participated in the campaign for the belt of the Amazons.

Theseus participated in the Calydonian hunt. Some authors call him among the Argonauts, which is doubtful, since Theseus' stepmother was Medea, the former wife of Jason, the leader of the Argonauts.

Participated in the battle with the centaurs, who were outrageous at the wedding of Pirithous, Theseus's closest friend. The signs of friendship between Theseus and Pirithous are buried near the Hollow Bowl in Colon. But he was not among the Argonauts, since at that time he helped Pirithous to get himself the goddess of the kingdom of the dead, Persephone, as his wife. By this act, Theseus crossed the measure of the possible set by the gods for the heroes, and thereby became a disobedient and impudent hero. He would have remained in Hades, where he was forever chained to the rock of Pirithous, if not for Hercules, who saved Theseus and sent him to Athens. Hercules freed him from Hades, part of his seat remained on the rock.

An equally daring act of Theseus was the abduction of Helen, who was beaten back by the brothers and later became the cause of the Trojan War. Taking Elena as his wife, Theseus built a temple to Aphrodite Nymphia in the region of Troezen. Returning from his campaign in the kingdom of Hades, he found the throne occupied by Menestheus.

A separate story is the story of how Phaedra, Theseus' wife, falling in love with her stepson Hippolytus, unsuccessfully persuaded him to love. Unable to achieve Hippolytus, she slandered him before her father, after which Theseus cursed his son and he died. Then Phaedra hanged herself, and Theseus found out the truth.

historical prototype

Eusebius of Caesarea in his chronography calls Theseus the 10th king of Athens, who ruled 30 years after Aegeus from 1234 to 1205. BC e. Plutarch, in his biography of Theseus, gives evidence of the real existence of such an ancient king in Athens. Many details are taken by Plutarch from Philochor, the author of the 3rd century BC. BC e.

During the reign of Theseus, the Athenians killed the son of Minos Androgeus, for which they had to pay tribute to Crete by Athenian boys. However, Theseus himself went to the competition instituted by Minos in memory of his dead son, and defeated the Minotaur, the strongest of the Cretans, in the fight, as a result of which the tribute to the boys was canceled.

Theseus gathered the Athenians, who lived scattered throughout their country, into a single community, and became the real founder of Athens. Here is how Plutarch (Theseus) writes about it:

“He gathered all the inhabitants of Attica, making them one people, citizens of one city, while before they were scattered, they were hardly able to convene, even if it was a matter of common good, and often strife and real wars flared up between them. Going around dem after dem and clan after clan, he explained his plan everywhere, ordinary citizens and the poor quickly bowed to his exhortations, and to influential people he promised a state without a king, a democratic structure that would give him, Theseus, only the place of a military leader and guardian of laws, in the rest, he will bring equality to everyone, and he managed to persuade some, while others, fearing his courage and power, by that time already considerable, preferred to give in to goodness rather than submit to coercion. (...) He erected a single pritanei and council house common to all in the current old part of the city, he called the city Athens (...)

In an effort to further enlarge the city, Theseus called everyone into it, offering the rights of citizenship (...) But he did not allow the disorderly crowds of immigrants to cause confusion and disorder in the state - he first singled out the estates of the noble, landowners and artisans, and left the noble to judge the worship of God , to occupy the highest positions, as well as to teach laws and interpret divine and human institutions, although on the whole, as it were, he equalized all three estates among themselves (...) About the fact that Theseus, according to Aristotle, was the first to show favor to the common people and refused autocracy , apparently, Homer also testifies, in the “List of Ships” he calls only the Athenians “people”.

Theseus kidnapped one of the Amazons, Antiope, because of which the Amazons invaded Attica, and only with great difficulty did the Athenians defeat the warriors. After the death of Antiope, Theseus married Phaedra and had a son, Hippolytus, from her. Then Theseus, at the age of 50, went with friends to Epirus for the daughter of the king of the Molossians (an Epirus tribe), where he was captured and thrown into prison. When he was able to return to Athens, he found a discontented people, incited against him by Menestheus. Having been defeated in the fight against enemies, Theseus retired to the island of Skyros, and died there, either killed by the king of Skyros Lycomedes, or simply falling off a rocky cliff.

According to Eusebius, Theseus was expelled from Athens by ostracism, a rule against tyranny, which he himself first introduced as a law. The Athenian throne was occupied by Menestheus.

Veneration in Attica

The cult of Theseus, as an ancestor hero, existed in Attica. Special splash of it in historical era occurred after the appearance of the shadow of the king at the Battle of Marathon, which is believed to have helped the Greeks to win.

The birth of Theseus is unusual. On the part of his father, Theseus had among his ancestors the autochthonous Erichthonius, born from the seed of Hephaestus Gaia and raised by Athena, and the autochthonous Kranay and the first Attic king Kekrop. The ancestors of Theseus are wise half-snakes, half-people. However, Theseus himself is a representative of pure heroism, he is at the same time the son of a man and a god. On the mother's side, Theseus is descended from Pelops, the father of Pittheus, Atreus and Fiesta, and therefore from Tantalus and, finally, from Zeus himself.

exploits

Leaving Ephra, Aegeus asked to raise his future son, without naming his father, and left him his sword and sandals, putting them under a large stone, so that, having matured, Theseus, in his father’s sandals and with his sword, went to Athens to Aegeus, but so that no one knew about it, since Aegeus was afraid of the intrigues of the Pallantides (children of his younger brother Pallant), who claimed power because of Aegeus's childlessness. Ephra hides the true origin of Theseus and Pittheus spread the rumor that the boy was born from Poseidon (the most revered god in Troezen). When Theseus grew up, Ephra revealed to him the secret of his birth and ordered, taking Aegeus' things, to go to Athens to his father.

Theseus went to Athens not by the easy way - by sea, but by land, through the Isthmus of Corinth, along a particularly dangerous road, where robbers and descendants of monsters lay in wait for travelers on the way from Megara to Athens. On the way, Theseus defeated and killed:

Robber Perifeth, son of Hephaestus, who killed travelers with a copper club.
Robber Sinis, (nicknamed the Bender of the pines), who lived in a pine grove and cracked down on travelers, tying them to two bent pines.
The robber Skiron, who forced travelers to wash his feet at the cliff and kicked them into the abyss, where the unfortunate ones were eaten by a giant tortoise.
The robber Kerkion, who forced travelers to fight to the death.
Robber Damast (nicknamed Procrustes).

When Minos came for the third time for tribute, Theseus decided to go himself to Creteto measure strength with the monstrous Minotaur, to which the victims were condemned to be eaten. As Isocrates writes: "Theseus was indignant to such an extent that he preferred to die rather than remain alive as the head of the state, forced to pay such a mournful tribute to the enemies." According to Hellanic, there was no lot, and Minos himself arrived in Athens and chose Theseus.

The ship set off under a black sail, but Theseus took with him a spare white one, under which he was supposed to return home after defeating the monster. On the way to Crete, Theseus proved to Minos his origin from Poseidonby taking from the bottom of the sea a ring thrown by Minos. Theseus and his companions were placed in a labyrinth where Theseus killed the Minotaur. Theseus and his companions got out of the labyrinth thanks to the help of Ariadne, who fell in love with Theseus. According to the version, he escaped from the labyrinth thanks to the radiance emitted by the crown of Ariadne. At night, Theseus, with the Athenian youth and Ariadne, secretly fled to the island of Naxos. Caught there by a storm, Theseus, not wanting to take Ariadne to Athens, left her when she was sleeping. However, Ariadne was kidnapped by Dionysus, who was in love with her. According to a number of mythographers, Theseus was forced to leave Ariadne on the island, because Dionysus appeared to him in a dream and said that the girl should belong to him.

Theseus went on, forgetting to change the sails, which caused the death of Aegeus, who threw himself into the sea when he saw a black sail and thereby assured himself of the death of his son. According to legend, that is why the sea is called the Aegean. There is also a version that Minos made sacrifices to the gods and the god Apollo managed to arrange a sudden storm that carried off the “victorious” white sail - that is why Theseus was forced to return under a black sail and Aegeus' long-standing curse came true. According to Simonides, Aegeus was not waiting for white, but "purple sail, painted with the juice of flowers of a branchy oak." Returning from Crete, Theseus erected a temple to Artemis Sotere at Troezen. The 30-oared ship of Theseus, according to legend, was kept in Athens until the era of Demetrius of Phaler, giving rise to the paradox of the same name by the fact of its storage.

Other activities

Established the state system and democracy in 1259/58 BC. e. .

According to some reports, he arranged the Isthmian Games in honor of Melikert.

Poseidon promised him three wishes.

According to the Athenian version, at the head of the Athenian army, he defeated the Thebans of Creon, who refused to hand over the corpses of the fallen.

Together with Hercules, he participated in the campaign for the belt of the Amazons.

Participated in the battle with the centaurs who rampaged at the wedding of Pirithous, Theseus' closest friend. Signs of friendship between Theseus and Pirithous are buried near the Hollow Chalice in Colon. But he was not among the Argonauts, since at that time he helped Pirithous to get himself the goddess of the kingdom of the dead Persephone as his wife. By this act, Theseus crossed the measure of the possible set by the gods for the heroes, and thereby became a disobedient and impudent hero. He would have remained in Hades, where he was forever chained to the rock of Pirithous, if not for Hercules, who saved Theseus and sent him to Athens. Hercules freed him from Hades, part of his seat remained on the rock.

Theseus was forced to go into exile, unable to pacify his enemies. When the Athenians drove him away, he went to Crete to Deucalion, but due to the winds he was brought to Skyros. He secretly sent the children to Euboea, and he himself, cursing the Athenians, sailed to the island of Skyros, where Father Theseus once had land. But the king of Skyros, Lycomedes, not wanting to part with his land, treacherously killed Theseus by pushing him off a cliff. Theseus was buried at Skyros. A separate story is the story of how Phaedra, Theseus' wife, falling in love with her stepson Hippolytus, unsuccessfully persuaded him to love. Unable to achieve Hippolytus, she slandered him before her father, after which Theseus cursed his son and he died. Then Phaedra hanged herself, and Theseus found out the truth.

historical prototype

Ancient authors have long sought to consider the image of Theseus not as a mythical hero, but as a real historical character (Plutarch is the main source). Their interpretation is as follows:

Veneration in Attica

The cult of Theseus, as an ancestor hero, existed in Attica. Its special surge in the historical era occurred after the appearance of the shadow of the king at the Battle of Marathon, which is believed to have helped the Greeks to win.

Image in literature and art

According to Hegesianact, became the constellation of the Kneeling One, and Theseus' lyre became the constellation of Lyra.

In 1923, M. Tsvetaeva conceived the dramatic trilogy "The Wrath of Aphrodite". The main character of the trilogy is Theseus. Parts of the trilogy were to be named after the women whom Theseus loved: the first part - "Ariadne", the second - "Phaedra", the third - "Helen". "Ariadne: Theseus' early youth: eighteen years old; Phaedra: Theseus' maturity, forty years; Elena: Theseus' old age: sixty years old," wrote Tsvetaeva. The first part of the trilogy - "Ariadne" - Tsvetaeva finished in 1924, "Phaedra" - in 1927, "Elena" was not written.

Write a review on the article "Theseus"

Notes

Diodorus Siculus. Historical Library IV 59, 1
// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
centant.spbu.ru/centrum/publik/kafsbor/mnemon/2008/37.pdf
Diodorus Siculus. Historical Library IV 59, 1
Pausanias. Description of Hellas II 32, 9
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus, V: text in other Greek. and
Pausanias. Description of Hellas I 27, 8
Pausanias. Description of Hellas II 32, 7
Pausanias. Description of Hellas I 19, 1
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus, XII: text in other Greek. and
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus, XVIII: text in other Greek. and
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus, XXII: text in other Greek. and , a reference to Diodorus the Traveler
Euripides. Hercules 1327
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus, XVI: text in other Greek. and
Virgil. Aeneid VI 21
First Vatican Mythographer I 43, 6
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus, XVII: text in other Greek. and
Pseudo-Eratosthenes. Catasterisms 5; Hygin. Astronomy II 5, 1
Scholia to Homer. Iliad XVIII 590; Eustathius // Losev A.F. Mythology of the Greeks and Romans. M., 1996. S.246
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus, XXI: text in other Greek. and , a reference to Dikearchus; Table Talk VIII 4, 3; Pausanias. Description of Hellas VIII 48, 3
Pausanias. Description of Hellas IX 40, 3-4
Pausanias. Description of Hellas II 31, 1
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus, XXIII: text in other Greek. and
Parian Chronicle 20
Hygin. Myths 273
Euripides. Ippolit 46
Euripides. Pleading 650-724
Euripides. Heracleides 216
Pseudo Apollodorus. Mythological Library I 8, 2; Pausanias. Description of Hellas VIII 45, 6; Ovid. Metamorphoses VIII 303; Hygin. Myths 173
Pseudo Apollodorus. Mythological Library I 9, 16; Hygin. Myths 14 (p.25)
Pseudo-Hesiod. Shield of Hercules 182; Pausanias. Description of Hellas I 17, 2
Sophocles. Oedipus at Colon 1593
Apollonius of Rhodes. Argonautica I 100-103
Euripides. Hercules 619
First Vatican Mythographer I 48, 8
Pausanias. Description of Hellas I 17, 6
Lycophron. Alexandra 1326
Hygin. Astronomy II 6, 2
Plutarch. Theseus 29

Links

Myths of the peoples of the world. M., 1991-92. In 2 vols. T.2. P.502-504, Lübker F. Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. M., 2001. In 3 volumes. T.3. pp.393-394
Plutarch. Comparative biographies, Theseus: text in other Greek. and
Gushchin V. R. 2000: // Political history and historiography from antiquity to the present. Issue. 3. Petrozavodsk, 34-46.
Gushchin V. R. 2002: // Antiquity and the Middle Ages of Europe: interuniversity. Sat. scientific tr. / I. L. Mayak, A. Z. Nyurkaeva (ed.). Perm, 10-18.



autochthonous

Deucalionides

Erichtonides

Codrids

Archons of Athens

Attica outside of Athens

Kings of Eleusis



Compositions

Comparative biography

1 Unpaired biographies 2 Lost biographies

Initial
deities

Titans

Titanides

Children of the Titans

Olympic
gods

Other Olympians

Gods
water element

Main

Chthonic
deities

Main

born on earth

Land

An excerpt characterizing Theseus

Natasha ran into the house and tiptoed in through the half-open door of the sofa room, from which there was a smell of vinegar and Hoffmann's drops.
Are you sleeping, mom?
- Oh, what a dream! said the countess, who had just dozed off, waking up.
“Mom, my dear,” said Natasha, kneeling in front of her mother and putting her face close to hers. - I'm sorry, I'll never be, I woke you up. Mavra Kuzminishna sent me, they brought the wounded here, officers, will you? And they have nowhere to go; I know that you will allow ... - she said quickly, without taking a breath.
What officers? Who was brought? I don’t understand anything,” said the countess.
Natasha laughed, the countess also smiled weakly.
- I knew that you would allow ... so I will say so. - And Natasha, kissing her mother, got up and went to the door.
In the hall she met her father, who returned home with bad news.
- We sat down! said the Count with involuntary annoyance. “And the club is closed, and the police are coming out.
- Dad, is it okay that I invited the wounded to the house? Natasha told him.
“Nothing, of course,” the Count said absently. “That’s not the point, but now I ask you not to deal with trifles, but to help pack and go, go, go tomorrow ...” And the count gave the butler and people the same order. At dinner, Petya returned and told his news.
He said that today the people were dismantling weapons in the Kremlin, that although Rostopchin’s poster said that he would call the cry in two days, but that an order had probably been made that tomorrow all the people would go to the Three Mountains with weapons, and that there there will be a big fight.
The Countess looked with timid horror at the cheerful, heated face of her son while he was saying this. She knew that if she said a word that she asked Petya not to go to this battle (she knew that he rejoiced at this upcoming battle), then he would say something about men, about honor, about the fatherland - something like that. meaningless, masculine, stubborn, against which one cannot object, and the matter will be spoiled, and therefore, hoping to arrange so that she could leave before that and take Petya with her as a protector and patron, she did not say anything to Petya, and after dinner called the count and with tears she begged him to take her away as soon as possible, on the same night, if possible. With a feminine, involuntary cunning of love, she, who had shown perfect fearlessness until now, said that she would die of fear if they did not leave that night. She, without pretending, was now afraid of everything.

Mme Schoss, who visited her daughter, increased the Countess's fear even more with stories about what she had seen on Myasnitskaya Street in a pub. Returning down the street, she could not get home from the drunken crowd of people raging at the office. She took a cab and drove around the lane home; and the driver told her that the people were breaking barrels in the drinking office, which was so ordered.
After dinner, all the Rostov households with enthusiastic haste set to work packing their things and preparing for departure. The old count, suddenly set to work, continued to walk from the yard to the house and back after dinner, stupidly shouting at the people in a hurry and hurrying them even more. Petya was in charge in the yard. Sonya did not know what to do under the influence of the count's conflicting orders, and was completely at a loss. People, shouting, arguing and making noise, ran around the rooms and the yard. Natasha, with her characteristic passion in everything, suddenly also set to work. At first, her intervention in the matter of packing was met with disbelief. Everyone expected a joke from her and did not want to listen to her; but with stubbornness and passion she demanded obedience to herself, became angry, almost wept that they did not listen to her, and finally achieved that they believed in her. Her first feat, which cost her great effort and gave her power, was laying carpets. The count had expensive gobelins and Persian rugs in his house. When Natasha got down to business, there were two open boxes in the hall: one almost to the top with porcelain, the other with carpets. There was still a lot of porcelain set on the tables, and everything was still being carried from the pantry. It was necessary to start a new, third box, and people followed him.
“Sonya, wait, let’s put everything in this way,” said Natasha.
“It’s impossible, young lady, they already tried it,” said the barmaid.
– No, stop, please. - And Natasha began to get dishes and plates wrapped in paper from the drawer.
“The dishes should be here, in the carpets,” she said.
“Yes, and God forbid, put the carpets into three boxes,” said the barman.
- Wait, please. - And Natasha quickly, deftly began to disassemble. “It’s not necessary,” she said about Kiev plates, “yes, it’s in carpets,” she said about Saxon dishes.
- Yes, leave it, Natasha; Well, that’s enough, we’ll put it down, ”Sonya said reproachfully.
- Oh, young lady! the butler said. But Natasha did not give up, threw out all the things and quickly began to pack again, deciding that bad home carpets and extra dishes should not be taken at all. When everything was taken out, they began to lay again. And indeed, throwing out almost everything cheap, what was not worth taking with you, everything of value was put into two boxes. Only the lid of the carpet box did not close. It was possible to take out a few things, but Natasha wanted to insist on her own. She packed, shifted, pressed, forced the barman and Petya, whom she dragged along into the business of packing, to press the lid and herself made desperate efforts.
“Come on, Natasha,” Sonya told her. - I see you're right, take out the top one.
“I don’t want to,” Natasha shouted, holding her loose hair over her sweaty face with one hand, pressing the carpets with the other. - Yes, press it, Petka, press it! Vasilyich, press! she screamed. The carpets pressed down and the lid closed. Natasha, clapping her hands, squealed with joy, and tears gushed from her eyes. But it lasted for a second. She immediately set to work on another matter, and they completely believed her, and the count was not angry when they told him that Natalya Ilyinishna had canceled his order, and the courtyards came to Natasha to ask: should the cart be tied or not and was it enough imposed? The matter was argued thanks to Natasha's orders: unnecessary things were left and the most expensive things were packed in the most cramped way.
But no matter how hard all the people fussed, by late night not everything could be packed. The countess fell asleep, and the count, postponing his departure until morning, went to bed.
Sonya and Natasha slept without undressing in the sofa room. That night, a new wounded man was being transported through Povarskaya, and Mavra Kuzminishna, who was standing at the gate, turned him around to the Rostovs. This wounded man, according to Mavra Kuzminishna, was a very significant person. He was carried in a carriage completely covered with an apron and with the top down. An old man, a respectable valet, was sitting on the goats with the driver. Behind the cart were a doctor and two soldiers.
- Come to us, please. The gentlemen are leaving, the whole house is empty,” said the old woman, turning to the old servant.
- Yes, - answered the valet, sighing, - and not to bring tea! We have our own house in Moscow, but far away, and no one lives.
“We are welcome, our masters have a lot of everything, please,” said Mavra Kuzminishna. - Are you very unhealthy? she added.
The valet waved his hand.
- Do not bring tea! You need to ask the doctor. And the valet got off the goat and went up to the wagon.
“Good,” said the doctor.
The valet again went up to the carriage, looked into it, shook his head, ordered the coachman to turn into the yard, and stopped beside Mavra Kuzminishna.
- Lord Jesus Christ! she said.
Mavra Kuzminishna offered to bring the wounded man into the house.
“The Lord won’t say anything…” she said. But it was necessary to avoid climbing the stairs, and therefore the wounded man was carried into the wing and laid in the former room of m me Schoss. This wounded man was Prince Andrei Bolkonsky.

The last day of Moscow has come. It was clear, cheerful autumn weather. It was Sunday. As on ordinary Sundays, the gospel was announced for mass in all churches. No one, it seemed, could yet understand what awaited Moscow.
Only two indicators of the state of society expressed the situation in which Moscow was: the mob, that is, the class of poor people, and the prices of objects. Factory workers, servants and peasants in a huge crowd, in which officials, seminarians, noblemen got involved, on this day, early in the morning, went to the Three Mountains. After standing there and not waiting for Rostopchin and making sure that Moscow would be surrendered, this crowd scattered around Moscow, to drinking houses and taverns. Prices that day also indicated the state of affairs. The prices of weapons, gold, carts and horses kept going up, while the prices of paper money and city things kept going down, so that in the middle of the day there were cases when cabbies took out expensive goods, like cloth, from the floor, and for a peasant horse paid five hundred rubles; furniture, mirrors, bronzes were given away for free.
In the sedate and old house of the Rostovs, the disintegration of the former living conditions expressed itself very weakly. With regard to people, it was only that three people from a huge household disappeared during the night; but nothing was stolen; and in relation to the prices of things, it turned out that the thirty carts that came from the villages were enormous wealth, which many envied and for which Rostov was offered huge money. Not only did they offer a lot of money for these carts, from the evening and early morning of September 1, orderlies and servants from wounded officers came to the Rostovs' courtyard and dragged the wounded themselves, placed at the Rostovs and in neighboring houses, and begged the Rostovs' people to take care of that they were given carts to leave Moscow. The butler, who was approached with such requests, although he felt sorry for the wounded, resolutely refused, saying that he would not even dare to report this to the count. No matter how pitiful the remaining wounded were, it was obvious that if you gave up one cart, there was no reason not to give up another, that's all - to give up your crews. Thirty carts could not save all the wounded, and in the general disaster it was impossible not to think about yourself and your family. So thought the butler for his master.
Waking up on the morning of the 1st, Count Ilya Andreich quietly left the bedroom, so as not to wake the countess who had just fallen asleep by morning, and in his purple silk dressing gown went out onto the porch. The carts, tied up, stood in the yard. The carriages were at the porch. The butler stood at the entrance, talking to an old batman and a young, pale officer with a bandaged arm. The butler, seeing the count, made a significant and stern sign to the officer and orderly to leave.
- Well, is everything ready, Vasilich? - said the count, rubbing his bald head and looking good-naturedly at the officer and orderly and nodding his head to them. (The count liked new faces.)
- At least harness now, Your Excellency.
- Well, that's nice, the countess will wake up, and with God! What are you, gentlemen? he turned to the officer. - In my house? The officer moved closer. His pale face suddenly flushed bright red.
- Count, do me a favor, let me ... for God's sake ... shelter somewhere on your carts. I don’t have anything with me here ... I don’t care in the cart ... - the officer had not yet managed to finish, as the batman turned to the count with the same request for his master.
- A! yes, yes, yes,” said the count hastily. - I'm very, very happy. Vasilyich, you order, well, clear one or two carts there, well, there ... what ... what is needed ... - with some kind of vague expressions, ordering something, the count said. But at the same moment, the officer's warm expression of gratitude already confirmed what he ordered. The count looked around him: in the yard, at the gate, in the window of the wing, one could see the wounded and orderlies. They all looked at the count and moved towards the porch.
- Please, Your Excellency, to the gallery: what do you want about the paintings there? the butler said. And the count entered the house with him, repeating his order not to refuse the wounded who ask to go.
“Well, then, you can put something together,” he added in a low, mysterious voice, as if afraid that someone would hear him.
At nine o'clock the countess woke up, and Matryona Timofeevna, her former maid, who had acted as chief of the gendarmes in relation to the countess, came to report to her former young lady that Marya Karlovna was very offended and that the young lady's summer dresses should not stay here. When asked by the countess why mme Schoss was offended, it was revealed that her chest had been removed from the cart and all the carts were being untied - they were taking off the good and taking the wounded with them, whom the count, in his simplicity, ordered to take with him. The countess ordered to ask her husband.
- What is it, my friend, I hear things are being filmed again?
- You know, ma chere, I wanted to tell you this ... ma chere countess ... an officer came to me, asking me to give a few carts for the wounded. After all, this is all a matter of gain; But what is it like for them to stay, think! .. Really, in our yard, we ourselves invited them, there are officers here. You know, I think it’s right, ma chere, here, ma chere… let them take them… where is the hurry?.. – The count said this timidly, as he always said when it came to money. The Countess, however, was accustomed to this tone, which always preceded the business, ruining the children, like some kind of construction of a gallery, greenhouse, setting up a home theater or music - and she was used to, and considered it her duty to always oppose what was expressed in this timid tone.
She assumed her meekly deplorable air and said to her husband:
“Listen, Count, you have brought it to the point that they don’t give anything for the house, and now you want to ruin all of our - children’s fortune. After all, you yourself say that there is a hundred thousand good in the house. I, my friend, disagree and disagree. Your will! There is government on the wounded. They know. Look: over there, at the Lopukhins, everything was taken out clean on the third day. That's how people do it. We alone are fools. Have pity at least not on me, but on the children.
The count waved his hands and, without saying anything, left the room.
- Dad! what are you talking about? Natasha told him, following him into her mother's room.
- About nothing! What do you care! said the Count angrily.
“No, I heard,” Natasha said. Why doesn't mommy want to?
– What is your business? shouted the count. Natasha went to the window and thought.
“Papa, Berg has come to visit us,” she said, looking out the window.

Berg, the son-in-law of the Rostovs, was already a colonel with Vladimir and Anna around his neck, and occupied the same calm and pleasant position of assistant chief of staff, assistant to the first department of the chief of staff of the second corps.
On September 1, he came from the army to Moscow.
He had nothing to do in Moscow; but he noticed that everyone from the army asked to go to Moscow and did something there. He also considered it necessary to take time off for household and family affairs.
Berg, in his neat little droshky, on a pair of well-fed, savras little ones, exactly the same as one prince had, drove up to his father-in-law's house. He looked attentively into the yard at the carts and, entering the porch, took out a clean handkerchief and tied a knot.
From the ante-room Berg, with a floating, impatient step, ran into the drawing-room and embraced the count, kissed the hands of Natasha and Sonya, and hurriedly asked about mother's health.
What is your health now? Well, tell me, - said the count, - what about the troops? Are they retreating or will there be more fighting?
“One eternal god, father,” said Berg, “can decide the fate of the fatherland. The army is burning with the spirit of heroism, and now the leaders, so to speak, have gathered for a meeting. What will happen is unknown. But I’ll tell you in general, dad, such a heroic spirit, truly ancient courage of the Russian troops, which they - it, - he corrected, - showed or showed in this battle on the 26th, there are no words worthy to describe them ... I’ll tell you, dad (he hit himself in the chest in the same way as one general who spoke in front of him hit himself, although a little late, because it was necessary to hit himself in the chest at the word "Russian army") - I will tell you frankly that we, the bosses, not only did we not have to push the soldiers or anything like that, but we could hardly hold on to these, these ... yes, courageous and ancient feats, ”he said quickly. “General Barclay before Tolly sacrificed his life everywhere in front of the troops, I'll tell you. Our body was placed on the slope of the mountain. Can you imagine! - And then Berg told everything that he remembered from the various stories he had heard during this time. Natasha, not lowering her gaze, which confused Berg, as if looking for the solution of some question on his face, looked at him.
- Such heroism in general, which they showed Russian soldiers, it is impossible to imagine and worthy of praise! - Berg said, looking back at Natasha and as if wanting to appease her, smiling at her in response to her stubborn look ... - "Russia is not in Moscow, it is in the hearts of all sons!" So, papa? Berg said.
At that moment, the Countess came out of the sofa-room, looking tired and displeased. Berg hastily jumped up, kissed the countess's hand, inquired about her health, and, expressing his sympathy by shaking his head, stopped beside her.
- Yes, mother, I will tell you truly, hard and sad times for every Russian. But why worry so much? You still have time to leave...
“I don’t understand what people are doing,” said the countess, turning to her husband, “they just told me that nothing is ready yet. After all, someone has to take care of it. So you will regret Mitenka. Will this end?
The count wanted to say something, but apparently refrained. He got up from his chair and walked to the door.
Berg at this time, as if to blow his nose, took out a handkerchief and, looking at the bundle, fell into thought, shaking his head sadly and significantly.
“And I have a big request for you, dad,” he said.
- Hm? .. - said the count, stopping.
“I’m driving past Yusupov’s house right now,” Berg said, laughing. - The manager is familiar to me, ran out and asked if you could buy something. I came in, you know, out of curiosity, and there was only a wardrobe and a toilet. You know how much Verushka wanted this and how we argued about it. (Berg involuntarily turned into a tone of joy about his well-being when he began to talk about a chiffonier and a toilet.) And such a charm! comes forward with the English secret, you know? And Verochka has long wanted to. So I want to surprise her. I saw so many of these men in your yard. Give me one, please, I'll pay him well and...
The Count winced and sighed.
“Ask the countess, but I don’t order.
“If it’s difficult, please don’t,” Berg said. - I would only really like for Verushka.
“Ah, get out of here, all of you, to hell, to hell, to hell, to hell!” shouted the old count. - My head is spinning. And he left the room.
The Countess wept.
- Yes, yes, mama, very hard times! Berg said.
Natasha went out with her father and, as if thinking something with difficulty, first followed him, and then ran downstairs.
On the porch stood Petya, who was engaged in arming people who were traveling from Moscow. In the yard, the laid wagons were still standing. Two of them were untied, and an officer, supported by a batman, climbed onto one of them.
- Do you know why? - Petya asked Natasha (Natasha realized that Petya understood: why father and mother quarreled). She didn't answer.
“Because papa wanted to give all the carts to the wounded,” said Petya. “Vassilyitch told me. In my…

Theseus- the hero of the myths of ancient Greece and Rome. One of the main figures in mythology. Despite the many accomplished feats, pursued by the blows of fate, Theseus in his old age turned into a cruel tyrant and soon lost the love of his subjects. It got to the point that the Athenians hated him and sent him into exile on the island of Skyros, where Lycomedes, the king of this island, treacherously killed the hero. As always happens, the Athenians bitterly lamented their ingratitude and only in a fit of belated repentance began to deify Theseus. They built a majestic temple on the Acropolis in his honor. The remains of Theseus were solemnly transferred to Athens and buried there. He was revered for a long time in the capital of Greece as a demigod.

Birth of Theseus

While still quite a young man, Egey. Athenian king, traveled to Troezen, where he fell in love with a beautiful young princess named Etra and married her. For some reason, which the myths of ancient Greece are silent about, he had to return to Athens alone, but as he left, he hid his sandals and sword under a rock, telling his wife to remember the place.

He added that as soon as his son Theseus came into power, he would have to lift a rock, draw a sword and sandals, and come to him in Athens, where he would be presented to the people as his son and heir. After that, Aegeus tenderly said goodbye to his wife and baby son and left for Athens.

Youth of Theseus

Years passed, Theseus grew up and turned into a strong, handsome, intelligent young man, whose fame spread everywhere. Finally, Etra decided that he was already strong enough to lift the rock, under which lay his father's weapon. She took her son to her, told about everything and ordered to check his strength.

Theseus' road to Athens

It was a long and dangerous journey. Theseus moved slowly and carefully, because he knew how many dangers lay in wait for him on the way. He understood that he would have to fight giants and monsters. who will try to stop him.

Theseus and Periphetes

And he was not mistaken - before Troezen had time to disappear from view, as Theseus saw on the road the giant Periphetus, the son of Vulcan. Periphetes rushed at Theseus with a huge club, from the blows of which everyone who passed by fell dead. Deftly dodging the first blow, the young man plunged his sword into the giant's side, and he fell lifeless to the ground.

Theseus and Sinis

Here Theseus met a cruel giant named Sinis, nicknamed the Bender. He used to bend some tall pine tree so that its top touched the ground, and asked the unsuspecting traveler to hold it and give him a helping hand. The traveler fulfilled the request, and Sinis let go of the pine tree, and the unfortunate man flew up into the sky and crashed against a nearby rock.

Exploits of Theseus

Theseus also killed this robber, striking him with his iron club. Young and beautiful daughter Sinisa fled from Theseus and hid in thick bushes. Hiding from Theseus, she begged the branches of the bush to hide her and promised never to break or burn them.

Theseus called the frightened girl, calmed her and promised not to cause any harm. He took her along with him, took care of her, and subsequently married Dioneus, the son of King Eurytus; her children never burned on fire the branches of those bushes that once sheltered their mother.

Theseus went further and came to the dense Krommion forest, where a wild boar lived, causing a lot of harm to the inhabitants of those places. Theseus decided to free them from a fierce beast, and, having found a boar, he killed him. Then Theseus came to the border of Megara, to the Skiron rock.

On its top, on the very edge of the cliff, by the sea, sat a giant. He called the passing travelers and forced them to wash their feet; when they granted his wish, he kicked them off a high cliff into the sea. The bodies of the travelers who crashed against the stones were eaten by a huge turtle. Courageous and intelligent Theseus dealt with this evil giant and pushed him into the sea.

Near Eleusis, not far from the borders of Megara and Attica, the young Theseus had to oppose the giant Kerkion, who challenged him to battle. This robber Kerkion forced all passing travelers to enter into single combat with him.

Sources: www.mifyrima.ru, www.101mif.ru, rutracker.org, pedsovet.su, www.rosbooks.ru

Japanese demons

Death of King Arthur

Asgard of Iria

Perseus and Andromeda

The history of the life of the Russian emperor

The turbulent life of a reformer gave Peter I a bunch of illnesses by the age of 50. More than other ailments pestered him with uremia. On the last...

Forest man

Furry humanoid creatures continue to excite the public. The so-called bigfoot or forest man again inherited. About meetings with Mande...

Pharaoh clothes

The main garment was a shenti apron - a strip of narrow fabric, which was wrapped around the hips and fastened at the waist with a belt. Pharaoh's schenty was...

Culture of Western Europe in the Middle Ages

The period of the Middle Ages in Western Europe is the desire to recreate order after the collapse of the once powerful Roman Empire. Bring peace back from chaos to...

Mini-factories "Consumption-Tires-Diesel"

The Qatari plant for the production of synthetic diesel from natural gas Pearl GTL was built just in time. The political situation in the Arab world...

The reign of Vladimir, son of Svyatoslav

Prince Vladimir was the son of Svyatoslav, the grandson of Igor and Saint Olga, the great-grandson of Rurik, who was called to reign from the Varangians. At...

Theseus, or Theseus, is one of the popular characters in the Greek epic. Translated from Greek, his name most likely means "to be strong."

Theseus was the son of the Athenian king Aegeus and Ephra. The ancestors of the hero are considered to be the autochthon Erichthonius, born of the earth that Hephaestus fertilized, and mixanthropic monsters - wise half-animals, half-humans. Theseus' mother was related to Zeus, and Theseus himself was the son of not only Aegeus, but also Poseidon.

Aegeus was childless for a long time. Finally, the king went to the oracle and heard from him a riddle, the meaning of which he could not understand. Instead, the riddle was solved by Pittheus, the king of Trizen. He realized that the power in Athens would belong to the child who was born from Aegeus. Pittheus made him drunk with wine and put him to bed with his daughter Ephra. That same night, Poseidon also came to her.

The next morning, Aegeus, leaving Ephra, asked her not to reveal the father's name to her future son. He left her his sandals and sword and told her to give these things to her son when he grows up. Aegeus also asked the girl for her son to come to Athens secretly, because Aegeus was afraid that the children of his younger brother Pallas would want to kill the royal heir in order to gain power.

After some time, Ephra gave birth to a son, Theseus, who had two fathers: the god Poseidon and the man Aegeus. She raised this child, as Aegeus ordered, that is, she hid Theseus' high origin from everyone. She told those around her that her son was born from the god Poseidon.

When Theseus came of age, his mother told him his father's name, gave him a sword and sandals, and told him to go to Athens. The young man put on sandals, armed himself with his father's sword, and this seemed to join the magical power that his ancestors were endowed with. He then dedicated a lock of hair to the god Apollo at Delphi. By this he made an alliance with God and devoted his life to serving him.

Theseus went to Athens not by sea, but by land. This path was longer and more dangerous, because along the way the young man could meet with robbers and descendants of chitonic monsters who killed travelers. On the way to Athens, Theseus performed several feats: he killed Perithetus, Sinis, the Crommion pig, Damast, Kerkion and Skiron.

Theseus came to Athens and saw his father, but he did not recognize his son, because he was bewitched by the sorceress Medea. She settled in Athens and gave birth to a son from the king, hoping that her child would later inherit the throne. Seeing Theseus, the sorceress guessed that this was the son of Aegeus, and therefore inspired the king with suspicion of the guest and forced him to give him a bowl of poison.

Theseus was invited to the palace and they began to treat him with food. When the meat was served, the young man pulled out a sword from its scabbard to cut off a piece for himself. By this sword, Aegeus recognized his son and broke the cup of poison, from which Theseus, fortunately, had not yet had time to take a sip. There is another version, according to which Aegeus sent an alien to kill the marathon bull that was devastating the surrounding fields. When Theseus defeated the bull and returned, the young man was brought a poisonous drink, but Aegeus recognized his son by the sword and sandals and threw the bowl of poison aside.

The fifty sons of Pallant made several attempts to kill Theseus, but he destroyed all the brothers and drove out their assistants, after which the Athenians officially recognized him as the heir to King Aegeus.

Theseus behaved most worthily in a clash with King Minos. Every nine years, Minos demanded tribute from Athens: seven young men and seven girls, who were sent to be devoured by the Minotaur as atonement for the death of the son of Minos, in which Aegeus was allegedly to blame. Twice Theseus paid tribute, and the third time he himself went on the road among one of the seven young men doomed to death in order to kill the Minotaur.

The Minotaur lived on the island of Crete, in the palace built by Daedalus and Icarus. The palace had many rooms; everyone entering it could not find a way out and died from the fangs and claws of the Minotaur, the bull-man.

Theseus, along with the rest of the Athenians, went to the island on a ship under a black sail. In the hold lay a white sail, which the sailors were supposed to hang if Theseus defeated the Minotaur. If the hero is defeated and dies, then the sail must remain black. By the color of the sail, Aegeus could know about the fate of his son even before the ship entered the port.

During the voyage, Minos removed the ring from his finger and threw it into the sea. Theseus proved to the king that he was born from the lord of the sea, Poseidon, taking the ring from the bottom.

After arriving on the island, Theseus and the rest of the Athenians were taken to the Labyrinth and locked there, but before that, the daughter of King Minos, Ariadne, fell in love with Theseus and gave him a magic ball.

Theseus killed the Minotaur, and with the help of a thread from Ariadne's ball, he and the rest of the Athenians managed to find their way back. At night, they left the Labyrinth and fled to the island of Nakos. Ariadne followed them, but on the way she was kidnapped by Dionysus, who fell in love with her. According to another version, Theseus himself abandoned the girl on the island, not wanting to take him to Athens with him.

On the way back, Theseus forgot about the agreement and did not order the sailors to hang a white sail. Aegeus did not leave the coast and peered into the sea distance. Seeing the black sail, he decided that Theseus was dead. Stricken with grief, Aegeus threw himself off a cliff into the sea and drowned.

Subsequently, Theseus, who became the Athenian king, performed many feats. He took part in the battle with the Amazons (according to one version, together with Hercules), in the battle with the centaurs, in the Calydonian hunt, etc.

Theseus accomplished many feats, but the most famous is the victory over the monster Minotaur, a half-bull-half-man who lived on the island of Crete.

Theseus was not among the Argonauts, because at that time he helped Pirithous to win the bride Persephone, the goddess of the kingdom of the dead. For this, the gods were angry with him and chained him to a rock. Theseus did not stay long in captivity - Hercules freed him and helped him return to Athens.

This text is an introductory piece.

Theseus. The myth of Theseus, The exploits of Theseus. N. A. Kuhn. Legends and myths of Ancient Greece

Theseus is the greatest hero of Athens, having much in common with Hercules. Theseus is the hero of the military tribal aristocracy, and then the hero of the ruling Athenian slave-owning aristocracy of landowners, who attributed the creation of everything ancient political system Athens to Theseus. First of all, he was credited with dividing the population into three classes: “zvpatridov”, or noble, “geomors”, or farmers, and “demiurges”, or artisans, and granting the exclusive right to fill posts with one noble. The following fact is also characteristic: it was said that during the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), in which the Greeks defeated the Persians, many Athenians allegedly saw Theseus in a helmet with a spear and a shield, walking in front of the battle formation of the Athenians. These fabulous stories were used by aristocrats. Their representative Kimon brought to Athens from the island of Skyros the remains of Theseus, which, of course, did not actually exist, since Theseus never existed either.

Based on the biography of Plutarch "Theseus"

The birth and upbringing of Theseus

The son of Pandion, Aegeus, ruled in Athens after he and his brothers expelled from Attica their relatives, the sons of Metion, who seized power by wrong. For a long time Aegeus ruled happily. Only one thing saddened him: he had no children. Finally, Aegeus went to the oracle of Apollo in Delphi and there he asked the luminous god why the gods did not send him children. The oracle gave Aegeus a vague answer. He thought for a long time, trying to unravel the secret meaning of the answer, but could not unravel it. Finally, Aegeus decided to go to the city of Troisenu (City in Argolis in the Peloponnese) to the wise king of Argolis Pittheus, so that he would unravel the secret of Apollo's answer to him. Pitfey immediately guessed the meaning of the answer. He realized that Aegeus should have a son who would be the greatest hero of Athens. Pittheus wanted Troisena to have the honor of being the birthplace of a great hero. He therefore gave Aegeus his daughter Ephra to wife. And so he was born to Ephra, when she became the wife of Aegeus, a son, but it was the son of the god Poseidon, and not Aegeus. The newborn was named Theseus. Shortly after the birth of Theseus, King Aegeus had to leave Troisena and return to Athens. Leaving, Aegeus took his sword and sandals, put them under a rock in the mountains near Troisena and said to Efre:
- When my son Theseus will be able to move this rock and get my sword and sandals, then send him with them to me in Athens. I recognize him by my sword and sandals. (The myth of Theseus)
Until the age of sixteen, Theseus was brought up in the house of his grandfather Pittheus. Pittheus, famous for his wisdom, took care of the upbringing of his grandson and rejoiced when he saw that his grandson was superior in everything to his peers. But now Theseus was sixteen years old; even then no one could equal him either in strength, or in dexterity, or in the ability to wield weapons. Theseus was beautiful: tall, slender, with a clear look of beautiful eyes, dark curls that fell to his shoulders in magnificent rings; in front, on the forehead, the curls were cut off, since he dedicated them to Apollo; the young muscular body of the hero clearly spoke of his mighty strength.

Exploits of Theseus on the way to Athens

When Ephra saw that her son was stronger than all his peers, she led him to the rock, under which lay the sword and sandals of Aegeus, and said:
- My son, here under this rock lie the sword and sandals of your father, the ruler of Athens, Aegeus. Move the rock and take the sword and sandals, they will be the sign by which your father recognizes you.
Theseus pushed the rock and easily moved it from its place, He took a sword and sandals, said goodbye to his mother and grandfather and set off on a long journey to Athens. Theseus did not heed the requests of his mother and grandfather - to choose a safer sea route; he decided to go to Athens by land, through the Isthmus.
This path was difficult. Theseus had to overcome many dangers during the journey, he had to accomplish many feats. Already on the border of Troisena and Epidaurus (City on the eastern coast of Argolis), the hero met the giant Perithetus, the son of the god Hephaestus. Like the god Hephaestus himself, his son, the giant Perifeth, was lame, but his hands were mighty and his body was huge. Terrible was Periphetes. Not a single wanderer passed through the mountains in which Perifeth lived, the giant killed them all with his iron club, but Theseus easily defeated Perifeth. This was the hero's first feat, and as a sign of his victory, he took the iron club of Perithet, who had been killed by him.

Farther to the Isthmus, Theseus walked without being exposed to dangers. On Isthma, in a pine grove dedicated to Poseidon, Theseus met the bender of pines Sinida. It was a ferocious robber. He betrayed the terrible death of all travelers. Having bent two pines so that their tops touched, Sinid tied the unfortunate traveler to the pines and let them go. With terrible force, the pines straightened up and tore the body of the unfortunate. Theseus avenged all those killed by Sinid. He tied the robber, bent two huge pine trees with his mighty hands, tied Sinid to them and released the pine trees. The ferocious robber died the very death with which he destroyed innocent travelers. The path through the Isthmus was now free. Later, in memory of his victory, Theseus established the Isthmian Games at the place where he defeated Sinid , running, fisticuffs, discus and spear throwing, as well as chariot races).
The further path of Theseus went through Kromion (City on the Isthma, not far from Corinth). The whole area around was devastated by a huge wild pig, spawned by Typhon and Echidna. The people of Kromion prayed young hero rid them of this monster. Theseus overtook the pig and struck it down with his sword.
Theseus went on. In the most dangerous place of Isthma, near the borders of Megara (the region in the north of Isthma, bordering Attica in the east), where sheer cliffs rose high to the sky, at the foot of which foamy sea ramparts roared menacingly, Theseus met a new danger. On the very edge of the cliff lived the robber Skiron. He forced everyone who passed by to wash his feet. As soon as the traveler bent down to wash Skiron's feet, the cruel robber with a strong push of his foot threw the unfortunate man off the cliff into the stormy waves of the sea, where he crashed to death on sharp stones sticking out of the water, and his body was devoured by a monstrous turtle. Theseus, when Skiron wanted to push him too, grabbed the robber by the leg and threw him into the sea.
Not far from Eleusis, Theseus had to fight with Kerkion, just as Hercules had to fight with Antaeus. The mighty Kerkyon killed many, but Theseus, clasping Kerkyon with his arms, squeezed him, as if in an iron vice, and killed him. By this, Theseus freed the daughter of Kerkyon, Alope, while Theseus gave power over the country of Kerkyon to the son of Alope and Poseidon, Hippotoont. (The exploits of Theseus)
Having passed Eleusis and approaching the valley of the Kefis River in Attica, Theseus came to the robber Damast, who was usually called Procrustes (puller). This robber came up with a particularly painful torture for everyone who came to him. Procrustes had a bed, he forced those who fell into his hands to lie down on it. If the bed was too long, Procrustes pulled the unfortunate until the victim's legs touched the edge of the bed. If the bed was short, then Procrustes chopped off the unfortunate legs. Theseus threw Procrustes himself on the bed, but the bed, of course, turned out to be too short for the giant Procrustes, and Theseus killed him the way the villain of the travelers killed. (The myth of Theseus)
This was the last feat of Theseus on the way to Athens. Theseus did not want to come to Athens stained (the Greeks believed that spilled blood defiles a person. Therefore, anyone who kills a person must perform special cleansing rites at the altar of a god) with the spilled blood of Sinid, Skiron, Procrustes and others; he asked the Phitalides (Descendants of the hero Fital, who founded the mysteries in Eleusis - a special religious cult in honor of the goddess Demeter) with special religious ceremonies to cleanse him at the altar of Zeus-Melichius (Melichius means "merciful"). Warmly, as a guest, the phytalides of the young hero were received. They fulfilled his request and cleansed him of the taint of spilled blood. Now Theseus could go to Athens, to his father Aegeus. (The exploits of Theseus)

Theseus in Athens

In long Ionian clothes, shining with beauty, Theseus walked through the streets of Athens; lush curls fell to his shoulders. The young hero in his long clothes looked more like a girl than a hero who had accomplished so many great feats. Theseus had to pass by the temple of Apollo under construction, on which the workers were already erecting a roof. The workers saw the hero, mistook him for a girl and began to mock him. Laughing, the workers shouted:
- Look, there is a girl wandering around the city alone, without an escort! Look how she let her hair down to show off, and with her long clothes she sweeps the street dust.
Angry at the ridicule of the workers, Theseus ran to the ox-cart, unharnessed the oxen, grabbed the cart and threw it so high that it flew over the heads of the workers standing on the roof of the temple. The workers who mocked Theseus were horrified when they saw that this was not a girl, but a young hero with terrible strength. They expected that the hero would cruelly avenge them for their ridicule, but Theseus calmly continued on his way.
Finally, Theseus came to the palace of Aegeus. He did not immediately reveal to the elderly father who he was, but said that he was a foreigner seeking protection. Aegeus did not recognize his son, but the sorceress Medea recognized him. She, having fled from Corinth to Athens, became the wife of Aegeus. The cunning Medea, having promised Aegeus to restore his youth by witchcraft, ruled in the house of the king of Athens, and Aegeus himself obeyed her in everything. The power-hungry Medea immediately realized what danger threatened her if Aegeus found out who the beautiful stranger he received in his palace was. In order not to lose power. Medea planned to destroy the hero. She persuaded Aegeus to poison Theseus, assuring the old king that the young man was a scout sent by enemies. The decrepit, weak Aegeus, who was afraid that someone would deprive him of power, agreed to this atrocity.
During the feast, Medea placed a goblet of poisoned wine in front of Theseus. Just at that moment, Theseus pulled out his sword for some reason. Aegeus immediately recognized the sword which he himself had placed under the rock at Troisena sixteen years before. He looked at Theseus' feet and saw his sandals on them. Now he understood who this stranger was. Overturning a goblet of poisoned wine, Aegeus embraced Theseus, his son. Medea was expelled from Athens and fled with her son Medon to Media.
Solemnly Aegeus announced to all the Athenian people about the arrival of his son and told about his great deeds accomplished during the journey from Troisena to Athens. The Athenians rejoiced along with Aegeus and greeted their future king with loud cries.
The rumor that the son of Aegeus had come to Athens also reached the sons of Pallas, the brother of Aegeus. With the arrival of Theseus, their hope of ruling in Athens after the death of Aegeus collapsed - because now he had a legitimate heir. Severe Pallantides did not want to lose power in Athens. They decided to take possession of Athens by force. Led by their father, all fifteen Pallantides moved against Athens. Knowing the mighty power of Theseus, they came up with the following trick: part of the Pallantides openly approached the walls of Athens, part had already taken refuge in an ambush in order to unexpectedly attack Aegeus. But the messenger of the Pallantids, Leos, revealed their plan to Theseus. The young hero quickly decided how he should act; he attacked the Pallantides hiding in an ambush and killed them all; neither strength nor courage saved them. When the Pallantides, who were standing under the walls of Athens, learned of the death of their brothers, they were seized with such fear that they turned into a shameful flight. Now Aegeus could safely rule in Athens under the protection of his son. (The myth of Theseus)
Theseus did not remain idle in Athens. He decided to free Attica from the wild bull that devastated the neighborhood of Marathon. This bull was brought, on the orders of Eurystheus, from Crete to Mycenae by Hercules and released there into the wild. The bull fled to Attica and has since been a great evil for all farmers. Fearlessly, Theseus went to this new feat. In Marathon, he met an old woman, Hecala. She received the hero as a guest, and advised him to make a sacrifice to Zeus the Savior before a new feat, so that Zeus would guard him during a dangerous fight with a monstrous bull. Theseus listened to the advice of Hecale. Soon Theseus found a bull: the bull rushed at the hero, but he grabbed him by the horns. The bull rushed, but could not escape from the mighty hands of Theseus. Theseus bent the bull's head to the ground, tied it up, tamed it and led it to Athens. On the way back, Theseus did not find the old Hecale alive; she's already dead. Theseus honored the deceased with great honors for the advice and hospitality that Hekale had shown him so recently. Bringing the bull to Athens, Theseus sacrificed it to the god Apollo. (The exploits of Theseus)

Theseus' journey to Crete

When Theseus came to Athens, all of Attica was plunged into deep sorrow. For the third time, ambassadors arrived from Crete from the mighty king Minos for tribute. This tribute was heavy and shameful. The Athenians were to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete every nine years. There they were locked in the huge palace of the Labyrinth, and they were devoured by the terrible monster Minotaur, with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Minos imposed this tribute on the Athenians because they killed his son Androgeus. Now for the third time the Athenians had to send a terrible tribute to Crete. They have already outfitted a ship with black sails as a sign of mourning for the young victims of the Minotaur.
Seeing the general sadness, the young hero Theseus decided to go with the Athenian boys and girls to Crete, free them and stop paying this terrible tribute. It was possible to stop paying only by killing the Minotaur. Therefore, Theseus decided to fight the Minotaur and either kill him or die. The aged Aegeus did not want to hear about the departure of his only son, but Theseus insisted on his own. He made a sacrifice to Apollo-Delphinius, the patron saint of sea travel, and just before his departure, an oracle was given to him from Delphi, so that he would choose the goddess of love Aphrodite as the patroness in this feat. Calling Aphrodite for help and making a sacrifice to her, Theseus went to Crete.
The ship happily arrived at the island of Crete. The Athenian boys and girls were taken to Minos. The powerful king of Crete immediately drew attention to the beautiful young hero. The daughter of the king, Ariadne, also noticed him, and the patroness of Theseus, Aphrodite, aroused in the heart of Ariadne a strong love for the young son of Aegeus. The daughter of Minos decided to help Theseus; she could not even imagine that the young hero would die in the Labyrinth, torn to pieces by the Minotaur.
Before going to battle with the Minotaur, Theseus had to accomplish one more feat. Minos insulted one of the Athenian girls. Theseus interceded for her, but, proud of his origin, the king of Crete began to mock Theseus; he was angry that some Athenian dared to oppose him, the son of Zeus. Theseus proudly answered the king:
- You are proud of your origin from Zeus, but I am not the son of a mere mortal, my father is the great shaker of the earth, the god of the sea Poseidon.
- If you are the son of the god Poseidon, then prove it and get the ring from the depths of the sea, - Minos answered Theseus and threw the golden ring into the sea.
Calling on his father Poseidon, Theseus fearlessly rushed from the steep bank into the waves of the sea. Salt spray flew high, and hid the waves of the sea of Theseus. Everyone looked with fear at the sea that swallowed the hero, and were sure that he would not return back. Full of despair, stood Ariadne; and she was sure that Theseus was dead.
And Theseus, as soon as the sea waves closed over his head, the god Triton picked up and in the blink of an eye rushed to the underwater palace of Poseidon. Poseidon gladly welcomed his son to his magical underwater palace and gave him the ring of Minos, and Poseidon's wife, Amphitrite, admiring the beauty and courage of the hero, laid a golden wreath on Theseus' magnificent curls. Triton again picked up Theseus and carried him out of the depths of the sea to the shore to the place from which the hero threw himself into the sea. Theseus proved to Minos that he was the son of Poseidon, lord of the sea. Minos' daughter Ariadne rejoiced that Theseus returned unharmed from the depths of the sea. (The exploits of Theseus)
But an even more dangerous feat lay ahead: it was necessary to kill the Minotaur. Then Ariadne came to the aid of Theseus. Secretly from her father, she gave Theseus a sharp sword and a ball of thread. When Theseus and all those doomed to be torn to pieces were taken to the Labyrinth, Theseus tied the end of a ball of thread at the entrance to the Labyrinth and went through the intricate endless passages of the Labyrinth, from which it was impossible to find a way out; he gradually unwound the ball in order to find the way back along the thread. Theseus walked farther and, finally, he came to the place where the Minotaur was. With a formidable roar, bowing his head with huge sharp horns, the Minotaur rushed at the young hero, and a terrible battle began. The Minotaur, full of rage, rushed at Theseus several times, but he repelled him with his sword. Finally, Theseus grabbed the Minotaur by the horn and plunged his sharp sword into his chest. Having killed the Minotaur, Theseus left the Labyrinth along the thread of the ball and brought out all the Athenian boys and girls. At the exit they were met by Ariadne; she joyfully greeted Theseus. The young men and women, saved by Theseus, rejoiced. Decorated with wreaths of roses, glorifying the hero and his patroness Aphrodite, they led a cheerful round dance.
Now it was necessary to take care of the salvation from the wrath of Minos. Theseus quickly equipped his ship and, having cut through the bottom of all the Cretan ships pulled ashore, quickly set off on his way back to Athens. Ariadne followed Theseus, whom she fell in love with. (The myth of Theseus)
On the way back, Theseus landed on the coast of Naxos. When Theseus and his companions were resting from their journey, the god of wine Dionysus appeared to Theseus in a dream and told him that he must leave Ariadne on the desert coast of Naxos, since the gods appointed her to be his wife to him, the god Dionysus. Theseus woke up and, full of sadness, quickly got ready to go. He did not dare to disobey the will of the gods. The goddess was Ariadne, the wife of the great Dionysus. The companions of Dionysus Ariadne greeted loudly and glorified the wife of the great god with singing.
And the ship of Theseus quickly rushed on his black sails across the azure sea. The coast of Attica has already appeared in the distance. Theseus forgot, saddened by the loss of Ariadne, the promise given to Aegeus - to replace the black sails with white ones, if he, having defeated the Minotaur, happily returns to Athens. Aegeus was waiting for his son. With his eyes fixed on the sea distance, he stood on a high rock near the seashore. A black dot appeared in the distance, it grows, approaching the shore. This is his son's ship. He is getting closer. Aegeus looks, straining his eyes, - what kind of sails are on it. No, white sails do not shine in the sun, sails are black. So, Theseus died. In desperation, Aegeus threw himself from a high cliff into the sea and died in the sea waves; only his lifeless body was washed ashore by the waves. Since then, the sea in which Aegeus perished has been called the Aegean. And Theseus landed on the shores of Attica and already offered thanksgiving sacrifices to the gods, when suddenly, to his horror, he found out that he had become the unwitting cause of his father's death. With great honors, the heartbroken Theseus buried the body of his father, and after the funeral he assumed power over Athens.

Theseus and the Amazons

Theseus ruled wisely in Athens. But he did not live quietly in Athens; he often left them in order to take part in the exploits of the heroes of Greece. So, Theseus participated in the Calydonian hunt, in the campaign of the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece and in the campaign of Hercules against the Amazons. When the city of the Amazons Themiscyra was taken, Theseus took Antiope, the queen of the Amazons, with him to Athens as a reward for bravery. In Athens, Antiope became the wife of Theseus. The hero celebrated his wedding with the queen of the Amazons magnificently.
The Amazons, on the other hand, planned to take revenge on the Greeks for the destruction of their city and decided to free Queen Antiope from the heavy, as they thought, captivity at Theseus. A large army of Amazons invaded Attica. The Athenians were forced to hide from the onslaught of the warlike Amazons behind the city walls. The Amazons broke even into the city itself and forced the inhabitants to hide behind the impregnable Acropolis. The Amazons pitched their camp on the hill of the Areopagus and kept the Athenians under siege. Several times the Athenians made sorties, trying to expel the formidable warriors. Finally, there was a decisive battle.
Antiope herself fought next to Theseus against the very Amazons whom she had previously commanded. Antiope did not want to leave the hero-husband whom she dearly loved. In this formidable battle, death awaited Antiope. A spear thrown by one of the Amazons flashed in the air, its deadly tip pierced Antiope's chest, and she fell dead at the feet of her husband. Both troops looked in horror at Antiope, who was slain to death. Theseus bowed in grief over the body of his wife. The bloody battle was interrupted. Full of sorrow, the Amazons and Athenians buried the young queen. The Amazons left Attica and returned to their distant homeland. For a long time sorrow reigned in Athens for the untimely death of the beautiful Antiope.

Theseus and Peyrifoy

A tribe of militant Lapiths lived in Thessaly (Lapiths are a mythical people), the mighty hero Peyrifoy reigned over them. He heard about the great courage and strength of the invincible Theseus and wanted to measure his strength with him. In order to challenge Theseus to battle, Peyrifoy went to Marathon and there, on rich pastures, he stole a herd of bulls that belonged to Theseus. As soon as Theseus found out about this, he immediately set off in pursuit of the kidnapper and quickly overtook him. Both heroes met. Dressed in shining armor, they stood opposite each other, like formidable immortal gods. Both of them were struck by the greatness of each other, both were equally filled with courage, both were powerful, both were beautiful. They threw down their weapons and, stretching out their hands to each other, entered into an alliance of close, indestructible friendship among themselves and exchanged weapons as a sign of this. Thus the two great heroes, Theseus and Peyrifoy, became friends.
Shortly after this meeting, Theseus went to Thessaly for the wedding of his friend Peyrithous with Hippodamia. This wedding was magnificent. Many glorious heroes gathered for it from all over Greece. Were invited to the wedding and wild centaurs, half-humans, half-horses. The wedding feast was rich. The whole royal palace was full of guests reclining at the feast tables, and some of the guests - since there was not enough space in the palace for all those gathered for the wedding - were feasting in a large, cool grotto. Incense was smoked, wedding hymns and music were heard, the merry cries of the feasters were loudly heard. All the guests praised the groom and the bride, who shone among everyone with her beauty, like a heavenly star. The guests feasted merrily. Wine flowed like a river. The banquet cries grew louder and louder. Suddenly jumped up, intoxicated with wine, the most powerful and wild of the centaurs, Eurytus, and rushed to the bride. He grabbed her with his mighty hands and wanted to kidnap her. Seeing this, other centaurs rushed to the women who were at the feast. Everyone wanted to take possession of the prey. Theseus, Peyrifoy and the Greek heroes jumped up from the banquet tables and rushed to the defense of the women. The feast was interrupted, a furious battle began. Heroes fought centaurs not with weapons. They came to the feast unarmed. Everything served as a weapon in this battle: heavy goblets, large vessels for wine, broken table legs, tripods on which incense had just been smoked - everything was put into action. Step by step, the heroes are pushing the wild centaurs out of the banqueting hall, but the battle continues outside the hall. Now the Greek heroes are already fighting with weapons in their hands, hiding behind shields. Centaurs, on the other hand, uproot trees, they throw whole rocks at the heroes. Theseus, Peyrifoy, Peleus and Nestor, the son of Peleus, fight ahead of the heroes. A bloody mound of centaur bodies piles higher and higher around them. The slain centaurs fall one by one. Finally, they trembled, turned to flight and took refuge in the forests of high Pelion. The heroes of Greece defeated the wild centaurs, few of them escaped from the terrible battle.

Elena's kidnapping. Theseus and Peirifoy decide to kidnap Persephone. Death of Theseus

The beautiful wife of Peyrifoy, Hippodamia, did not live long; she died in the full bloom of her beauty. The widowed Peyrifoy, having mourned his wife, after a while decided to marry again. He went to his friend Theseus in Athens, and there they decided to kidnap the beautiful Helen. She was still a very young girl, but the fame of her beauty thundered far throughout Greece. Friends secretly arrived in Laconia and kidnapped Elena there when she danced merrily with her friends during the Artemis festival. Theseus and Peyrifoy seized Helen and quickly carried her to the mountains of Arcadia, and from there they brought her through Corinth and Isthm to Attica, to the fortress of Athens. The Spartans rushed in pursuit, but could not overtake the kidnappers. Having hidden Helen in the city of Athens, in Attica, the friends cast lots, which of them should own the marvelous beauty. The lot fell to Theseus. But even earlier, the friends swore to each other that the one who gets the beautifully curly Elena should help the other get a wife.
When Theseus got Elena, Peyrifoy demanded from his friend that he help him get Persephone, the wife of the terrible god Hades, the lord of the kingdom of the shadows of the dead, as his wife. Theseus was horrified, but what could he do? He made an oath, he could not break it. He had to accompany Peyrifoy to the realm of the dead. Through a gloomy crevice near the village of Kolona, near Athens, friends descended into the underworld. There, in the realm of horrors, both friends appeared before Hades and demanded that he give them Persephone. The gloomy ruler of the kingdom of the dead was angry, but hid his anger and invited the heroes to sit on the throne, carved into the rock at the very entrance to the kingdom of the dead. As soon as both heroes sank to the throne, they rooted to it and could no longer move. So Hades punished them for their impious demand.
While Theseus remained in the kingdom of Hades, the brothers of the beautiful Helen, Castor and Polydeuces, were looking everywhere for their sister. Finally, they found out where Theseus hid Elena. They immediately laid siege to Athens, and the impregnable fortress could not resist. Castor and Polydeuces took her, freed her sister, and together with her took away Theseus' mother, Ephra, as a prisoner. The power over Athens and all of Attica, Castor and Polydeuces, was given to Menestheus, a longtime enemy of Theseus. Theseus spent a long time in the kingdom of Hades. He endured severe torments there, but, at last, the greatest of heroes, Hercules, freed him.
Theseus returned again to the light of the sun, but this return brought him no joy. The impregnable Athens was destroyed, Helen was freed, his mother was in a difficult captivity in Sparta, the sons of Theseus, Demophon and Akamant, were forced to flee from Athens, and all power was in the hands of the hated Menestheus. Theseus left Attica and retired to the island of Euboea, where he had possessions. Misfortune now accompanied Theseus. The king of Skyros, Lycomedes, did not want to give Theseus his possessions; he lured the great hero to a high rock and pushed him into the sea. Thus the greatest hero of Attica perished at the hand of a traitor. Only many years after the death of Menestheus did the sons of Theseus return to Athens after a campaign near Troy. There, in Troy, the sons of Theseus found his mother Ephra. She was brought there as a slave by the son of King Priam, Paris, along with the beautiful Helen, kidnapped by him.