When Theseus saw the note, he called on his father Poseidon to take revenge on Hippolytus. Phaedra killed herself and left a note blaming Hippolytus’ bad treatment of her for her actions. When Hippolytus was a young man, he caused a fit of jealousy between the goddesses Aphrodite and Artemis.Īphrodite, the goddess of love, caused Phaedra, who was Theseus’ second wife and Ariadne’s younger sister, to fall in love with her stepson. After the quest, Theseus married her and they had a son named Hippolytus. On another adventure with Heracles, he set out to rescue the Amazon Queen Hippolyta’s girdle. Pirithous had been led away by Furies in the meantime and was not rescued. Theseus remained there for many months until he was rescued by his cousin Heracles, who was in the Underworld on his 12th task. Both friends sat on rocks to rest and found that they could not move. He continued to have adventures.ĭuring one of his adventures, he travelled to the Underworld with his friend Pirithous, who was pursuing Persephone. He is credited as a creator of democracy because he gave up some of his powers to the Assembly. He led the people well and united the people around Athens. Theseus became King of Athens after his father’s death. The sea east of Greece is still called the Aegean Sea.Īriadne would later marry Dionysus. Aegeus threw himself off the cliffs and into the sea to his death. His father, seeing the black flags on the approaching ship, assumed Theseus was dead. Heartbroken, perhaps cursed by Ariadne, Theseus forgot to change the ship’s flags from black to white. In the morning, Theseus left her weeping on the Island of Naxos and sailed to Athens. That night Theseus had a dream – likely sent by the god Dionysus – saying he had to leave Ariadne behind because Fate had another path for her. They then followed the thread back to the door and were able to board the ship with the waiting Ariadne before King Minos knew what had happened. Theseus attacked and a terrible battle ensued until the Minotaur was killed. They continued straight until they found the sleeping Minotaur in the center. Theseus and the Athenians entered the labyrinth and tied the end of the thread near the door, letting out the string as they walked. Ariadne brought him a ball of silk thread, a sword and instructions from the maze’s creator Daedalus – once in the maze go straight and down, never to the left or right. When Theseus arrived in Crete, King Minos’ daughter Ariadne fell in love with him and promised to help him escape the labyrinth if he agreed to take her with him and marry her. Aegeus was heartbroken, but made Theseus promise to change the ship’s flags from black to white before he returned to show that he had succeeded. Theseus volunteered to be one of the men, promising to kill the Minotaur and end the brutal tradition. This tribute was to prevent Minos starting a war after Minos’ son, Androgens, was killed in Athens by unknown assassins during the games. Every seven years King Minos of Crete forced Athens to send seven courageous young men and seven beautiful young women to sacrifice to the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull creature that lived in a complicated maze under Minos’ castle. Sometime later came Theseus’ greatest challenge. Aegeus welcomed Theseus and named him as heir to the throne.
However at the last moment, Aegeus saw Theseus had the sword and sandals he had buried and knocked the cup from his hand. When he was successful, she gave him poisoned wine.
First, she sent him on a dangerous quest to capture the Marathonian bull. She recognized Theseus and wanted to kill him. His father had married the sorceress Medea. When Theseus arrived at Athens, he did not reveal himself to his father. He defeated four bandits, one monster pig and one giant, winning every battle through strength and cunning. Along the road he had to fight six battles. Rather than take the safer sea route, he chose to take the land route even though he knew there would be multiple dangers ahead. When Theseus grew up, he easily picked up the large boulder and found his father’s items, so his mother gave him directions to Athens. Theseus’ other father was Poseidon, the god of the sea, who joined Aethra for a seaside walk on her wedding night. He married Aethra then left her behind, telling her that if she had a child and if that child could move a boulder and retrieve the sword and sandals he had buried underneath, then she should send that child to Athens. One father was Aegeus, King of Athens, who visited Troezen after consulting the Oracle at Delphi about finding an heir.
She was the daughter of Pittheus, the king of Troezen.