Theseus

Theseus was one of the most famous heroes of the Greek mythology.

legend

he was the son of the king Aigeus of Athens and the Aithra and became with its grandfather Pittheus in Troizen educated. Grown up, he took the sword of his father as registration numbers, which this had hidden for him under a Felsblock, and went thereby to Athens. On the way it killed the robbers Periphetes, Sinnis, Skiron, Kerkyon, the giant Prokrustes and other one. In Athens it should be poisoned on causing its stepmother Medea; Aigeus recognized the son however by the sword, and Medea had to flee.

Theseus made itself first earned around the country, by hunting the marathonischen bull. Aswhereupon the envoys of the Minos to Athens came, in order to get the annual tribute of seven young men and seven virgins for the Minotauros, let themselves Theseus under the number of the selected victims be taken up. It succeeded to it to kill the Minotaurosand with the help of the daughter of the Minos, Ariadne, to leave the labyrinth again. It took it to promise masses with itself, left it however on instruction of the Dionysos on Naxos .

After the death of the Aigeus it crossed the rule Attika on and was characterised by wise rule as well as by bold hero acts. It donated it the Panathenäi and Isthmi plays, pulled with Herakles against the Amazonen and received as victory price the queen Antiope or Hippolyte, the Hippolytosbore. Further he helped to drive out the Peirithoos the Zentauren and rose with the same into the underworld, in order to kidnap the Persephone; here however both were bound held back, until Herakles Theseus released, which failed in with Peirithoos however. Later Theseus tookat the Argonautenzug and at the kalydonischen hunt part. With its return to Athens he found Menestheus, the son of the Peteos, on the throne. There it went to Skyros, where it its death by a fall of rock orby betrayal of the king Lykomedes found.

meaning

Theseus was the ionische (particularly athenische) Heros (main hero), to raise that its Verehrer to same gloss as the Dorier the Herakles tried, and was in particular a representative of the popular Königtums. Itin Athens a splendourful temple was established. Still now leads to in 19. Century as Christian church holy George geweihte, then as museum more used, art-historically most important temple in Athens the name Theseion, probably however to injustice.

The representation of the Theseus on works of art resembles often much that of the Herakles, only it is explained always in a juvenile manner, it is slimmer in its whole feature, and the club is less wuchtig than the herakleische. Particularly on attischen Monumenten (Metopen andFries of the thesis ion in Athens) were often represented its acts.

literature

the thesis US myth was prepared by the English authoress Mary Renault in two historical novels:

• The king must die. (English The King Must those. 1958)
• ThatBull from the sea. (English The bulletin From The Sea. 1962)

This article is based on a in common-free text („public domain “) from Meyers encyclopedia, 4. Edition of 1888-1890. You can remove this reference, if the text the up-to-date knowledge conditions toothis topic reflects and this with sources is occupied, if he meets the current linguistic requirements and if it does not contain valuations, which hurt the Wikipedia principle of the neutral point of view.