Who is Theseus, the god of what. The exploits of Theseus. Damask steel - what is it?

Character from ancient Greek mythology. Son of Ephra, daughter of King Pittheus. Theseus simultaneously has two fathers - the king of the city of Athens and the god of the sea, both lay down with Ephra on the same night. One of the most famous characters in the mythology of Ancient Greece, mentioned in the Odyssey and the Iliad.

History of appearance

Ancient authors interpret the image of Theseus, trying to find the historical basis of the myth and “discover” a once truly existing person who became the prototype of the mythological hero. In the chronography of the Roman historian Eusebius of Caesarea, Theseus is named the tenth king of Athens. The hero is believed to have ruled after his own father Aegeus from 1234 to 1205 BC. The ancient Greek writer provides evidence that the ancient king, named in myths as Theseus, the son of Aegeus, actually existed and ruled Athens.

The myth about the real existence of King Theseus is interpreted by supporters as follows. The king's son was killed by the Athenians during the reign of Theseus, for which Crete imposed tribute on Athens. Minos established competitions in memory of his murdered son, and forced the Athenians to pay tribute to boys. The king personally went to Crete, where he took part in the competition. The Minotaur in this version is not a mythical monster, but the strongest among the Cretan warriors, whom Theseus defeats in a fight. After this, tribute by Athenian boys no longer came to Crete and was cancelled.

According to legend, the “historical” Theseus was the first to establish a procedure for ostracism. This is a mechanism for protecting society from tyranny, when free citizens gather to vote and write on shards the name of someone who, in their opinion, threatens democracy. If the name of the same person was written on more than 6,000 shards, he was expelled from the city. It was in this way that Theseus himself was expelled from Athens.

The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur

The Cretan king Minos imposed a heavy tribute on the Athenians in revenge for the death of Androgeus, the son of Minos, in Athens. Every nine years the Athenians had to send seven girls and seven boys to Crete. According to other versions, tribute was paid once a year or once every seven years, the number of boys and girls also varies.

Under Theseus, such tribute was sent twice, and when this was supposed to happen for the third time, Theseus decided to sail to Crete himself along with the next batch of victims. Athenian boys and girls in Crete were given to be devoured by the Minotaur - a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

The Minotaur was born by the wife of King Minos, Pasiphae, who mated with a bull. A wooden cow was made especially for the queen, in which she lay down to seduce the bull. King Minos locked the monstrous fruit of this passion in the Knossos labyrinth and fed it to the criminals who were thrown into the labyrinth, as well as the “tribute” that was sent from Athens.

For Theseus, this tribute seemed so offensive that the hero decided to risk his own life and fight the monster in order to save Athens from the need to send its young citizens to be devoured. According to another version, King Minos, who arrived in Athens, himself chose Theseus as his next victim.

The ship left Athens under a black sail. However, Theseus also took the white one with him. It was assumed that if the “operation” was successfully completed, Theseus would change the black sail to a white one, so that those waiting for the hero on the shore would know in advance that he was returning victorious.

During the voyage, Minos threw a ring into the sea, and Theseus retrieved it from the bottom, thereby proving that he descended from the god of the seas, Poseidon.

Upon arrival in Crete, Theseus and his companions were thrown into a labyrinth. There the hero killed the Minotaur with his bare hands (or, according to another version, with a sword).

The daughter of King Minos and Pasiphae helped Theseus get out of the labyrinth. The girl fell in love with the hero and presented him with a ball of thread as a gift, advising him to tie the end of the thread at the entrance to the labyrinth. Walking through the labyrinth, Theseus unwound the thread, thus marking the path, and then walked back along the same thread with his companions. At night, the Athenian youth, saved from the Minotaur, along with the hero and Ariadne, fled from Crete to the island of Naxos.

There, the fugitives are caught by a storm and Theseus leaves Ariadne, and he himself leaves the island while she is sleeping, because he does not want to take the girl with him to Athens. The god of wine is in love with Ariadne, who kidnaps the girl abandoned by Theseus. According to one version, Dionysus even appears to Theseus in a dream to claim his rights to Ariadne, and this is what forces the hero to leave the girl on the island.

Returning home, Theseus forgets to change the black sail to a white one. Aegeus, the hero's father, sees a black sail on the horizon and, thinking that his son has died, throws himself into the sea out of grief. According to another version, the loss of the white sail contributed to. King Minos made sacrifices to the gods, and by the will of Apollo, a storm occurred, which carried away the white sail, symbolizing victory, so Theseus had to return under the black one.

Things didn’t work out for the hero with Ariadne, but Theseus took Phaedra, another daughter of King Minos, as his wife. Phaedra became the second wife of the hero, the first was the Amazon Antiope.

Film adaptations

In 1971, the Soviet animation director Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya created the animated film “Labyrinth” based on the myth of the exploits of Theseus. The exploits of Theseus." The cartoon runs 19 minutes. Theseus is voiced there. The cartoon begins with the young son of the Athenian king Theseus, who was raised by a centaur, going back to Athens to his father. Along the way, the young man accomplishes great feats. He defeats the boar, which was causing fear in the surrounding area. He deals with the robber Procrustes, cutting off his head.

Returning to Athens, the hero learns of the arrival of a ship from Crete. Once every nine years, this ship comes to Athens to collect tribute - fourteen Athenian girls and boys who will be eaten by the monster Minotaur. Theseus volunteers to sail to Crete with the rest of the unfortunate victims to destroy the Minotaur. Having dealt with the monster, Theseus leaves the labyrinth using Ariadne’s thread, and then sails home to Athens with it.

The offended King Minos calls for help from the god of wine, Dionysus, to return his daughter to the king. Dionysus creates a storm and takes Ariadne straight from the ship. Theseus returns home without his beloved and without a white sail, which is blown away during a storm. Theseus's father stands on a rock above the sea and looks out for his son's ship, and when he sees a mourning black sail instead of a white one, he rushes into the sea.

In 2011, the action adventure film War of the Gods: Immortals was released. Theseus was played by an English actor, who appeared on screens in 2017 in the film “Justice League”. The film's script is based on ancient Greek myths, but is very different from them.

Theseus here is a peasant youth who lives with his mother in a seaside village. The hero is taught how to use weapons by a local old man, who later turns out to be the thunder god. But Theseus himself does not believe in gods. Meanwhile, King Hyperion wants to free the titans from Tartarus so that they destroy the hated gods who allowed his family to die. To carry out his plans, the king needs an artifact - the Epirus bow.

When Hyperion's troops ravage the village where Theseus lived, the hero finds himself in the salt mines. In the mines, the young man meets the oracle maiden, who calls him the chosen one, and together the characters flee.

Later, Theseus finds the Epirus bow, which Hyperion needs, and defeats the Minotaur, who is sent by the evil king. Some of the gods enter the war on the side of Theseus. At the end of the film, the victorious Theseus ascends to Olympus.

The birth of Theseus is unusual. On his father's side, Theseus had among his ancestors the autochthon Erichthonius, born from the seed of Hephaestus by Gaia and raised by Athena, and the autochthon Kranai and the first Attic king Cecrops. Theseus's ancestors are wise half-snake, half-human people. However, Theseus himself is a representative of pure heroism, he is simultaneously the son of man and god. On his mother's side, Theseus descends from Pelops, the father of Pittheus, Atreus and Thyestes, and therefore from Tantalus and, finally, from Zeus himself.

Feats

Leaving Efra, 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 machinations of the Pallantids (the children of his younger brother Pallant), who claimed power because of Aegeus’ 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 him, taking Aegeus’ things, to go to Athens to his father.

Even before leaving Troezen, Theseus, having become a young man, dedicated a lock of hair in front, like an abantha, to the god Apollo in Delphi, thereby, as it were, entrusting himself to the god and concluding an alliance with him. This type of haircut was called “Theseeev”. When he was sixteen years old, he took out his father’s sandals and sword from under a stone. The Rock of Theseus (formerly the altar of Zeus Sphenius) was located on the road 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 Periphetus, son of Hephaestus, who killed travelers with a copper club.
• The robber Sinis, (nicknamed the Pine Bender), who lived in a pine grove and dealt with travelers by tying them to two bent pine trees.
• The robber Skiron, who forced travelers to wash his feet at the cliff and kicked them into the abyss, where the unfortunates were eaten by a giant turtle.
• The robber Kerkion, who forced travelers to fight to the death.
• The robber Damastus (nicknamed Procrustes).

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 whose devouring the victims were doomed. As Isocrates writes: “Theseus was so indignant that he preferred to die rather than remain alive as the head of a state forced to pay such a mournful tribute to his enemies.” According to Hellanicus, 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 descent from Poseidon by retrieving 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 emerged from the labyrinth thanks to the help of Ariadne, who fell in love with Theseus. According to version, he escaped from the labyrinth thanks to the radiance emitted by Ariadne's crown. At night, Theseus with the Athenian youth and Ariadne secretly fled to the island of Naxos. Theseus, caught there by a storm, not wanting to take Ariadne to Athens, left her while 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 further, forgetting to change the sails, which caused the death of Aegeus, who threw himself into the sea when he saw the black sail and thereby became convinced of the death of his son. According to legend, this 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 create a sudden storm that carried away the “victorious” white sail - which is why Theseus was forced to return under the black sail and the long-standing curse of Aegeus was accomplished. According to Simonides, Aegeus was waiting not for a white sail, but for a “purple sail, colored by the juice of the flowers of a branchy oak tree.” Returning from Crete, Theseus erected a temple to Artemis Soter at Troezen. The 30-oared ship of Theseus, according to legend, was stored in Athens until the era of Demetrius of Phalerus, the fact of its storage giving rise to the paradox of the same name.

Other actions

Established government and democracy in 1259/58 BC. e. .

According to some sources, he organized the Isthmian Games in honor of Melicert.

Poseidon promised him to grant him three wishes.

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

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

He took part in the battle with the centaurs who were rampaging at the wedding of Pirithous, Theseus's closest friend. Signs of friendship between Theseus and Pirithous are buried near the Hollow Chalice at Colonus. But he was not among the Argonauts, since at that time he helped Pirithous get himself the goddess of the kingdom of the dead, Persephone, as his wife. By this act, Theseus crossed the limit of what was possible, established by the gods for heroes, and thereby became a disobedient and daring 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, and part of his seat remained on the rock.

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

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 transported the children to Euboea, and he himself, having cursed the Athenians, sailed to the island of Skyros, where Theseus’s father 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 on Skyros.
A separate plot is the story of how Phaedra, the wife of Theseus, having fallen in love with her stepson Hippolytus, unsuccessfully persuaded him to love. Unable to get Hippolytus, she slandered him to his father, after which Theseus cursed his son and he died. Then Phaedra hanged herself, and Theseus learned 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 a hero-ancestor, existed in Attica. A special surge in it in the historical era occurred after the appearance of the king’s shadow at the Battle of Marathon, which is believed to have helped the Greeks win.

Image in literature and art

According to Hegesianact, became the constellation Kneeler, and the lyre of Theseus became the constellation 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 Theseus loved: the first part was “Ariadne”, the second was “Phaedra”, the third was “Helen”. “Ariadne: the early youth of Theseus: eighteen years old; Phaedra: the maturity of Theseus, forty years old; Elena: the old age of Theseus: sixty years old,” wrote Tsvetaeva. Tsvetaeva finished the first part of the trilogy - "Ariadne" - in 1924, "Phaedra" - in 1927, "Elena" was not written.

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Notes

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

Links

• Myths of the peoples of the world. M., 1991-92. In 2 volumes. T.2. P.502-504, Lubker F. Real Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. M., 2001. In 3 volumes. T.3. P.393-394
• Plutarch. Comparative Lives, Theseus: text in ancient Greek. And
• Gushchin V. R. 2000: // Political history and historiography from antiquity to modern times. Vol. 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.

Excerpt characterizing Theseus

M me Schoss, who went to see her daughter, further increased the Countess’s fear with stories of what she saw on Myasnitskaya Street in the drinking establishment. Returning along the street, she could not get home from the drunken crowd of people raging near the office. She took a cab and drove around the lane home; and the driver told her that people were breaking barrels in the drinking establishment, which was so ordered.
After dinner, everyone in the Rostov family set about packing their things and preparing for departure with enthusiastic haste. The old count, suddenly getting down to business, continued walking from the yard to the house and back after dinner, stupidly shouting at the hurrying people and hurrying them even more. Petya gave orders in the yard. Sonya did not know what to do under the influence of the count’s contradictory orders, and was completely at a loss. People ran around the rooms and courtyard, shouting, arguing and making noise. Natasha, with her characteristic passion in everything, suddenly also got down to business. At first, her intervention in the bedtime business was met with disbelief. Everyone expected a joke from her and did not want to listen to her; but she persistently and passionately demanded obedience, became angry, almost cried that they did not listen to her, and finally achieved that they believed in her. Her first feat, which cost her enormous effort and gave her power, was laying carpets. The count had expensive gobelins and Persian carpets in his house. When Natasha got down to business, there were two open drawers in the hall: one almost filled to the top with porcelain, the other with carpets. There was still a lot of porcelain laid out on the tables and everything was still being brought from the pantry. It was necessary to start a new, third box, and people followed it.
“Sonya, wait, we’ll arrange everything like this,” Natasha said.
“You can’t, young lady, we already tried,” said the barmaid.
- No, wait, please. – And Natasha began to take out dishes and plates wrapped in paper from the drawer.
“The dishes should be here, in the carpets,” she said.
“And God forbid that the carpets be spread out into three boxes,” said the barman.
- Yes, wait, please. – And Natasha quickly, deftly began to take it apart. “It’s not necessary,” she said about Kyiv plates, “yes, it’s for carpets,” she said about Saxon dishes.
- Leave it alone, Natasha; “Okay, that’s enough, we’ll put him to bed,” Sonya said reproachfully.
- Eh, young lady! - said the butler. But Natasha didn’t give up, threw out all the things and quickly started packing again, deciding that there was no need to take the bad home carpets and extra dishes at all. When everything was taken out, they began to put it away again. And indeed, having thrown out almost everything cheap, what was not worth taking with us, everything valuable 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 stacked, rearranged, pressed, forced the barman and Petya, whom she carried along with her into the work of packing, to press the lid and made desperate efforts herself.
“Come on, Natasha,” Sonya told her. “I see you’re right, but take out the top one.”
“I don’t want to,” Natasha shouted, holding her loose hair over her sweaty face with one hand and pressing the carpets with the other. - Yes, press, Petka, press! Vasilich, press! - she shouted. The carpets pressed and the lid closed. Natasha, clapping her hands, squealed with joy, and tears flowed from her eyes. But it only 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 servants came to Natasha to ask: should the cart be tied up or not and is it sufficiently imposed? The matter progressed thanks to Natasha’s orders: unnecessary things were left behind and the most expensive ones were packed in the closest possible way.
But no matter how hard all the people worked, by late night not everything could be packed. The Countess fell asleep, and the Count, postponing his departure until the morning, went to bed.
Sonya and Natasha slept without undressing in the sofa room. That night, another wounded man was transported through Povarskaya, and Mavra Kuzminishna, who was standing at the gate, turned him towards 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 venerable valet, sat on the box with the cab driver. A doctor and two soldiers were riding in the cart behind.
- Come to us, please. The gentlemen are leaving, the whole house is empty,” said the old woman, turning to the old servant.
“Well,” answered the valet, sighing, “and we can’t get you there with tea!” We have our own house in Moscow, but it’s far away, and no one lives.
“You are welcome to us, our gentlemen have a lot of everything, please,” said Mavra Kuzminishna. - Are you very unwell? – she added.
The valet waved his hand.
- Don’t bring tea! You need to ask the doctor. - And the valet got off the box and approached the cart.
“Okay,” said the doctor.
The valet went up to the carriage again, looked into it, shook his head, ordered the coachman to turn into the yard and stopped next to Mavra Kuzminishna.
- Lord Jesus Christ! - she said.
Mavra Kuzminishna offered to carry the wounded man into the house.
“The gentlemen won’t say anything...” she said. But it was necessary to avoid climbing the stairs, and therefore the wounded man was carried into the outbuilding and laid in the former room of m me Schoss. The wounded man was Prince Andrei Bolkonsky.

The last day of Moscow has arrived. It was clear, cheerful autumn weather. It was Sunday. As on ordinary Sundays, mass was announced 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, courtyard workers and peasants in a huge crowd, which included officials, seminarians, and nobles, went out to the Three Mountains early in the morning. Having stood there and not waiting for Rostopchin and making sure that Moscow would be surrendered, this crowd scattered throughout Moscow, into drinking houses and taverns. Prices that day also indicated the state of affairs. The prices for weapons, for gold, for carts and horses kept rising, and the prices for pieces of paper and for city things kept going down, so that in the middle of the day there were cases when the cabbies took out expensive goods, like cloth, for nothing, and for a peasant's horse paid five hundred rubles; furniture, mirrors, bronzes were given away for free.
In the sedate and old Rostov house, the disintegration of previous living conditions was expressed very weakly. The only thing about people was that three people from a huge courtyard disappeared that 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 the Rostovs were offered huge amounts of money. Not only were they offering huge sums of money for these carts, but from the evening and early morning of September 1st, orderlies and servants sent from the wounded officers came to the Rostovs’ yard, and the wounded themselves, who were placed with the Rostovs and in neighboring houses, were dragged along, and begged the Rostovs’ people to take care of that they be given carts to leave Moscow. The butler, to whom such requests were addressed, 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 they gave up one cart, there was no reason not to give up the other, and give up everything and their 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. This is what the butler thought for his master.
Waking up on the morning of the 1st, Count Ilya Andreich quietly left the bedroom so as not to wake up the countess who had just fallen asleep in the morning, and in his purple silk robe he went out onto the porch. The carts, tied up, stood in the yard. Carriages stood at the porch. The butler stood at the entrance, talking with the old orderly and the young, pale officer with his arm tied. 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 loved new faces.)
- At least harness it now, your Excellency.
- Well, that’s great, the countess will wake up, and God bless you! What are you doing, gentlemen? – he turned to the officer. - In my house? – The officer moved closer. His pale face suddenly flushed with bright color.
- Count, do me a favor, let me... for God's sake... take refuge somewhere on your carts. Here I have nothing with me... I’m in the cart... it doesn’t matter... - Before the officer had time to finish, the orderly turned to the count with the same request for his master.
- A! “Yes, yes, yes,” the count spoke hastily. - I'm very, very happy. Vasilich, you give orders, well, to clear one or two carts, well... well... what is needed... - the count said in some vague expressions, ordering something. But at the same moment, the officer’s ardent expression of gratitude already cemented what he had ordered. The count looked around him: in the courtyard, at the gate, in the window of the outbuilding, the wounded and orderlies could be seen. They all looked at the count and moved towards the porch.
- Please, your Excellency, to the gallery: what do you order about the paintings? - said the butler. And the count entered the house with him, repeating his order not to refuse the wounded who asked to go.
“Well, well, we can put something together,” he added in a quiet, 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 served as chief of gendarmes in relation to the countess, came to report to her former young lady that Marya Karlovna was very offended and that the young ladies' summer dresses could not stay here. When the countess questioned why m me Schoss was offended, it was revealed that her chest had been removed from the cart and all the carts were being untied - they were removing the goods and taking with them the wounded, whom the count, in his simplicity, ordered to be taken with him. The Countess ordered to ask for her husband.
– What is it, my friend, I hear things are being removed again?
- You know, ma chere, I wanted to tell you this... ma chere countess... an officer came to me, asking me to give several carts for the wounded. After all, this is all a gainful business; But think about what it’s like for them to stay!.. Really, in our yard, we invited them ourselves, there are officers here. You know, I think, right, ma chere, here, ma chere... let them take them... what's the rush?.. - The Count timidly said this, as he always said when it came to money. The Countess was already accustomed to this tone, which always preceded a task that ruined the children, like some kind of construction of a gallery, a greenhouse, arranging a home theater or music, and she was used to it and considered it her duty to always resist what was expressed in this timid tone.
She assumed her obediently deplorable appearance and said to her husband:
“Listen, Count, you’ve brought it to the point that they won’t give anything for the house, and now you want to destroy all of our children’s fortunes.” After all, you yourself say that there is a hundred thousand worth of goods in the house. I, my friend, neither agree nor agree. Your will! The government is there for the wounded. They know. Look: across the street, at the Lopukhins’, they took everything away just three days ago. That's how people do it. We are the only fools. At least have pity 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.
- Nothing! What do you care? – the count said angrily.
“No, I heard,” said Natasha. - Why doesn’t mummy want to?
- What do you care? - the count shouted. Natasha went to the window and thought.
“Dad, Berg has come to see us,” she said, looking out the window.

Berg, the Rostovs' son-in-law, was already a colonel with Vladimir and Anna around his neck and occupied the same calm and pleasant place as assistant chief of staff, assistant to the first department of the chief of staff of the second corps.
On September 1, he arrived from the army in 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 matters.
Berg, in his neat droshky on a pair of well-fed savrasenki, exactly the same as one prince had, drove up to his father-in-law’s house. He looked carefully into the yard at the carts and, entering the porch, took out a clean handkerchief and tied a knot.
From the hall, Berg ran into the living room with a floating, impatient step and hugged the count, kissed the hands of Natasha and Sonya and hurriedly asked about his mother’s health.
– How is your health now? Well, tell me,” said the count, “what about the troops?” Are they retreating or will there be another battle?
“One eternal god, dad,” 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, the truly ancient courage of the Russian troops, which they – it,” he corrected himself, “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 on the chest in the same way as one general who was talking in front of him hit himself, although a little late, because he should have hit himself on the chest at the word “Russian army”) - I’ll tell you frankly that we, the leaders, “Not only should we not have urged the soldiers or anything like that, but we could forcefully hold back these, these... yes, courageous and ancient feats,” he said quickly. – General Barclay, before Tolly, sacrificed his life everywhere in front of the army, I’ll tell you. Our corps was placed on the slope of the mountain. You can imagine! - And then Berg told everything that he remembered from the various stories he had heard during this time. Natasha, without lowering her gaze, which confused Berg, as if looking for a solution to some question on his face, looked at him.
– Such heroism in general, as shown by Russian soldiers, cannot be imagined and deservedly praised! - Berg said, looking back at Natasha and as if wanting to appease her, smiling at her in response to her persistent gaze... - “Russia is not in Moscow, it is in the hearts of her sons!” Right, dad? - said Berg.
At this time, the countess came out of the sofa room, looking tired and dissatisfied. Berg hastily jumped up, kissed the countess's hand, inquired about her health and, expressing his sympathy by shaking his head, stopped next to her.
– Yes, mother, I will truly tell you, difficult 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 needs to give orders. You'll regret Mitenka. Will this never end?
The Count wanted to say something, but apparently refrained. He stood up from his chair and walked towards the door.
Berg at this time, as if to blow his nose, took out a handkerchief and, looking at the bundle, thought, sadly and significantly shaking his head.
“And I have a big request to ask you, dad,” he said.
“Hm?..” said the count, stopping.
“I’m driving past Yusupov’s house now,” Berg said, laughing. “The manager, I know, ran out and asked if you would buy something.” I went in, you know, out of curiosity, and there was just a wardrobe and a toilet. You know how Veruschka wanted this and how we argued about it. (Berg involuntarily switched to a tone of joy about his well-being when he began talking about the wardrobe and toilet.) And such a delight! comes forward with an English secret, you know? But Verochka wanted it for a long time. So I want to surprise her. I saw so many of these guys in your yard. Give me one, please, I’ll pay him well and...
The Count frowned and gagged.
- Ask the countess, but I don’t give orders.
“If it’s difficult, please don’t,” said Berg. “I would really like it for Verushka.”
“Oh, go to hell, all of you, to hell, to hell, to hell!” shouted the old count. - My head is spinning. - And he left the room.
The Countess began to cry.
- Yes, yes, mummy, very difficult times! - said Berg.
Natasha went out with her father and, as if having difficulty understanding something, first followed him, and then ran downstairs.
Petya stood on the porch, arming the people who were traveling from Moscow. Pawned carts still stood in the yard. Two of them were untied, and an officer, supported by an orderly, climbed onto one of them.
- Do you know why? - Petya asked Natasha (Natasha understood that Petya understood why his father and mother quarreled). She didn't answer.
“Because daddy wanted to give all the carts to the wounded,” said Petya. - Vasilich told me. In my opinion…

Myths of Ancient Greece They talk about the existence of Knossos (Knossos Palace), where King Minos reigned, and in the Labyrinth of his palace lived a terrible monster, the Minotaur - a creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man, feeding on human flesh!

But in short, it all began with the fact that the mighty Zeus, the supreme god of Olympus, saw the beautiful Europa, the daughter of a rich Phoenician king. He saw and desired. In order not to frighten the girl and her friends, he took on the guise of a wonderful bull. His fur sparkled, his golden horns were curved, and on his forehead a silver spot burned like a moon. The bull's breath was fragrant with ambrosia, and the whole air was filled with this aroma. A wonderful bull appeared in a clearing and approached the maidens, among whom was Europe, as they frolicked and picked flowers. The maidens surrounded the wondrous animal and affectionately stroked it. The bull approached Europe, licked her hands and caressed her. Then he lay down quietly at her feet, offering to sit on him.

Laughing, Europe sat down on the broad back of the bull. Other girls also wanted to sit next to her. But suddenly the bull jumped up and rushed to the sea. The golden-horned bull rushed like the wind, then he rushed into the sea and quickly, like a dolphin, swam through the azure waters. The waves of the sea parted before him, and soon the shores of Crete appeared in the distant sea. Zeus the bull quickly swam to him with his precious burden and went ashore. Europa became the wife of Zeus and lived from then on in Crete. TThree sons were born to her from Zeus: Minos, Rhadamanthis and Sarpidon. Europa later married the king of Crete, Asterion, who adopted the children of Zeus. After Asterion's death, his eldest son, Minos, became king. He married Pasiphae, the daughter of the sun god Helios and the nymph Kriti. They had 4 sons and 4 daughters, including the beautiful Ariadne. Together they lived in the Knossos Palace.

During one great holiday, Minos wanted to make a sacrifice in honor of the god of the sea Poseidon and asked him that Poseidon would send a magnificent animal for this (this is a strange manner of making sacrifices, having first asked for them;). In response, Poseidon sent a beautiful white bull from the sea. So beautiful that Minos took pity on him and sacrificed another bull. Poseidon was very angry, and in order to punish Minos, he inspired the voluptuous queen Parsifae with an insane passion for the white bull. To satisfy her perverted passion, Parsifai turned to the famous master Daedalus. Daedalus made an empty effigy of a cow, and when Parsifae entered the effigy, the bull was reunited with her. From this disgusting copulation The Minotaur, a monster with a human body and a bull's head, was born. To avoid scandal, King Minos locked the Minotaur in Labyrinth, a complex structure that Daedalus built for this.

The further fate of the white bull is unknown.

The myth further tells about Androgeos, the son of Minos, who took part in the games in Athens and became a winner in all sports disciplines. One of the offended Athenians ambushed and killed him. This murder angered Minos; he immediately declared war on Athens and set off on a campaign. The compensation he demanded from the Athenian king Aegeus was much harsher and more shameful than the defeat of Athens itself: every 9 years Aegeus had to send 7 girls and 7 boys to the Labyrinth. They were locked in a huge palace, the Labyrinth, where they were devoured by a terrible monster.

Theseus and the Minotaur

The son of the Athenian king, the young hero Theseus, decided to stop paying this terrible tribute and protect the innocent. When ambassadors from Crete arrived for the third time to collect the due tribute, everyone in Athens was plunged into deep sadness and equipped a ship with black sails. Theseus voluntarily became one of the young men sent to Crete with the sole purpose of killing the Minotaur. King Aegeus categorically did not want to let his only son go, but Theseus insisted on his own.

In Crete, in Knossos, the powerful king of Crete immediately drew attention to a beautiful, muscular young man. Minos's daughter, Ariadne, also noticed him. Ariadne was fascinated by Theseus and decided to help him. Knowing that the Labyrinth was built so that anyone who got there would never be able to find a way out, she secretly gave Theseus a sharp sword and a ball (Ariadne’s thread) secretly from her father, which helped him not to get lost. Theseus tied a thread at the entrance and entered the Labyrinth, gradually unwinding the ball. Theseus walked further and further and finally saw the Minotaur. With a menacing roar, bowing his head with huge sharp horns, the Minotaur rushed at the hero. A terrible battle began. Finally, Theseus grabbed the Minotaur by the horn and plunged his sharp sword into his chest. Having killed the Minotaur, Theseus, with the help of a ball of thread, found a way back and brought out all the Athenian boys and girls. Theseus quickly equipped his ship and, having cut through the bottom of all the Cretan ships, hastily set off on the return journey. Ariadne also left Knossos and sailed away with Theseus.

However, Ariadne and Theseus were not destined to live happily ever after. Theseus had to give Ariadne to the god Dionysus. She did not reach Athens. Ariadne, the wife of the great Dionysus, became the goddess. But that is another story...

Theseus's ship rushed on its black sails across the azure sea, approaching the shores of Attica. Theseus, saddened by the loss of Ariadne, forgot about the agreement with his father - he was supposed to replace the black sails with white ones in case of a safe return. Aegeus was waiting for his son. A dot appeared in the distance, now it is growing, approaching the shore, and it is already clear that this is his son’s ship, a ship with black sails. This means that Theseus is dead! In despair, Aegeus threw himself from a high cliff into the sea, and the waves threw his lifeless body onto the shore. Since then, the sea in which Aegeus perished has been called the Aegean.

At this time, in the palace of Knossos, Daedalus, whom Minos was holding captive so that he would not leave and reveal the secret of the Labyrinth, was planning his escape. Using artificial wings, which were held together with wax, he flew away with his son Icarus. Then you probably know everything. Icarus, carried away by flight, flew too high towards the sun, the hot rays of the sun melted the wax, and... The sea in which young Icarus died was called Icarian.

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Theseus (Theseus, Theseus), Greek - the son of the Athenian king Aegeus or the god of the sea Poseidon and the Troezen princess Efra, an Athenian hero and king.

Theseus was one of the greatest heroes of Greek myths and rightly takes second place after, with whom he had a strong friendship. This friendship between the Ionian Theseus and the Doryan Hercules symbolized the unity of the Greeks, and Greek artists willingly reminded their fellow countrymen of this, especially politicians from hostile poleis (city-states). As an example, let us cite the relief of Phidias, depicting the joint struggle of Theseus and Hercules with the Amazons; this relief adorned the throne of the statue of Zeus at Olympia, one of the “seven wonders of the world.”

The most detailed biography of Theseus was created by Plutarch, who at the beginning of the 2nd century. n. e. brought together ancient myths that often contradicted each other, especially chronologically. The father of Theseus was officially considered the Athenian king Aegeus, a descendant of the founder of Athens Cecrops, and less officially, but all the more often, the god of the sea Poseidon. His mother Efra was either the wife of Aegeus, or just his beloved. Through Ephra's father, the Troezenian king Pittheus, Theseus could trace his origins back to the conqueror of the Peloponnese, Pelops. The genealogy, of course, is not as impressive as that of Hercules, whose generally accepted father was Zeus himself, but it is quite suitable for the role intended for Theseus in myth. (By the way, there are many sons of Zeus born to mortal women, but not all of them left a bright mark on the myths.)

Stills from the film “War of the Gods. Immortals" (2011)

The first labors of Theseus

So, Theseus was born in Troezen (see the article “Pittheus”), on the northeastern coast of Argolis, and spent his childhood and youth there. Before returning to Athens, where his duties as a monarch called him, Aegeus left his newborn son only a sword and sandals. Aegeus placed these objects, by which he hoped to identify his son when he came to him in Athens, under a huge stone. At the age of sixteen, Theseus, who had grown into a beautiful, brave and powerful young man, superior to his peers in all respects, easily rolled away the heavy stone and went to his father. By sea it was possible to reach Athens by ship in a day, but Theseus chose a longer and more dangerous route by land. He wanted to see the world and, if possible, accomplish some kind of feat so that, so to speak, he would not come empty-handed to Athens, where he would eventually become king. Such an opportunity presented itself to him already on the border of Troezen and Epidaurus, where the lame giant Periphetus lived, who had the cruel habit of killing travelers with an iron club. Theseus weaned him from this habit in a very effective way and moved on. On the Isthmian (Corinthian) Isthmus, he pacified another cruel robber, Sinis. In Crommion, Theseus killed, at the request of the peasants, a huge gray pig that was ravaging their fields; or rather, it was not just a pig, but a real monster, born of Typhon and Echidna. Theseus delivered the Megarian region from the robber Skiron, the Eleusinian region from the bloodthirsty giant Kerkion, and already in Attica itself, near the Kephisus River, he was met by the robber Damastus, nicknamed Procrustes, that is, “The Puller.” All these villains, who instilled fear in the local population and travelers between Troezen and Athens, are described in the corresponding articles, but here we would like to draw attention to the way Theseus dealt with them: Theseus did with each of them exactly as he did with their victims, and there is something in this, in any case, the educational, edifying effect of this method is undeniable, since since then, after the actions of Theseus, the path between the Peloponnese and Attica became free and safe for merchants and wanderers.

Theseus's fight for his father Aeneas in Athens

Arriving in Athens, Theseus went straight to the royal palace. The elderly Aegeus did not recognize his son, but he was recognized by the sorceress Medea, who ingratiated herself into the king’s trust by promising to restore his youth if he married her. Medea immediately realized that Theseus’s arrival threatened her plans, and persuaded Aegeus to poison the newcomer. However, at the feast, Aegeus accidentally noticed Theseus's sword, then looked at his sandals - and hastened to overturn the cup of poisoned wine. Having embraced Theseus, he introduced him to the people as his successor, and expelled Medea.

However, the rejoicing in the Aegean palace did not last long. Fifty sons of Pallant, brother of Aegeus, with a large army approached the city; The Pallantides hoped to take possession of Athens after the death of Aegeus, but with the appearance of Theseus their hopes disappeared. Theseus led the defense of the city, scouted out the location of the enemy forces, found out that an ambush was being prepared for him, and in a brave night raid he killed half of the Pallantides located in ambush. The remaining brothers took to their heels, and Theseus set off to meet new exploits.

At that time, a huge bull was rampaging in Attica, killing people and destroying crops in the fields. He was delivered to Greece from Crete by Hercules, fulfilling the next order of Eurystheus (see the seventh labor of Hercules). Eurystheus wanted to keep the bull for himself, but was frightened by its ferocity and released it into the wild - to the horror of all Greece. Theseus found a bull in a field near Marathon and killed it. But when he returned to Athens, no one greeted him; the whole city was in mourning.

Theseus and the Minotaur

Theseus, the labyrinth of the Minotaur and Ariadne

For the third time, ambassadors from the Cretan king Minos sailed to Athens for the terrible tribute that Aegeus had to pay every nine years as punishment for the murder of Minos’ son, Androgeus. Once Androgeus won a victory over local athletes at the Athenian games, and the irritated Aegeus killed him. As an expiatory tribute, the Athenians sent seven girls and seven boys to Crete, and Minos gave them to be devoured by the monstrous Minotaur, locked in the Knossos labyrinth. It was believed that Athens could only be saved from this tribute by the death of the Minotaur. Despite the resistance of Aegeus, Theseus voluntarily included himself in the list of young people sent to be devoured by the Minotaur, as he considered it his duty to kill the monster. Sailing to Crete under black mourning sails, Theseus promised his father, if successful, to raise white sails upon his return.

When the ship landed in Crete, Minos asked Theseus who his father was. Theseus replied that if Minos is the son of Zeus, then he himself, Theseus, is the son of Poseidon, the brother of Zeus. Minos immediately took the gold ring off his finger and threw it into the sea: if Theseus is telling the truth, let Poseidon help him find the ring. Theseus passed this test: Poseidon's wife Amphitrite willingly handed him the ring, and the surprised Minos received it back.

This test was, of course, child’s play compared to what awaited Theseus, but subsequent events confirmed the ancient saying “Fate helps the brave” - at first sight, Minos’ daughter Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and secretly gave him two gifts: a sword for a duel with the Minotaur and a ball of thread.

When Theseus, along with the rest of the Athenian youths and girls, was taken into the labyrinth, he ordered them to hide at the entrance, handed them the end of the ball and, unwinding it, went along the intricate network of corridors to the very heart of the labyrinth, where the Minotaur was waiting for him. With a terrible roar, the monster rushed forward to pierce him with its huge horns, but Theseus dodged. Theseus contrasted the dull strength and blind rage of the Minotaur with dexterity and ingenuity. Finally, seizing the moment, he literally took the bull by the horns and pierced its chest with a sword. Winding up the thread, Theseus got out of the labyrinth, led his comrades to the exit, where Ariadne was already waiting for them, and hurried to the ship.

Flight of Theseus and Ariadne from Minos

While his companions were launching and equipping the ship, Theseus made holes in the bottoms of all the Cretan ships in the harbor. This allowed them to escape Minos' pursuit. Hurrying home to the north, they made a stop on the island of Naxos to replenish their water supply and refresh themselves with a short sleep. In the morning they continued their journey - but without Ariadne. At night, the god Dionysus appeared to Theseus in a dream and ordered him to leave Ariadne on the island, since she was destined for Dionysus as his wife; Obeying God, Theseus left the sleeping Ariadne. According to another version, Theseus left her on the island, forgetting about her in a hurry. (But there was another version: Theseus simply got rid of Ariadne, not wanting to marry her, since he liked her younger sister Phaedra. Be that as it may, Ariadne really became the wife of Dionysus, and Theseus subsequently married Phaedra.)

After another short stop at Delos, Theseus headed straight for Athens. In constant haste, fearing the pursuit of Minos' ships, and perhaps tormented by remorse because of Ariadne, Theseus forgot to replace the black sails on the mast with white ones. Aegeus, who was waiting for his son, at the sight of the black sails, decided that Theseus had died, and in despair he threw himself off the cliff into the sea, which has since been called the Aegean.

Still from the cartoon “Labyrinth. The Exploits of Theseus" (USSR, 1971)

Theseus - reign in Athens

Theseus became the king of Athens. He ruled wisely and fairly, but he was haunted by the thirst for new exploits, and he did not miss a single opportunity to distinguish himself. He took part in the campaign of the Argonauts, in the Calydonian hunt, in the war of Hercules with the Amazons. From all these campaigns he returned with glory, and from the last one also with his wife: during the division of the captive Amazons, Hercules gave Theseus their beautiful and brave leader Antiope, and Theseus married her. Antiope fell in love with her husband, and when the Amazons invaded Athens to free her, she fought alongside Theseus and died in battle.

Theseus tried to dispel the sadness of his beloved wife with labor. He built walls around Athens, decorated the city with new buildings, gave the Athenian people laws and taught them to govern themselves. Theseus wanted his city to live in peace and rejected aggressive wars. But when the king of the Lapiths, Pirithous, provoked him to war, he did not hesitate to oppose him and challenge him to a duel. Having found out in battle that their forces were equal, Theseus offered peace and friendship to Pirithous. The Treaty of Friendship was concluded because the balance of power does not lead to war, but ensures peace. For Athens, this agreement was beneficial, but Theseus’s friendship with the reckless Pirithous brought disaster.

One example of Pirithous’s recklessness was his wedding with Hippodamia, to which he invited all the famous heroes of Greece, including Hercules and Theseus, but for greater originality, he also invited his wild neighbors, the centaurs, half-humans, half-horses. And this was already a serious mistake: after all, everyone knows that decent people should be invited, and not half-breasts. Having drunk to a purely bestial state, the centaurs attacked the women present, including the bride; the heroes rushed to the rescue, but at first they had a hard time, since they were all unarmed; many of them were injured, some were killed, such as Kenei (see article). In the end, most of the centaurs were killed, the rest fled to the mountains (see "Centaurs").

Theseus and Pirithous in the Underworld of Hades

Returning to Athens, Theseus decided to marry Ariadne's sister, Phaedra, but this marriage was unsuccessful, since Phaedra fell in love with her stepson Hippolytus, the son of Theseus and Antiope, and the matter ended with the death of Hippolytus and Phaedra's suicide (see related articles). At the same time, Pirithous also became a widower and invited Theseus to unite in a joint search for new wives.

Both were attracted to the beautiful Helen of Sparta (who later sparked the Trojan War) and kidnapped her, even though Helen was only 12 years old at the time. Since true friends would never quarrel over a woman, they decided to draw Elena by lot, so that the one who won Elena would help the loser to get himself a wife according to his taste.

Theseus won and took Helen to Athens, and Pirithous declared that Theseus should help him bring Persephone, the wife of the ruler of this kingdom Hades, from the afterlife - it was her that Pirithous wanted to marry. Theseus tried in vain to dissuade him, but Pirithous stood his ground, and Theseus, bound by this word, had to accompany him to the kingdom of Hades. Oddly enough, Hades greeted them warmly, calmly listened to Pirithous and invited both friends to wait in the hallway - he supposedly should still think about whether to separate from his wife or not. But as soon as Pirithous and Theseus sat down in the stone chairs, they immediately grew attached to their cold stone. Pirithous never rose from his frozen throne, but Theseus was rescued by Hercules after a long time. However, meanwhile, Helen was taken away from Athens by her brothers Castor and Polydeuces, and at the same time Theseus’s mother, Ephra, was taken into captivity and slavery, the city walls were demolished and power over Athens was transferred to Theseus’s worst enemy - his relative Menestheus.

Theseus at the end of his life

After returning from the afterlife, the greatest Athenian hero turned into a pathetic outcast. The path to Athens was forbidden to him, so he went to the island of Euboea, where he owned some lands. Theseus hoped to find his sons Demophon and Acamant there and, with their help, regain the Athenian throne. But after the insult inflicted on Hades, the brother of the king of the gods Zeus, the gods and happiness turned away from Theseus, and now neither courage nor strength could help him.

Theseus died ingloriously: Lycomedes, king of the island of Skyros, coveted the last lands that belonged to Theseus, and invited him to his place to discuss controversial issues. Seizing the moment while walking, Lycomedes pushed Theseus from a high cliff into the sea.

So, Theseus, the son of the god of the sea, found death in the waves of the sea - but found immortality in myths, in the memory of the Greeks from ancient times to the present day, in works of literature and art of ancient and modern times.

Actor Henry Keville as Theseus with the Epirus Bow (Immortals, 2011)

Theseus in history and art

The most detailed biography of Theseus was written, as mentioned above, by Plutarch: he opened with it his “Comparative Lives” of outstanding Greeks and Romans. All subsequent authors, in whose works Theseus appeared as the main character or as one of the main characters, drew information from this biography: in Sophocles’ “Theseus” (only fragments have survived), in his “Phaedrus”, in Euripides’ “Hippolytus”, in epillia of Callimachus “Hekala” (that was the name of the old woman who provided Theseus with good advice on the eve of his fight with the Marathon bull; in memory of Hekal Theseus established a special holiday - hekalesia). Ovid and Catullus dedicated their poems to Theseus. Virgil talks about him in the Aeneid.

Already in the 20th century. Theseus became the main character of the drama by I. Magen (1909), the play by A. Gide (1946) and the dramatic poem by Kazantzakis. The opera “Theseus” was written by Handel in 1713, “The Liberation of Theseus” in 1927 by Milhaud, and the ballet “Theseus in the Labyrinth” in 1957 by Mihalovich.

Theseus is depicted on more than 600 antique vases, not counting 17 so-called "cyclic vases" depicting all of Theseus's exploits on one vase. A small copy of the statue of Myron “Theseus and the Minotaur” (5th century BC) has been preserved. The "Labours of Theseus" are depicted next to the Labors of Hercules in the Athenian treasury at Delphi (after 490 BC). The relief metope “Theseus fighting a centaur” adorned the southern frieze of the Parthenon from the 5th century. BC e. until the end of the 18th century, when she was taken to England; metope “Theseus fighting the Amazons” on the frieze of the Temple of Apollo in Bassae (5th century BC) in the 19th century. I also ended up in England. Of the sculptures of the classical period, only the metopes of the “Labours of Theseus” on the Athenian Theseion (450-440 BC) remained in place.

European artists paid attention to Theseus only after the Renaissance. Among the first large canvases, we note Poussin’s painting “Theseus Finds His Father’s Sword” (c. 1650), from works of the 20th century. - “The Return of Theseus” by Shima (1933) and “Theseus in Battle with the Amazons” by Kokoschka (1958). In the sculpture we note at least two authors: Canova (“TESE and the Minotaur”, 1781-1783; “TESE kills the centaur”, 1800) and Bari (“Theseus kills the centaur” and “Theseus in battle with the centaur”, 1850-1860).

Athenian king Theseus as a historical figure

More than any other hero, the Greeks considered Theseus a historical figure. The Athenian statesman and commander Kimon did not hesitate to go to Skyros in 469 BC. e., to bring his remains from there. What Cimon considered to be the remains of Theseus (along with his spear and sword), he took to Athens and buried with all honors. The Athenians credited Theseus with the unification of Attica, the first constitution of Athens, and the formation of the foundations of Athenian democracy. According to Plutarch, Theseus sought to ensure that Athens was ruled not by a king, but by the people, and the king would be only a commander and guardian of the law, while everyone else would be free. Thus, in the eyes of the Athenians, Theseus, in fact, was the founder of their city.

For a long time, the Athenians paid Theseus almost divine honors. It is characteristic that the best preserved ancient temple under the Acropolis was originally dedicated to Hephaestus, then during Christianity they forgot about it and the Athenians began to attribute it to Theseus. And although it was later dedicated to the Christian Saint George, the Athenians stubbornly continued to call the temple Theseion (in the modern Greek version its name sounds like Thision).

Theseus saves people from bloodthirsty robbers and wild beasts. The Minotaur is a monster with the head of a bull who eats young men and children, Theseus kills and so Athens gets rid of this terrible monster.

Theseus's childhood

The Athenian king Aegeus gave birth to a son, Theseus. The child spent his entire childhood with his mother, Princess Efra of Troezen. The father, who lived away from Theseus, feared tricks on the part of his nephews, who also aspired to power. Before parting with Efa, Aegeus hides his sword and sandals under a stone with the words: “When my son grows up and can move this stone, tell him who his father is.” At sixteen, Theseus moves away the stone, takes his sword and sandals, and heads to Athens to join his father. Theseus performs enough feats while he goes to his father. Aegeus recognizes his son by the sword.

Travel to Crete

Once every nine years, the Athenians had to send seven young men and the same number of girls for the Minotaur. Theseus goes to Crete and kills the Minotaur, who was sleeping, with his bare hands.

Tragic return

Theseus killed the Minotaur in an underground labyrinth, from which it is very difficult to escape. But the daughter of the Cretan king Ariadne gave him a guiding thread. And thanks to this thread, Tesla finds a way out of the labyrinth. Then Tesley kidnaps Ariadne, and they sail to Greece. But on the way they part, perhaps this happened by the will of Poseidon. Frustrated, Tesley forgets to change the flag from black to white, as his father asked. Aegeus, seeing a ship with a black flag, thinks that his son died in a fight with the Minotaur and rushes into the sea. Since then the Sea has been called the Aegean.