Lecture Fourteen.doc

Lecture FourteenTheseus and the “Test-and-Quest” MythI. The stories of several heroes fit what has been called the “quest” pattern. Among these, Theseuss story is particularly rich for investigating mythic themes and presenting possibilities for interpretation. A. Theseus is less well known to modern readers than Heracles or Jason is, but as the legendary synoikistes (“unifier”) of Attica, he was an important figure in Athenian myth. In Theseuss case, myth became a charter for Athenian hegemonic control of Attica. B. Perhaps because of his important role in Athens, various stories accrued around Theseus, and it is difficult to work out a consistent chronology for his adventures. II. His birth, childhood, and young adulthood show typical “hero” elements, reminiscent of folktale . A. Oddities and ambiguities surround his conception, not the least of which is an apparent double -fatherhood. 1. His human father was Aigeus, king of Athens. 2. His mother, Aithra, was raped by Poseidon on the same night that she slept with Aigeus; thus, Theseuss parentage was uncertain. This explains how he was a top-notch hero who, at the same time, inherited his fathers throne. B. Aigeus left sandals and a sword under a boulder, with instructions that his son should come to him in Athens when he was strong enough to lift the boulder and retrieve the tokens. Theseus does so and sets off for Athens. C. Theseuss journey to Athens to claim his patrimony involves a series of encounters with monsters. 1. The most famous of these was Procrustes, who had a bed that he forced all visitors to fit. This is the origin of the term procrustean . 2. Others included the giant Sinis the “pinebender” and a monstrous boar. Theseus “unifies” the countryside by eliminating these dangers. D. When Theseus reached Athens, he was received as a guest by Aigeus and Aigeuss current wife, Medea. 1. Medea, better known for her previous involvement with Jason, was a sorceress. 2. She was pregnant and feared that Theseus (whom she recognized as Aigeuss son) would displace her own child. 3. She persuaded Aigeus that the young guest planned to kill him, and Aigeus agreed to poison the youth. E. At the dinner table, Theseus drew his sword to cut his meat. Aigeus recognized the sword and stopped Theseus from drinking his poisoned wine, just in time. III. After his recognition by his father, Theseus embarked on a dangerous journey to Crete to try to free Athens from its tribute to the Minotaur. A. The Minotaur was a man-eating half-man and half-bull that belonged to Minos, king of Crete. B. Athens was obligated by a treaty to send seven young men and seven young women to Crete every year to be eaten by the Minotaur. 1. Athens and Crete had gone to war after Minoss son Androgeos was killed in Attica, either by a great bull whom Aigeus sent him to fight or by other young men who were jealous of his athletic prowess. 2. Minos declared war on Athens, and the war ceased only when Athens agreed to let Minos name whatever recompense he wanted. 3. Minos instated the annual tribute to the Minotaur. C. Theseus volunteered to be a member of this delegation. IV. Theseuss adventures in Crete are the most famous part of his story. A. He was helped by Ariadne, the daughter of Minos. As in other “test- and-quest” stories, the young man is helped by a young woman. 1. Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread so that he could find his way out of the Minotaurs labyrinth. 2. In return, he agreed to take her with him when he left Crete. B. Theseus killed the Minotaur in the labyrinth, then found his way out with the aid of Ariadnes thread. He and Ariadne fled Crete. 1. They stopped for the night on the island of Naxos. 2. When Theseus set sail in the morning, he left Ariadne behind, apparently forgetting her. Dionysos rescued her and married her, and she became a goddess. C. Before leaving Athens, Theseus had promised Aigeus that if he succeeded in killing the Minotaur, he would change the black sails of his ship for white. He forgot to do so. 1. Aigeus watched daily for the returning ship; when he saw the black sails, he leapt to his death. 2. Theseus thus became king of Athens. V. After the loss of Ariadne, Theseus married at least two more times. A. Theseus and his friend Pirithous agreed that they should both marry daughters of Zeus. 1. For Theseus, they kidnapped Helen (later of Troy) who was too young for marriage but already extraordinarily beautiful. The plan was to keep her until she was old enough to marry. 2. For Pirithous, the two men journeyed to the Underworld to kidnap Persephone. 3. At the invitation of Hades, they sat down on stone chairs and became stuck there. 4. Theseus remained stuck in the Underworld for some years until Heracles rescued him. Pirithous remained there forever. B. Theseus also married an Amazon named Antiope or Hippolyta. 1. He traveled to the Amazons land and abducted their queen. 2. The Amazons responded by besieging Athens, but they were defeated. 3. The son of this marriage was Hippolytos. C. Finally, Theseus married Phaedra, daughter of Minos and Pasipha of Crete. 1. This marriage produced two sons but ended unhappily. 2. Phaedra was smitten by Aphrodite with passion for her stepson, Hippolytos. 3. When he rebuffed her, she committed suicide and left a note saying that Hippolytos had raped her. 4. Theseus cursed his son, who was dragged to death by his own horses. 5. Only too late did Theseus discover that Hippolytos had been innocent. VI. These later adventures of Theseus demonstrate a common problem in studying classical myth, that is, chronological inconsistencies. A. According to most accounts, Minos lived generations before Heracles, and Heracles lived at least one generation before the Trojan War. 1. But Theseus is involved with two