LP0008 - Theseus - Diodorus Siculus' Library of History -

Legendary Passages#0008 - Theseus - Diodorus Siculus' Library of History -

Last time we heard about the origins of Theseus, and how he set off on his journey to meet his father in Athens. This time we shall hear of his journeys from Diocorus Siculus, albeit in abbreviated form.

First, he came upon the club-wielding bandit Corynetes. Theseus killed him and kept the club.

Second was Sinis, the pine-bender. This bandit fastened victims' arms to bent over pines, and then released the trees like catapults.

Third he killed the fearsome Crommyonian Sow, a giant man eating boar.

Fourth was Scieron, who kicked hapless travelers off a sea-side cliff, onto the jagged rocks below.

Fifth was Cercyon in Eleusis, who challenged travelers with a wrestling match, to the death.

Sixth was the ordeal of the Procrustean Bed. The short were stretched to fit a tall bed, and the tall were maimed to fit a short one.

Finally, Theseus reaches Athens, shows his father the sword and sandals, and is recognized as prince and heir. After dealing with the Marathon Bull, the same bull from Heracles' seventh labor, the passage moves on to the myths of Crete.

Princess Europa was abducted by Zeus in the form of a bull. She married Asterius, King of Crete, and gave birth to Minos and his brothers. Minos wed Pasiphae, and had many children, including Androgeus and Ariadne.

Androgeus was friends with the sons of Pallas, rivals of Theseus' father Aegeus. When Androgeus was murdered, Minos held Aegeus responsible. After war and famine, Minos demanded seven boys and seven girls as tribute, every nine years.

The time of tribute had come again, and Theseus volunteered. If he killed the Minotaur and escaped, he should change the sail from black to white.

Ariadne, daughter of Minos, helped him traverse the Labyrinth and kill the Minotaur. But on the isle of Naxos, the god Dionysus took her to wife instead.

Theseus, mourning his lost love, forgot to change the sails. His father Aegeus thought he had died, and jumped to his death.

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Theseus,
a Legendary Passage,
from Diodorus Siculus' Library of History,
translated by C. H. Oldfather.

[4.59.1] - [4.61.7]

THE BIRTH OF THESEUS

But since we have set forth the facts concerning Heracles and his descendants, it will be appropriate in this connexion to speak of Theseus, since he emulated the Labours of Heracles.

Theseus, then, was born of Aethra, the daughter of Pittheus, and Poseidon, and was reared in Troezen at the home of Pittheus, his mother’s father, and after he had found and taken up the tokens which, as the myths relate, had been placed by Aegeus beneath a certain rock, he came to Athens. And taking the road along the coast, as men say, since he emulated the high achievements of Heracles, he set out performing Labours which would bring him both approbation and fame.

THESEUS AND THE ROAD TO ATHENS

The first, then, whom he slew was he who was called Corynetes, who carried a korynê, as it was called, or club which was the weapon with which he fought, and with it killed any who passed by, and the second was Sinis who made his home on the Isthmus.

Sinis, it should be explained, use to bend over two pines, fasten one arm to each of them, and then suddenly release the pines, the result being that the bodies were pulled asunder by the force of the pines and the unfortunate victims met a death of great vengeance.

For his third deed he slew the wild sow which had its haunts about Crommyon, a beast which excelled in both ferocity and size and was killing many human beings.

Then he punished Sceiron who made his home in the rocks of Megaris which are called after him the Sceironian Rocks. This man, namely, made it his practice to compel those who passed by to wash his feet at a precipitous place, and then, suddenly giving them a kick, he would roll them down the crags into the sea at a place called Chelonê (Turtle).

And near Eleusis he slew Cercyon, who wrestled with those who passed by and killed whomever he could defeat.

After this he put to death Procrustes, as he was called, who dwelt in what was known as Corydallus in Attica; this man compelled the travelers who passed by to lie down upon a bed, and if any were too long for the bed he cut of the parts of their body which protruded, while in the case of such as were too shot for it, he stretched (prokrouein) their legs, this being the reason why he was given the name Procrustes.

After successfully accomplishing the deeds which we have mentioned, Theseus came to Athens and by means of the tokens caused Aegeus to recognize him.

Then he grappled with the Marathonian bull which Heracles in the performance of one of his Labours had brought from Crete to the Peloponnesus, and mastering the animal he brought it to Athens; this bull Aegeus received from him and sacrificed to Apollo.

It remains for us now to speak of the Minotaur which was slain by Theseus, in order that we may complete our account of the deeds of Theseus. But we must revert to earlier times and set forth the facts which are interwoven with this performance, in order that the whole narrative may be clear.

ZEUS AND EUROPA

Tectamus, the son of Dorus, the son of Hellen, the son of Deucalion, sailed to Crete with Aeolians and Pelasgians and became king of the island, and marrying the daughter of Cretheus he begat Asterius.

And during the time when he was king in Crete, Zeus, as they say, carried Europê from Phoenicia, and carrying her across to Crete upon the back of a bull, he lay with her and begat three sons, Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Sarpedon.

MINOS AND ANDROGEUS

After this Asterius, the king of Crete, took Europê to wife; and since he was without children by her he adopted the sons of Zeus and left them at his death to succeed to the kingdom. As for these children, Rhadamanthys gave the Cretans their laws, and Minos, succeeding to the throne and marrying Itonê, the daughter of Lyctius, begat Lycastus, who in turn succeeded to the supreme power and marrying Idê, the daughter of Corybas, begat the second Minos, who, as some writers record, was the son of Zeus. This Minos was the first Greek to create a powerful naval force and to become master of the sea.

And marrying Pasiphaê, the daughter of Helius and Cretê, he begat Deucalion and Catreus and Androgeos and Ariadnê and had other, natural, children more in number than these.

As for the sons of Minos, Androgeos came to Athens at the time of the Panathenaic festival, while Aegeus was king, and defeating all the contestants in the games he became a close friend of the sons of Pallas.

Thereupon Aegeus, viewing with suspicion the friendship which Androgeos had formed, since he feared that Minos might lend his aid to the sons of Pallas and take from him the supreme power, plotted against the life of Androgeos.

Consequently, when the latter was on his way to Thebes in order to attend a festival there, Aegeus caused him to be treacherously slain by certain natives of the region in the neighbourhood of Oenoê in Attica.

Minos, when he learned of the fate which had befallen his son, came to Athens and demanded satisfaction for the murder of Androgeos. And when no one paid any attention to him, he declared war against the Athenians and uttered imprecations to Zeus, calling down drought and famine throughout the state of the Athenians.

And when drought quickly prevailed about Attica and Greece and the crops were destroyed, the heads of the communities gathered together and inquired of the god what steps they could take to rid themselves of their present evils. The god made answer to them that they should go to Aeacus, the son of Zeus and Aeginê, the daughter of Asopus, and ask him to offer up prayers on their behalf.

And when they had done as they had been commanded, Aeacus finished offering the prayers and thereupon, among the rest of the Greeks, the drought was broken, but among the Athenians alone it continued; wherefore the Athenians were compelled to make inquiry of the god how they might be rid of their present evils. Thereupon the god made answer that they could do so if they would render to Minos such satisfaction for the murder of Androgeos as he might demand.

The Athenians obeyed the order of the god, and Minos commanded them that they should give seven youths and as many maidens every nine years to the Minotaur for him to devour, for as long a time as the monster should live. And when the Athenians gave them, the inhabitants of Attica were ride of their evils and Minos ceased warring on Athens.

At the expiration of nine years Minos came again to Attica accompanied by a great fleet and demanded and received the fourteen young people.

THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR

Now Theseus was one of those who were to set forth, and Aegeus made the agreement with the captain of the vessel that, if Theseus should overcome the Minotaur, they should sail back with their sails white, but if he died, they should be black, just as they had been accustomed to do on the previous occasion.

When they had landed in Crete, Ariadnê, the daughter of Minos, became enamoured of Theseus, who was unusually handsome, and Theseus, after conversing with her and securing her assistance, both slew the Minotaur and got safely away, since he had learned from her the way out of the labyrinth.

In making his way back to his native land he carried off Ariadnê and sailed out unobserved during the night, after which he put in at the island which at that time was called Dia, but is now called Naxos.

At this same time, the myths relate, Dionysus showed himself on the island, and because of the beauty of Ariadnê, he took the maiden away from Theseus and kept her as his lawful wife, loving her exceedingly. Indeed, after her death he considered her worthy of immortal honours because of the affection he had for her, and placed among the stars of heaven the “Crown of Ariadnê.”

But Theseus, they say, being vexed exceedingly because the maiden had been taken from him, and forgetting because of his grief the command of Aegeus, came to port in Attica with the black sails.

And Aegeus, we are told, witnessing the return of the sip and thinking that his son was dead, performed an act which was at the same time heroic and a calamity; for he ascended the acropolis and then, because he was disgusted with life by reason of his excessive grief, cast himself down the height.

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