How Did Theseus Kill The Minotaur?

In ancient Greece, Theseus would be considered a hero because he was courageous while also being kind. Even as a small child, Theseus showed great courage. For example, when he was a young boy and was looking for his father, he chose travel by land instead of by sea because the land was more dangerous. The land was more dangerous because there were many bandits along the way, but Theseus wanted to become a hero as quickly as possible, so he traveled by land and killed every bandit along the way. Greeks would have valued this courage because in ancient Greece, people greatly admired brave and powerful heroes who wouldn't back down from any challenge. Although Theseus was brave, he was also kind to others. This is why he convinced Hercules not to kill himself after he murdered his family under the influence of Hera. Many other people would’ve agreed with Hercules ending his own life for what he’d done, but Theseus knew that it wasn’t his fault, and that suicide was not the right way. The ancient greeks would have valued this because ancient greece was a violent and dangerous, so someone who was kind and gentle and was also strong was person to be respected.

Theseus, born of Aethra and Poseidon, grew up secretly in Troezen keeping him protected from those who would harm him. Thus, claiming the items his father left him and setting out for Athens, he started on the path leading to many great and heroic adventures.

Now Theseus is older and is in his father’s palace in Athens, the fame seeking youth decided to set his sights on a new journey. A journey which would lead to him being loved and remembered by all the people of Athens. During this time Athens had a severe problem, the neighboring island Crete would attack them every so often. The king of Athens decided to try and compromise with Crete. He stated if Crete left Athens alone for nine years they would send fourteen Athenian youths seven male and seven females as a sacrifice to Minos to be fed to the Minotaur king Minos pet. The king of Athens goal was to build a strong navy, so they could defend themselves from Crete. Surprisingly the king of Crete Mino kept his word and never attacked Athens. Now nine years had come, and it was Athens turn to keep their word. The king of Athens was conflicted as he knew the value of keeping one's word. Theseus seeing this as the perfect opportunity to earn new fame and liken his image in Athens volunteered as the seventh male Athenian youth. Theseus’s goal is to slay the Minotaur and save his fellow Athenians. Theseus promises his father, he will return alive and when he does, he will change the color of the sail on the ship from white to black. In the event the sails stay black his father should assume Theseus has met his demise. After the Athenians arrive in Crete they are welcomed by King Mino’s and princess Ariadne, upon seeing

The Minotaur, meaning Minos bull, was “a monster of dire appearance, having the body of a powerful man and the head of a bull” (Seltman 98). Against his newfound father’s request, Theseus leaves Athens in hopes of returning victorious against the bull-headed beast. In a heroic fashion, Theseus leaps over the next step in Campbell’s hero journey and never refuses his call to adventure. The next step to any hero’s journey is an encounter with a super natural aid, but Theseus’ story takes a moral mentor to gather resources needed for the rest of his journey (Robertson 269). Theseus encounters his unlikely mentor upon arriving to Crete; Minos daughter, Ariadne, instructs Theseus to take a ball of linen with him into the labyrinth in order to trace back his steps after defeating the Minotaur (Martin 129). Crossing the threshold, Theseus ties one end of his ball of linen to the front door and journeys into the unconquerable maze and towards the beast (129). Theseus passes through his first trial of navigating the labyrinth inwards with ease straight into danger. Walking

He trains them, strengthening their skill and power. He shows his true leadership, becoming a sort of teacher to them. When they arrive at Knossos, he tries to convince King Minos to let the tributes go. He is not only thinking for himself, but for his people. Minos refuses, but Theseus is still set on fighting the bull, not for the glory now, but so others will not have to be killed. His mindset has practically switched, instead of being self-pitying, he is now selfless. Theseus successfully slays the Minotaur, and takes his tributes and the two of Minos’ daughters home. He is so happy, “drunk with strength and joy,” that he forgets a promise he made to his father. When he was leaving Athens, he swore that if he killed the beast and made it back alive, he would change his sail from black cloth to white. Theseus forgets to change the black sail, and his father, under the assumption that Theseus is dad, jumps off a cliff, killing himself. This makes Theseus the king, and he unites many City-states in Greece, and eventually takes King Minos’s kingdom as well. He rules as a fair and wise king, and many people look up to and respect

The Minotaur, half man half bull, lived in Crete. Trapped in a labyrinth, constructed by the great Daedalus, the king of Crete, King Minos, demanded a tribute of seven boys and seven girls from Athens to satisfy the Minotaur’s savage hunger. But one year, Minos was deceived, for a new hero arose, Theseus, son of Aegeus, Prince of Athens. He won over the heart of Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, and used her ball of string to venture into the labyrinth to slay the Minotaur. After a hard-fought grapple within the lair of the minotaur, the beast fell to the sword of Aegeus, which Theseus had smuggled into the maze. Using the string, he found his way back out. The Labyrinth went underground, void of life, never to be seen again.

While I was analyzing the two Greek heroes Theseus and Oedipus origins, it became obvious that they share quite a few differences and similarities as is common amongst heroes in Greek mythology. The first similarity I found the two heroes shared was the love and honor their subjects regarded their kings with. Theseus was revered for his strategic planning and how he used his power to create an equal ruling between the power of the king and his people. He was acknowledged as one of the first leaders to create a Democracy, allowing his people to have a say into how the kingdom is ruled. “I myself, will be your leader in wars, and at all times the protector of laws, but beyond this all my fellow citizens shall have equal rights with me” (216). By allowing the inhabitants of Attica to access part of the power of the king, Theseus knew that his subjects would abide by this ruling because of the value and gain they would receive from becoming a united community. I feel this peaceful treaty between the two dynamics; the rich and the poor shows that Theseus was an intelligent and courageous king worthy of the equal amounts of love and fear the king instilled in the city of Athens. The way Theseus resolved the issue between the two class systems leads me to believe that Theseus admirers rigid structure and control but since he is willing to give some of his power to the citizens of Athens in order to keep peace, he became known as a peaceful ruler instead of a forceful tyrant.

Theseus Versus Patrick Tillman Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with -brodi Ashton. To begin with, Theseus is a great hero, even in our time; he drove away Medea with the help of his father, Aegeus. Second of all, Theseus also defeated the Marathonian Bull, a mighty bull that is terrorizing the city of Marathon and Theseus cautiously and captured the bull in the city. Theseus also defeated the Minotaur that was living in the labyrinth in Athens, Greece; the Minotaur was hunting down the seven courageous boys and seven beautiful maidens. Furthermore, the major league football player Patrick Tillman; a great hero even to this day, Patrick was a football player for the Cardinals from 1998 to 2001.

Theseus showed the sword and the sandals to Aegeus who soon became very ecstatic that he was reunited with his brave son. Although the king was jubilant that his son found him, he was also distressed as it was that time of the year again. The time when six men and six women had to sacrifice themselves to the monstrous Minotaur. A rule so dark, only created by the ruler of Cretan, King Minos. Theseus was determined to go down into the Cretan Labyrinth and kill the Minotaur once and for all. This news spread throughout Athens, so many gods and goddess had something to say about Theseus. Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategies said “Theseus is quite a courageous man, although I do hope he uses some wisdomness strategies before killing the great

Overall, the ancient greeks valued Theseus because of his compassion and wisdom. Theseus showed compassion when Hercules’s burst of insanity, caused by his stepmother, Hera, led him to kill his wife and children and then want to kill himself. Although the public shunned Hercules, Theseus thought that a man could not be charged for murder if he had not known what he was doing, and those who had influenced the man should be charged for the crime as well. So Theseus brought him under his wing and welcomed him inside his house. Theseus, who was just as compassionate as he was wise, demonstrated his wisdom after his father’s death, who was king of Athens. The only place of power he wanted was the position of commander and chief. He also formed a council and a place where people could vote. Thus, establishing the first democracy. As seen in my first example, Theseus showed compassion to Hercules, when no other man

Bravery, the ability to perform accordingly, even when half scared to death is an exceptional trait possessed by humans, which allows us to move ahead in spite of fear and take risks to be successful within our lives. Perseus, son of Olympian King Zeus, is a prestigious hero in Greek mythology, illustrious for severing the head of vicious Gorgon Medusa. Theseus, son of Poseidon and King Aengus, is a prominent hero in Greek mythology, distinguished for the innumerable quests he participated in for the welfare of others to help eradicate notorious, obnoxious monsters. Theseus is extraordinarily courageous, which he proves throughout the multitudinous quests he goes on, while Perseus on the contrary demonstrates inconsequential courage when compared to Theseus. Correspondingly, Theseus justifies he is intelligent as he successfully completes his quests individually,

Theseus’s first encounter with sacrifice is the slaying of the King Horse when he is only seven years old. He is terrified when he sees the King Horse slaughtered before his own eyes. Theseus describes his feelings as he sees the horse killed: “That blood seemed to tear the soul out of my breast, as if my own heart had shed it” (Renault 11). Although his mother assures him that the horse has been returned to Mother Dia, the earth goddess, Theseus still grieves for the horse as he saw it as his own brother. The Horse Sacrifice is an act of renewal for the people of Troizen, for long ago the King Horse led the Hellenes to the land near the

A Black Figure Amphora attributed to the Antimenes painter (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston) of c. 520 B.C. portrays a composite view of mythological scene between the fight of Theseus slaying a Minotaur, an anthropomorphic figure based on a half human, half bull creature that “devoured young Athenians.” According to the description of the work, “the monster lived in a labyrinth which was designed by a clever inventor Daedulus” who is standing on the left side, next to the Minotaur. Another viewer, on the right side, next to Theseus, is the Princess Ariadne “who helped Theseus escape the maze by following a ball of thread.” In reverse to that, the divine hero, Hercules is driving a chariot while holding a spear, facing him is a woman with curly

of Theseus and more specifically the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur in the labyrinth. The

Introduced as “a conqueror…greater” than any other “beneath the sun,” Thesëus, the wise and chivalrous lord Athens, is a merciful and noble duke (Chaucer 24). As a wise and noble leader, Thesëus, with a “heart of pity,” mends the ailments of his people, “ as he [is] a true knight.” (26).