爱华网 Theseuswas the son of AEgeus, king of Athens, and of Aethra, daughter ofthe king of Troezene. He was brought up at Troezene, and, whenarrived at manhood, was to proceed to Athens and present himself tohis father. AEgeus, on parting from Aethra, before the birth of hisson, placed his sword and shoes under a large stone, and directedher to send his son to him when he became strong enough to rollaway the stone and take them from under it. When she thought thetime had come, his mother led Theseus to the stone, and he removedit with ease, and took the sword and shoes. As the roads wereinfested with robbers, his grandfather pressed him earnestly totake the shorter and safer way to his father's country, by sea; butthe youth, feeling in himself the spirit and the soul of a hero,and eager to signalize himself like Hercules, with whose fame allGreece then rang, by destroying the evil-doers and monsters thatoppressed the country, determined on the more perilous andadventurous journey by land.
His firstday's journey brought him to Epidaurus, where dwelt a man namedPeriphetes, a son of Vulcan. This ferocious savage always wentarmed with a club of iron, and all travellers stood
in terror of his violence. When he saw Theseus approach, heassailed him, but speedily fell beneath the blows of the younghero, who took possession of his club, and bore it ever afterwardsas a memorial of his first victory.
Severalsimilar contests with the petty tyrants and marauders of thecountry followed, in all of which Theseus was victorious. One ofthese evil-doers was called Procrustes, or the Stretcher.
He had an iron bedstead, on which he used to tie all travellers whofell into his hands. If they were shorter than the bed, hestretched their limbs to make them fit it; if they werelonger
than the bed, he lopped off a portion. Theseus served him as he hadserved others.
Havingovercome all the perils of the road, Theseus at length reachedAthens, where new dangers awaited him. Medea, the sorceress, whohad fled from Corinth after her separation from
Jason, had become the wife of AEgeus, the father of Theseus.Knowing by her arts who he was, and fearing the loss of herinfluence with her husband, if Theseus should be acknowledged ashis son, she filled the mind of AEgeus with suspicions of theyoungstranger, and induced him to present him a cup of poison; but atthe moment when Theseus stepped forward to take it, the
sight of the sword which he wore discovered to his father who hewas, and prevented the fatal draught. Medea, detected in her arts,fled once more from deserved punishment, and arrived in
Asia, where the country afterwards called Media received its namefrom her. Theseus was acknowledged by his father, and declared hissuccessor.
TheAthenians were at that time in deep affliction, on account of thetribute which they were forced to pay to Minos, king of Crete. Thistribute consisted of seven youths and seven maidens,
who were sent every year to be devoured by the Minotaur, a monsterwith a bull's body and a human head. It was exceedingly strong andfierce, and was kept in a labyrinth constructed by
Daedalus, so artfully contrived that whoever was enclosed in itcould by no means find his way out unassisted. Here the Minotaurroamed, and was fed with human victims.
Theseusresolved to deliver his countrymen from this calamity, or to die inthe attempt. Accordingly, when the time of sending off the tributecame, and the youths and maidens were, according to custom, drawnby lot to be sent, he offered himself as one of the
victims, in spite of the entreaties of his father. The shipdeparted under black sails, as usual, which Theseus promised hisfather to change for white, in case of his returningvictorious.
When they arrived in Crete, the youths and maidens were exhibitedbefore Minos; and Ariadne, the daughter of the king, being present,became deeply enamored of Theseus, by whom her love was
readily returned. She furnished him with a sword, with which toencounter the Minotaur, and with a clew of thread by which he mightfind his way out of the labyrinth. He was successful, slew
the Minotaur, escaped from the labyrinth, and taking Ariadne as thecompanion of his way, with his rescued companions sailed forAthens. On their way they stopped at the island of Naxos,where
Theseus abandoned Ariadne, leaving her asleep. For Minerva had，appeared to Theseus in a dream, and warned him that Ariadne wasdestined to be the wife of Bacchus, the wine-god. (One of the
finest pieces of sculpture in Italy, the recumbent Ariadne of theVatican, represents this incident. A copy is in the Athenaeumgallery, Boston. The celebrated statue of Ariadne, by Danneker,represents her as riding on the tiger of Bacchus, at a somewhatlater period of her story.)
Onapproaching the coast of Attica, Theseus, intent on Ariadne, forgotthe signal appointed by his father, and neglected to raise thewhite sails, and the old king, thinking his son had perished, putan end to his own life. Theseus thus became king of Athens.
One of themost celebrated of the adventures of Theseus is his expeditionagainst the Amazons. He assailed them before they had recoveredfrom the attack of Hercules, and carried off their queen, Antiope.The Amazons in their turn invaded the country of
Athens and penetrated into the city itself; and the final battle inwhich Theseus overcame them was fought in the very midst of thecity. This battle was one of the favorite subjects of the ancientsculptors, and is commemorated in several works of art that arestill extant.
Thefriendship between Theseus and Pirithous was of a most intimatenature, yet it originated in the midst of arms. Pirithous had madean irruption into the plain of Marathon, and
carried off the herds of the king of Athens. Theseus went to repelthe plunderers. The moment Pirithous beheld him, he was seized withadmiration; he stretched out his hand as a token of
peace, and cried, "Be judge thyself, what satisfaction dost thourequire?" "Thy friendship," replied the Athenian, and they sworeinviolable fidelity. Their deeds corresponded to their
professions, and they ever continued true brothers in arms. Each ofthem aspired to espouse a daughter of Jupiter. Theseus fixed hischoice on Helen, then but a child, afterwards so celebrated
as the cause of the Trojan war, and with the aid of his friend hecarried her off. Pirithous aspired to the wife of the monarch ofErebus; and Theseus, though aware of the danger,accompanied theambitious lover in his descent to the underworld. But Pluto seizedand set them on an enchanted rock at his palace gate, where theyremained till Hercules arrived and liberated Theseus,leavingPirithous to his fate.
After thedeath of Antiope, Theseus married Phaedra, daughter of Minos, kingof Crete. Phaedra saw in Hippolytus, the son of Theseus, a youthendowed with all the graces and virtues of his father, and of anage corresponding to her own. She loved him, but he repulsed heradvances, and her love was changed to hate. She used her influenceover her infatuated husband to cause him
to be jealous of his son, and he imprecated the vengeance ofNeptune upon him. As Hippolytus was one day driving his chariotalong the shore, a sea-monster raised himself above thewaters,
and frightened the horses so that they ran away and dashed thechariot to pieces. Hippolytus was killed, but by Diana's assistanceAesculapius restored him to life. Diana removed Hippolytus from thepower of his deluded father and false stepmother, and placed him inItaly under the protection of the nymph Egeria.
Theseus atlength lost the favor of his people, and retired to the court ofLycomedes, king of Scyros, who at first received him kindly, butafterwards treacherously slew him. In a later age
the Athenian general Cimon discovered the place where his remainswere laid, and caused them to be removed to Athens, where they weredeposited in a temple called the Theseum, erected in honor
of the hero.
The queen ofthe Amazons whom Theseus espoused is by some called Hippolyta. Thatis the name she bears in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, thesubject of which is the festivities
attending the nuptials of Theseus and Hippolyta.
Mrs. Hemanshas a poem on the ancient Greek tradition that the "Shade ofTheseus" appeared strengthening his countrymen at the battle ofMarathon.
Mr. LewisMorris has a beautiful poem on Helen, in the Epic of Hades. Inthese lines Helen describes how she was seized by Theseus and hisfriend:
----------"There came a night
When I lay longing for my love, and knew
Sudden the clang of hoofs, the broken doors,
The clash of swords, the shouts, the groans, the stain
Of red upon the marble, the fixed gaze
Of dead and dying eyes, that was the time
When first I looked on death, and when I woke
>From my deep swoon, I felt the night air cool
Upon my brow, and the cold stars look down,
As swift we galloped o'er the darkling plain
And saw the chill sea-glimpses slowly wake,
With arms unknown around me. When the dawn
Broke swift, we panted on the pathless steeps,
And so by plain and mountain till we came
to Athens, ----------."
Theseus is asemi-historical personage. It is recorded of him that he united theseveral tribes by whom the territory of Attica was then possessedinto one state, of which Athens was the
capital. In commemoration of this important event, he institutedthe festival of Panathenaea, in honor of Minerva, the patron deityof Athens. This festival differed from the other Grecian
games chiefly in two particulars. It was peculiar to the Athenians,and its chief feature was a solemn procession in which the Peplusor sacred robe of Minerva was carried to the
Parthenon, and suspended before the statue of the goddess. ThePeplus was covered with embroidery, worked by select virgins of thenoblest families in Athens. The procession consisted of persons ofall ages and both sexes. The old men carried olive-branches intheir hands, and the young men bore arms. The young women carriedbaskets on their heads, containing the sacred
utensils, cakes, and all things necessary for the sacrifices.Theprocession formed the subject of the bas-reliefs by Phidias whichembellished the outside of the temple of the Parthenon. A
considerable portion of these sculptures is now in the Britishmuseum among those known as the "Elgin marbles."
OLYMPIC AND OTHER GAMES
We maymention here the other celebrated national games of the Greeks. Thefirst and most distinguished were the Olympic, founded, it was said, by Jupiter himself. They were celebrated
at Olympia in Elis. Vast numbers of spectators flocked to them fromevery part of Greece, and from Asia, Africa, and Sicily. They wererepeated every fifth year in midsummer, and continued
five days. They gave rise to the custom of reckoning time anddating events by Olympiads. The first Olympiad is generallyconsidered as corresponding with the year 776 B.C. ThePythian
games were celebrated in the vicinity of Delphi, the Isthmian onthe Corinthian isthmus, the Nemean at Nemea, a city ofArgolis.
Theexercises in these games were of five sorts: running, leaping,wrestling, throwing the quoit, and hurling the javelin, or boxing.Besides these exercises of bodily strength and
agility, there were contests in music, poetry, and eloquence.Thusthese games furnished poets, musicians, and authors the bestopportunities to present their productions to the public, andthe
fame of the victors was diffused far and wide.
Theseus是雅典国王Aegeus和Troezene公主Aethra的儿子。他在Troezene由母亲抚养长大。在Theseus出生之前，Aegeus把自己的剑和鞋子放在一块巨石底下。让Aethra告诉儿子，当他能够移开这块巨石，就拿着剑和鞋子来雅典相认。终于Theseus长大成人，母亲带他来到巨石前，告诉了他父亲的话。Theseus轻而易举地移开了巨石，带着父亲的东西动身去雅典。当时路上强盗横行，十分危险。祖父建议他走更近更安全的海路，可是这个勇敢的年轻人希望像英雄Hercules那样，与恶人和怪物英勇搏斗。第一天他打败了Vulcan的儿子Periphetes，把他的木棍留下作纪念。之后还有很多类似的打斗。其中有一个对手是Procrustes，这个人非常凶残，任何落到他手里的旅人都要被绑在一个铁床上，并强行保持与床相同的长度。如果旅人个头矮了，就会被拉长，高了，则多出的部分会被截掉。Theseus砍死了他，就像他对无辜旅人所做的那样。
历经艰险，Theseus来到父亲的国度。可新的危险仍在等待。女巫Medea，在与Jason分开后，逃出Corinth，来到这里成为了Aegeus的妻子。通过巫术她得知Theseus的身份，担心因此失去对丈夫的掌控，便蛊惑国王，让国王对Theseus的身份产生了怀疑，并准备了毒酒想害死他。可正当Theseus准备喝下时，国王认出了他随身的宝剑，及时阻止了惨剧的发生，父子得以相认。Medea事情败露，逃到亚洲某国。
当时雅典人正蒙受苦难。他们被迫每年要向Crete的国王Minos献贡。七对童男童女要献祭给Minotaur，一个人首牛身的怪物。这个怪物住在一个特制的迷宫里，迷宫内部结构复杂精致，没有帮助任何人都无法走出来。Theseus决心帮助雅典人解决这个麻烦，即便付出生命。于是，等到献贡时，他自己自愿成为祭品之一。船像往常一样，挂着预示绝望的黑色旗子出海了。Theseus答应父亲如果自己成功归来，就换成白色的旗帜。到了Crete，童男童女们面见国王Minos，国王的女儿Ariadne看到了英俊强壮的THeseus，爱上了他。于是递给他一把剑斩杀怪物，上面绑着一根可以指引他走出迷宫的线。得此帮助，Theseus成功的杀死了Minotaur，逃出了迷宫。他带着公主，以及余下获救的童男女们，乘船回雅典。船路过一座小岛，THeseus把熟睡的Ariadne留在了那里。原因是女神Minerva曾托梦给他，说这个公主是要成为酒神Bacchus的妻子的。快到雅典海岸了，THeseus却一心挂念Ariadne，忘了和父亲说好的，没有把黑旗换成白色。年老的国王以为自己的儿子已经死了，伤心欲绝，自杀了。于是，Theseus成了雅典的国王。
Theseus和Pirithous的兄弟般的友谊十分有名。两人也算是不打不相识。当时Pirithous骚扰马拉松平原，抢走了雅典国王的羊群。Theseus带兵讨要。Pirithous一见到他，就充满敬仰之情。他伸开双臂示意求和，说道“你们自己决定，什么才能让你们满意”雅典人答曰“你的友谊”，于是他们宣誓了用不破裂的友谊。事实也是如此，两人成了一辈子的好朋友。两人都想要娶Jupiter的某个女儿为妻。Theseus看中了当时还是个孩子的Helen，并后来在朋友的帮助下成功拐走了她，这也是后来造成特洛伊战争的原因。Pirithous看中了Erebus国王的妻子，Theseus明知危险，仍陪伴他痴情的兄弟来到冥界。可是俩人却被Pluto抓住，锁在宫殿门口的巨石上。直到Hercules来到冥界，Theseus才获得解放，而Pirithous却仍留在那儿接受命运的惩罚。
Antiope死后，THeseus娶了Crete公主Phaedra。可年轻的Phaedra看上了Theseus优雅英俊，年纪相仿的儿子Hippolytus。却遭到了Hippolytus的拒绝。公主因爱生恨，蛊惑自己的丈夫，让他嫉妒自己的儿子，对他实行了海神的报复。一天Hippolytus驾车在海边经过，海怪涌出摔碎了车子，摔死了他。在Diana的帮助下，医神Aesculapius将他起死回生。Diana把他带离了受蛊惑的父亲和邪恶的继母，安置在意大利，托女神Egeria照料。
Theseus最后逐渐失去的民心，退位后来到Scyros国王Lycomedes的宫殿寻求养老，Scyros起初热情地收留他，后来却背信弃义地杀死了Theseus。过了很久，雅典将军Cimon发现了Theseus遗骸存放的地方，下令将其移回雅典，建庙供存，庙名就叫Theseum，以纪念这位英雄。
