Theseus' 6 Labours

Question 1

What were the six laborers of Theseus?

Answer 1

1. Periphetes - bludgeons people as they pass.
2. Sinis - “pine bender.”
3. Phaea’s Crommyonian Sow - dangerous female pig.
4. Sciron’s foot washing
5. Cercyon - wrestler
6. Procrustes - no no no no no no no no no no no no

Question 2

What was the first labour of Theseus?

Answer 2

Periphetes, son of Hephaestus
- Bludgeons people as they walk past.
- Theseus bludgeons him to death.

Question 3

What was the second labour of Theseus? Describe both versions.

Answer 3

Sinis / “pine-bender,” son of Poseidon.
- Included the use of bent pine trees to kill people who had passed by.
- Theseus kills him using the bent pine trees.

TWO VERSIONS:
1. Sinus would stop people on the road and ask for help pulling the tip of a pine train down to the surface of the Earth. Once this was accomplished, Sinus would let go and the person helping would be flung by the tree.
2. Sinus already had two trees tied down. He would capture someone, place them in between the trees, and cut the rope that was tying down the trees.

Question 4

What was the third labour Thesesus?

Answer 4

Phaea’s Crommyonian Sow - big dangerous female pig.
- This is teams and captures the beast, thus liberating the countryside from its terror.

Question 5

What was the 4th labour of Theseus?

Answer 5

Sciron’s Foot Washing - while at the edge of a cliff, Sciron would ask passersby to wash his feet.
- As his feet were being washed, he would kick the person off the cliff.
- If the fall and the rocks at the bottom of the fall didn’t kill the person, there was a turtle located at the bottom of the cliff that would eat them.

Question 6

What was the fifth labour of Theseus?

Answer 6

Cercyon - wrestler.
- Theseus wrestles and “crushes” Cercyon, killing him.

Question 7

What was the 6th labour of Theseus? nonononononononononononononononono ew ew ew grimace grimace grimace

Answer 7

Procrustes’ bed - Procrustes was obsessed with symmetry. nononono
- Procrustes would house people and choose which of two beds the person would sleep in. He had a big and a little bed.
- If you were tall, he would make you sleep in his small bed. You were short/petite, he would make you sleep in his big bed.
- While you were sleeping, if you were in his small bed… He would chop off the body parts that were hanging over the borders of the bed. If you were in his big bed, he would stretch you out with a rack so you fit the borders of the bed.
- Theseus kills Procrustes in the same way that Procrustes had killed his guests.