LCT22: Theseus II Flashcards
Corynetes
- a bandent
- attacked travelers with his iron club
- Theseus takes club away and beats him to death
Pityocamptes
- would pull down pine tree and make passer biers hold it
- flung to their deaths
Sceiron and his pet turtle
- lived by cliff top
- would make travelers wash his feet
- then kicked them into the sea as food for his giant turtle
The Beds of Procrustes
- house by roadside with two beds
- one short, one long
- tall travelers sawed off to fit short bed
- short travelers stretched to fit long bed
What does Aegeus’ wife convince Aegeus of?
that Theseus wants to seize the throne
What does Aegeus make Theseus do to prove himself?
makes him go kill the Bull of Marathon - running amok since Heracles released it there
- he kills it then shows Aegeus the birth tokens
What happens when Theseus is still a boy? What happens because of that?
Minos’ son killed in Athens - Minos launches a war against Athens
What does Minos do once victorious vs Athens?
imposes yearly “tax” - Athens must send victims to the labyrinth every year
What were Aegeus’ instructions to Theseus?
if returning alive: white sails on ship
if not… black sails
Who falls for Theseus on Crete? What does she do to help Theseus?
Minos’ daughter, Ariadne - offers to help Theseus escape the labyrinth if he will marry her
Who does Ariadne turn to for help? What does he do?
Daedalus - gives her a ball of thread = Theseus ties end to entrance
What happens with Theseus in the Labyrinth?
he is triumphant –> kills Minotaur, rewinds thread and escapes Crete with Ariadne
What happens with Daedalus?
in trouble –> Minos finds out about Minotaur and Daedalus’ role - he is imprisoned in a high tower
Who must escape Crete with Daedalus? How do they do it?
Icarus - his son –> takes wax and a little bit of rope and makes wings to fly away
What happens to Icarus while flying?
flies too high, wax melts and falls into sea
Where does Daedalus land?
Sicily
Where does Theseus decide to stop on his way back to Athens?
Island of Naxos - decides to abandon Ariadne and sails off while she is sleeping
Who rescues Ariadne?
Dionysos - takes her as his lover
What does Theseus forget to do? What does his father do because of it?
raise the white sails - when his father sees the black sails he leaps into the sea to his death
What does Theseus and Pirithous decide? What do they do?
that they are worthy of daughters of Zeus –> go to Sparta to abduct Helen a (very) young daughter to Zeus
How does Pirithous figure out who should be his wife?
angry Zeus because of kidnapping of Helen, sends dream to Pirithous about Persephone (Hades lover in the Underworld)
How does Hades react to Theseus saying they are they to take Persephone?
Invites them to dinner –> when they sit down in their chair, it binds to their flesh
How does Hades torture Theseus and Pirithous?
whipped by Furies and gnawed by Cerberos
Who comes to the Underworld and saves Theseus?
Heracles on his 12th labor - earth shakes when he tries to free Pirithous
