154 MYTHOI,OGY
put them in the chest had not sotlened
irim so that he rvould be glacl to receive his daughtcr anci
gran<Ison. When they reached Argo9, however, the-v ibund
t*hat Acrisius had been driven arvay from the city' and whcre
he was no one could say. It happened th{rt soon after their arrival Perseus heard that the King of Laris-sa' in the Norttr'
prrssrrd since he had
was hoiding a great athletic contest, and he journeyed there
to take part. Inlhe discus-throwing when his turn came and
he hurled the heavy rnissile, it su'erved and fell among- the
sDectators. Acrisiui was there on a visit to the King, and the
riiscus strLrck him. The blow tvas fatal and he died at oncc.
So Apollo's oracle was again proved 1ry9. lf Perseus felt
any grie^f, at least he knew that his grandfather had done his
treit io kill him and his mother. With his death their troublcs
carne to an end. Perseus and Andromeda lived happily evcr
after. Their son. Electryon, was the grandfather of Herculcs.
Medusa's head was given to Athena' who bore it always
upon the aegis, Zeus's shield, which she carried for him.
t
0
'j-irescus
'i
i'i,.; ,ii iiretl iti li:roe:; !it t!:t' .:.a!it:;i.:ia!., pirl(l! .! iit,: t!t!.tiiio;! oj'tntin,, v,iiirt's. tl)1,r.,i. , ;;1; 1i,... .! !t iittt,\rtt,t.-,itt:t
i\tit', iai!s ltis !ti"'in tittui! u;id..,i.t;',,:,,^i7tti!ir:ri,!tt:!.\, t:t
ti;e.lirsi or s{.i'()nd coitur.v ,i.1). Pltttun:ii, lrtu. ;oi'.urt! t!tt'
iii ol lht Jitst t't:tttur.1, ,t.o Ile i: ,r. it;tltirtcttl tlturdctr:t
ii;. !lLitc oJ Euripidt'.:;' pluv,; a;u! itt riit"t of ,\'t;ltitot'lt.;.
'!iir'tc ar,,'inatn diIusion.t iit iti;ti il
ryi15'. u,ri!,:t.s t:t.,;eil
t.!'t !)otis. ! hui,<: jbliot',,ed ilpollo,!o;'trs i:tt llrc *'i,.clt. l.tll
,
[ ;iut',: addad i'rattt f,uripid.e.t t]rc .siortes o.l'iit,; ultptr;! oj
t\tlt'tisiur, iltc nradrtess ol f lert'itir:s, uitd Ihc l)ct oi itipi)t)!!'itts: -i'ron Soplutc!e s li; l;lttdt:t's.s trt ()aliprt.s: lxttt,
l'lttirtr,:ii tlic .:;lot-t' o.i hit di:atlr, iti .rti'itlr "Altolltxl,ttri'.
.r;it, .; t,rtIf i.. ,\i'ttlcttrr:.
156 MYTIIOLOGY
.rs quickly as possit)lc. arld casy salbty was certainly rrot
the 'i,ay t6 .lo tirat. Ilcrcules,'r' u'h. wa$ the I'ost uragnif ice.'t
ol ail tic hcroes of Grcece, was always in his rnind, ;rnd tl.tc
determination to be just as magt.rificent himself' This w'as
auite natural since the lwo wcrc aousins.
' l:le steadfastiy Iefusecl, therefore, the ship his mcther and
erandfatlter urged on hirn, teiling them that to sitil on it
iuuutO tt. a con-tcmptible flight from danger', and he set ftrrth
to so to Athcns by ian<l. The journey was iong and very haz,rr.li,trs bccausc tli the ban<llts that besct lhe road' tle killed
thr:nr ail, ho'uvcvcr; he lclt not ()nc ali','e to troublc llture
travclers;- His idea of deaiing justice was sinrple, but cffective: rvhat cach had d<ine to- clillers' Theseus dicl to hint'
Sciron, for irtstance, who had made those he captured kneel
io wash his feet antl ltren kicked thent dorvn into the sea,
Thescus liurlcd over a precipice. Sinis. rvho killcd people hy
lastening thcm to two pinc tt:ces bent down t() the ground antl
letting flre trees go. clie4 in that _way himself.. Prcrcrustes wrls
placeij upon thc iron bc<l rvhich he uscd firr his victims, tyirlg
it by
ih"* t,r'it and then rnakiug thenr thc right len.trh filr
srietching those who wcre too short and cutiing off as nrtrcll
as wes ti.-cessaiy from those viho were too long' The st()ry
cloes not sry u'hicli of the two methods rvas usecl in his cast"
hut tl-rcre was not rnuch to choose betlveen thctn atrcl ilt ottt'
ivav ()t the othcr Procrust,:.;' career cncled.
Ii can ttc imitginc'd how Creece lang rvith the praises of llrr'
vouna rncn wno had cleared the land olthese banes to ttltv
il".r.'Wh..t he reached Atliens he was an acknowlctlp'r'rlol
hero and he rvas invited to a banquet by the King' wlto
a,ruar" was unaware thet Theseus was his son. Itr fact hc wrt'i
afraid ol the young man's great popularity' thinking tltitl lrr'
inight win the peofle over io Inake him king' and hc itrvillrl
tiirfi with the itlea'of poisoning him. The plan was ltot ltt'r'
but Meclea's. the heroine of the Quest of the Goldcn l;lrt'rr'
*ho kn"* through her sorcery who Theseus was' Slrc lrrrrl
fl;d t" Athens rv-hen she left Corinth in her wingecl citt, ttttrl
ihe hacl acquired Sreat influence over Aegeus. which slrc rlhl
noi ivont distu$e*cl by the appearance of a son' Rttt itr "ltr'
hantled him thc poisoirecl cup Theseus, wishing to. ttritkc lrlttt
self known at once t<-r his father, drew his sword"l'lrr' hlttp
initontfy recognized it and dashecl the cup to.the grorrrrrl .l\lr'
ltr A'rlrt
rlea esciped a-s she alrvays did and got safely itrvity
'l'ltr''scttr' rr'rtc
Aegeui then proclailnecl to the country that
*
See next chaPter.
THESEUS
157
his son and heir. f'he new heir apparent soon hacl an opDortunity to endear himself to the Athenians.
Years betbre his arrival in Athens, a terrible nrisfortune
had happened to the city. Minos, the powerlul ruler of Crete,
had lost his only son, Androgeus, while the young man was
visiting the Athenian King. King Aegeus had done rvhat no
host should do, he had sent his guest on an expedition full
of peril--to kill a dangerous bull. Instead, the bull had killed
the youth. Minos invaded the country, captur-ed Athens and
declared that he would raze it to the ground unless every
nine years the people sent him a tribute of sevcn mai<iens
and seven youths. A horrible fate awaited these young creatures. Whcn they reached Crete they were given to the N{in-
otaur to devour.
l-he Minotaur v/as a monster, half bull, half hun'ran. the
olf.spring of Minos' rvife Pasiphaii and a wondcrfuily beautiIul bull. Poseidon had given this bull to Minos in ordelthat
lrt: l;hould sacrifice it to him, but Minos could not bear to
sirry it and had kept it tbr hirnself. To punish him, Poseidon
hiul made Pasiphae fall madly in love with it.
When the lvlinotaur was bom Minos did not kill him. He
lr;rtl Daedalus, a great architect and inventor, construct a piace
ol coufinernent for him from which escape r.vas impossible.
I !:rctlllus built the Labyrinth, famous throuqhout the rvorld.
t )nt t' insidc, one would go endlessly along its twisting paths
rvrllrout rtvcr fiincling the exit. Trr this place ther yor-rngr Athe,
rr:ur\ wci'c cach tinie taken and left to the Minotatu. T'here
\\',r,, n() pO-s:,iblc.,\,ay to escape. hr v.'hatever directior-r th.ey ra.n
llr('\' nrislit L,e running stlaiglit to the nlollster; ii'thev strrod
'trll lre riiigirt at any rflorncnt eincrge fi'om the rnaze. Such
'r.r', llrt' ilrrx-ir rvhich awaited fourtcen youtlts ;ind maidens tr
l, rr' ,l:r)'s ali.ll'Thescus ir:ichcd Atbr:rrs. tr'he tinre hlrd cttine
t,rr rlrt ncxt ilrstitllrnent of lhc tliblrte.
\t ()lr( r' 'l hcsct-ts carnc [br,,v:irrl antl ofi't-:rcd ter lrc rlrie of
tlr' r rr'tirrr.;. ,'rll ktvctl hi'n ior his ;lcochr,:ss arrcl atlir,ited l-rint
t,,, lrr, rrobility, brrt rhei'haC no iclea litat he iute:ir.i,-,J tc fiy
r,' !rll rlrr'N!inotalr. I{c lold his ftithcr. horv*r'er. l,,ri! irior;-.,,1 lrrrn tlrrrt il irc sr,lcccerlecl. hr: u,oukl lrave the biirck rail
ls 1111 :;lrin rvitir lts car:go o1 r:ri:;rry aln'iil,s c.u'rir-'cl
rrr,,,l to,r ri,lii{e cltti. so llrlrt Acicus corrltl knou long bc,
I r, rt ,,rrrrr'{o litn,.l tttit itis soti was sal'c.
r1 l,' rr tlrt' yrlrrii,l r,i,:tir,rs ati'ivr:d in Crcic tlicy .*,rrr.; pa, I ,l 1,, l,r r' ilri tnii'rbitairts on ;hr:ir.,\,,1)'to thc l_.lbi,i'iiiill.
i.,r,, rl.rrl'liit'j'Aliarlrre v,'a:i itiil(rlg ihe spulittiirlrs and she
i ll rr, l,',.r rvi(ir'lll,:sr.ns at ijlsl. -.it:ht as lti'ir,arciicil oiist her.
lr',
lr
158 MYTHOLOGY
She sent for Daedalus and told him he must show her a
way to get out of the Labyrinth, and she sent for Theseus
*.i totO-trittt she would bring about his escape if he would
promise to take her back to Athens and marry her. As may
be imagined, he made no difficulty about that' a$ she-gave
him thE clue she had got from Daedalus, a ball of thread
which he was to fasten at one end to the inside of the door
and unwind as he went on. This he did and, certain that he
could retrace his steps whenever he chose, he walked bo!4ly
into the maze looking for the Minotaur. He came upog hinl
ground; and
and fell upon him, pinning
asleep
-other him to the battered the
^his
weapon-he
fists-hb had no
with
monster to death.
As an oak tree falls on the hillside
Crushing all that lies beneath,
So fireGus. He presses out the life,
The brute's savage life, and now it lies dead.
Only the head sways slowly, but the horns are useless now.
When Theseus lifted himself up from that terrific smrggle,
the ball of thread lay where he.,had dropped- it- With it in his
out was clear. The others follow"d qnd taking
hands, the way
-them
they fled to the ship and over the sea toAriadne with
ward Athens.
On the way ttrere ttrey put in at the island of Naxos and what
happened thin is ditrerinUy reported. One story says that Theseui OeserteO Ariadne. She was asleep and he sailed away wirhout ber, but Donysus found her and comforted her. The oiher
storrr is mrrch more favorable to Theseus. She was extnemely
seaiictq and he set her ashore to recover while he returned to
the ship to do some neoessary wqlc A violent wind canied
him out to sea and kept him there a long time. On his renrm
he found that Ariadne-had die4 and he was dee'ply afflictedBoth stories agree that when they drew near to Athens he
forgot to hoist thle white sail. Eithgi his joy- 3t the success of
his-voyage put every other thought out of his head, or his
srief for-Ariidne. The black sail *as seen by his father' King
i,egeus, from the Acropolis, where for {a-ys he had watched
the'sea-with straining-eyes' It was to him the sign -of.his
son's death and he thiew himself down from a rocky height
into the sea, and was killed. The sea into which he fell was
called the Aegean ever after.
So Theseus-became King of Athens, a most wise and disinterested king. He declared-to the people that he did not wislt
The Minotaur in the Labyrinth
160 MYTHOLOGY
to rule over them; he wanted a people's govemrnent where all
would be equal. He resigned his royal power and -orSaniz4d a
commonwealtt, building a council hall where the citizens
should gather and vote. The only office he -kept for himself
was thai of Comrnander in Chief. Thus Athens became, of
all earth's cities, the happiest and most prc,sperous' the oqlv
tnre home of liberty, the one place in the world where the
people governed themselves. It was for this reason that in the
L'reit War of the Seven against Thebes,* when the victorious
ihebans refused burial to those of the enemy who had died'
the vanquished turned to Theseus and Athens-for help, believing that free men under such a leader would never consent t6 having the helpless dead wronged. They did not-turn
in vain. TtreGus led hls army against Thebes, conquered her
and forced her to allow them tobe buried. But when he was
victor he dld not return evil to the Thebans for the evil they
had done. He showed himself the perfect knighr He refused
to let his army enter and loot the city. He had come not to
harm Thebes, but to bury the Argive dead, and the duty done
he led his soldiers back to Athens.
In many other stories he shows the same qualities. He received thi aged Oedipus whom everyone else had cast out.
He was with- him when he died, sustaining and comforting
him. He protected his two helpless daughters and sent them
safely hoine after their fathert death. When Hercules** in
his riadness killed his wife and children and upon his return
to sanity determined to kill himself, Theseus alone -stood by
him. H6rcules' other friends fled, fearing to be polluted by
the oresence of one who had done so honible a deed' but
Theieus gave him his hand, roused his corrage, told him to
die wodd be a coward's act, and took him to Athens.
All the cares of state, however, and all the deeds of knighterrantry to defend the wronged and helpless, could not rystrain iheseus' love of danger for the sake of danger. He
went to the country of the Amazons, the women warriors,
some say with Hercules, some say alone, and brought away
one of them, whose name is given sometimes as Antiope,
sometimes as Hippolyta. It is certain that the son she bore
Theseus was nanidd Hippolytus, and also that after his birttt
the Amazons came to-rescue her and invaded Attica, the
country around Athens, even making their way into the city.
I
See Part Five, Chapter 18.
See Part Three, Chapter I
**
l.
THESEUS 16I
They were finally defeated and no other enemy entered
Attica as long as Theseus lived.
But he had many other adventures. He was one of the men
who sailed on the Aryo ta find the Golden Fleece. He took
part in the great Calydonian Hunt, when the King of Calydon
called upon the noblest in Greece to help him kill the terrible
boar which was laying waste his country. During the hunt
Theseus saved the life of his rash friend Pirithotis, as he did,
indeed, a number of times. Pirithoiis was quite as adventurous as Theseus, but by no means as successful, so that he
was perpetually in trouble. Theseus was devoted to him and
always helped him out. The friendship between them came
about through an especially rash act on Pirithoiis' part. It occurred to him that he would like to see for himself if Theseus
was as grcat a hero as he was said to be, and he forthwith
went into Anica and stole some of Theseus' cattle. When he
heard ttrat Theseus was pursuing him, instead of hurrying
away he tumed around and went to meet hi4 with the intention, of course, of deciding then and there which was the better man. But as the two faced each other Pirithoiis, impulsive
as always, suddenly forgot everything in his admiration of the
other. He held out his hand to him and cried, "I will submit
to any penalty you impose. You be the judge." Theseus, de-
lighted at this warm-hearted action, answered, "All I want is
for you to be my friend and brother-in-arms." And they took
a solemn oath of friendship.
When Pirithotis, who was King of ttre Lapitltae, married,
Theseus was,
of course, one of the
guests, and was exceed-
ingly useful there. The marriage feast was perhaps the most
unfortunate that ever took place. The Centaurs, creatures who
each had the body of a horse and the chest and face of a nuln,
were related to the bride and came to the wedding. They proceeded to get drunk and to seize the women. Theseus leaped
to the defense of the bride and stnrck down the Centaur who
was trying to carry her off. A tenible battle followed, but the
Lapithae conquered and finally drove the whole race of Centaurs out of the county, Theseus helping them to the end.
But in the last adventure the two undertook he could not
save his friend. Quite characteristically, Pirithoiis, after the
bride of the disastrous wedding feast was dead, decided that
for his second wife he would 0y to get the most carefully
guarded lady in all the universe, none other than Persephone
herself. Theseus agreed, of course, to help him, but, stimulated
probably by the idea of this magnificently dangerous undertaking, declared ttrat first he would himself carry off Helen, the
THESEUS
162 MYTHOLOGY
future heroine of Tloy,* then a child, and when she was grown
marry her. This, though less hazardous than the rape of Persephone, was perilous enough to satisff the most ambitious.
Helen's brothers were Castor and Pollux, more than a match
for any mortal hero. Theseus succeeded in kidnaping the little
girl, just how we arc not told, but the two brothen marched
against the town she had been taken to, and got her back.
Luckily for him they did not find Theseus there. He was on
his way to the underworld with Pirithoiis.
The details of their journey and anival there are not known
beyond the fact that the Lord of Hades was perfectly aware
of their intention and amused himself by frustrating it in a
novel way. He did not kill them, of course, as they were already in the realm of death, but he invited them as a friendly
gesture to sit in his presence. They did so on the seat he
pointed them to-and there they stayed. They could not arise
from it. It was called the Chair of Forgetfulness. Whoever sat
on it forgot everything. His mind became a blank and he did
not move. There Pirithoiis sits forever, but Theseus was freed
by his cousin. When Hercules came to the underworld he
lifted Theseus from the seat and brought him back to earth.
He tried to do the same for Pirithoiis, but could not. The
King of the Dead knew that it was he who had planned to
carry off Persephone, and he held him fast.
In the later years of his life Theseus manied Ariadne's sister Phaedra, and thereby drew down terrible misfortunes on
her and on himself and on his son Hippolytus, the son the
Amazon had bome him. He had sent Hippolytus away while
still a young child to be brought up in the southern city
where Theseus had spent his own youth. The boy grew to
splendid manhood, a great athlete and hunter, despising those
who lived in luxurious ease and still more those who were
soft enough and silly enough to fall in love. He scorned Aphrodite, he worshiped only Artemis, the huntress chaste and
fair. So matters stood when Theseus came to his old home
bringing Phaedra with him. A strong affection grew up at
once between father and son. They delighted in each other's
company. As for Phaedra, her stepson Hippolytus took no
notice of her; he never noticed women. But it was far otherwise with her. She fell in love with him, madly and miserably, overwhelmed with. shame at such a love, but utterly
unable to conquer it. Aphrodite was back of this wretched
*
See Pan Four, Chapters 13 and 14.
163
and ominous state of affairs. She was angry at Hippolytus
and determined to punish him to the utmost.
Phaedra, in her anguish, desperate, seeing no help for her
anywhere, resolved to die and let no one know why. Theseus
at the time was away from home, but her old nurse-
completely devoted to her and unable to think anything bad
that Phaedra wanted-{iscovered all, her secret passion, her
despair, and her determination to
kill
herself. With only one
thought in her mind, to save her mistress, she went straight
to Hippolytus.
"She is dying for love of you," she said. "Give her life.
Give her love for love."
Hippolytus drew away from her with loathing. The love of
any woman would have disgusted him, but this guilty love
sickened and honified him. He rushed out into the courtyard,
she following him and beseeching him. Phaedra was sitting
there, but he never saw her. He turned in furious indignation
on the old woman.
"You pitiable wretch," he said, "trying to make me betray
my father. I feel polluted by merely hearing such words. Oh,
women, vile women----every one of them vile. I will never
enter this house again except when my father is in it."
He flung away and the nurse, turning, faced Phaedra. She
had risen and there was a look on her face which frightened
the old woman.
"I'll help you still," she stammered.
"Hush," Phaedra said. 'I will settle my own affairs." With
that she entered the house and the nurse trembling crept after
her.
A few minutes later the voices of men were heard greeting
the master of the house on his retum and Theseus entered the
courtyard. Weeping women met him there. They told him
that Phaedra was dead. She had killed herself. They hadjust
found her, quite dead, but in her hand a letter to her husband.
"O dearest and best," Theseus said. "Are your last desires
written here? This is your seal-yours who will never more
smile up at me."
He opened and read it and read it again. Then he tumed
to the servants filling the courtyard.
"This letter cries aloud," he said. '"The words speak-they
have a tongue. Know
hands upon my wife.
all of you that my son laid violent
O Poseidon, God, hear me while I
fulfill my curse."
The silence that followed was broken by hurrying foot-
curse him, and
steps. Hippolytus entered.
I@
MYTHOLOGY
"What happened?" he cried. "How did she die? Father, tell
me yourseli'Do not hide your grief from me'"
:'Th"." ought to be a true yaidstick to measure affection
bv." said The-seus, "some means to know who is to be trusted
aiO *tro is not. You here, look at my son-proved base by
ttre iranO of her who is dead. He offered her violence' Her
letter outweighs any words he could spcak. Go' You are an
exile from th-is land. Go to your ruin and at once'"
"Father." Hippolytus answered, "I have no skill in speaking and there ii nd witness to nly itrnoce llcL-' The only ot.tc
is?ead. All I can do is to srvcar by Zeus above that I ncver
touched youl wife, never desired to, never .gav-e her a
thousht. Mav I die in wretchedness if I am guilty.''
"dead shi proves her truth," Theseus said' "Go' You are
fiorn the land."
banished
'-'Aippolytus
went, but not into exile; death was waiting close
at hiid ior him too. As he drove along the sea-road away
from the home he was leaving forever' his father's curse was
fulfilled. A rnonster came up from the water and his horses,
i"nin"O beyond even his firm control, ran away' The chariot
was shatteied and he was mortally hurt.
Theseus was not spared. Artemil appeared to him and told
him the truth.
do not come to bring you help' but only pain,
To show you that youi son was honorable'
Your wife was guiitv, mad with love for him,
And yet she foright her passion and she died'
But what she wrote was false.
I
As Theseus listened, overwhelmed by this sum of terriblc
Hippolytus still breathing was carried in'
events,
H" lutp"i dut, 't was innocent. Artemis, you? My god'
youi huntsman is dYing."
"Atia no other can take-yolr place' dearest of men to lrtc,"
told him.
she
---Hippcllytus
turned his eyes from her radiance to Thcscrrr
dess.
brokenhearted.
-
;;Foth... dear Father," he said' "It was not your latlll.''
"If only I could die for you''' Theseus cried'
'the caim sweet voice of ihe goddess broke in on tltcit ltrt
suish. "Take vour son in your lrms. Theseus." shc srritl' "ll
i"ui not you it'tur killed him. It was Aphrodite' Know tlrir'
tttat rte ,iill n"u". be forgotten' In song and story ntcrtt wlll
remember him."
THESEUS I65
She vanished from sight, but Hippolytus, too, was gone.
He had started on the road that leads down to the realm of
death.
Theseus' death, also, was wretched. He was at the court of
a friend, King Lycomedes. where a few years later Achilles
was to hide disguised as a girl Some say that Theseus had
gone there because Athens had banished him. At all events,
thc King, his friend and his host, killed him, we are not told
u'hy.
Evcn if the Athenians did banish him. r'cry soon aftcr his
rlc:rth they honorcd him as no other mortal. They built a
t,r's^at toinb for him and dccreed that it shoiild trc f,ot'evcr a
\iulctlrary for slaves and for all poor and heiilli:ss people, in
nlernory of one who through his life had been {he pl'otector
()l the defenseless.