Theseus
Greek · demigod · heroic age · Recorded classification
Half-Olympian son of Poseidon by Aethra; legal son of Aegeus, king of Athens. Athens's central founding-hero; the synoikismos (unification of the Attic demes into one polis) traced to him. Cleared the Isthmus road of bandits in six labors. Killed the Minotaur in the Cretan Labyrinth with Ariadne's thread. Abandoned Ariadne on Naxos. Forgot to switch the white sail, causing Aegeus's suicide and the eponymous origin of the Aegean Sea. Inseparable friend of Pirithous; imprisoned with him in Hades on the Persephone-abduction attempt; rescued by Heracles. Killed on Skyros by King Lycomedes. Bones returned to Athens by Cimon in 476 BCE and housed in the Theseion (now identified with the Hephaisteion).
Parentage
Children
Domains
- kingship of Athens
- civilizing hero Athenian
Powers
- Exert superhuman strength
Epithets
- Συνοικιστής 'Unifier / Founder-by-synoecism' — Theseus as the unifier of AtticaPlutarch, Theseus 24-25 (primary)
Relations
- lover: AriadneApollodorus, Bibliotheca (secondary)
- spouse: Phaedra
- half sibling: Medus (son of Medea by Aegeus; not registered as cascade descendant under strict rule) · GreekHalf-brother through their shared father Aegeus; Medea attempted to eliminate Theseus to secure Medus's Athenian succession.Apollod. Epit. 1.5-6; Plut. Thes. 12 (primary)
- lover: HelenReciprocal of greek_helen.loverPlut. Thes. 31; Apollod. Epit. 1.23; Stesich. fr.; Paus. 2.22.6-7 (primary)
- lover: Ariadne (daughter of Minos and Pasiphae, helped Theseus escape the Labyrinth; not registered as Pasiphae-line cascade) · GreekApollod. Epit. 1.8-9; Plut. Theseus 19 (primary)
- killer of: PeriphetesReciprocal of greek_periphetes.killed-byPlut. Thes. 8; Apollod. 3.16.1 (primary)
- spouse: Phaedra (daughter of Minos and Pasiphae, second wife of Theseus; not registered as Pasiphae-line cascade) · GreekEur. Hippolytus (primary)
- father of: HippolytusEur. Hippolytus; Apollod. Epit. 1.16 (primary)
- father of: AcamasApollod. Epit. 1.18; Plut. Thes. 28 (primary)
- father of: DemophonApollod. Epit. 1.18; Plut. Thes. 28 (primary)
- father of: MelanippusSon by Perigune daughter of Sinis the Pine-Bender; the Carian Ioxidae line through Ioxus.Plut. Thes. 8.2 (primary)
- foster sibling: PirithousPlut. Thes. 30 (primary)