Theseus (Labyrinth)
heroAthenian prince who entered the Cretan Labyrinth, killed the Minotaur with Ariadne's help, then abandoned her on Naxos.
The Myth
He killed the monster — then abandoned the woman who saved him on a deserted island. Athens owed Crete a tribute of seven youths and seven maidens to feed the Minotaur. Theseus volunteered as one of the seven. Ariadne, daughter of Minos, fell in love with him and gave him a ball of thread to navigate the Labyrinth. Theseus killed the Minotaur (with his fists or a sword), followed the thread back out, and fled Crete with Ariadne. He then left her sleeping on Naxos. Dionysus found and married her. Returning to Athens, Theseus forgot to change his black sails to white — the signal of survival. His father Aegeus, watching from the cliffs, saw the black sails and threw himself into the sea. The Aegean Sea bears his name.
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English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
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Theseus
heroThe hero who navigated the Labyrinth, slew the Minotaur, and became the legendary king of Athens....
Theseus (Athenian)
heroTheseus was the great hero of Athens who slew the Minotaur, united Attica, and established Athenian...
Aegeus
heroKing of Athens and father of Theseus who threw himself into the sea when he saw black sails,...
Ariadne (Thread)
heroCretan princess who saved Theseus with a ball of thread, was abandoned on Naxos, and became the...
Ariadne
heroDaughter of King Minos who fell in love with Theseus and gave him the thread that allowed him to...
Minos
heroMinos was the legendary king of Crete who ruled the first great maritime empire, commissioned the...
Hippolytus
heroHippolytus was the chaste son of Theseus who rejected Aphrodite and was destroyed when his...
Cretan Bull
creatureThe magnificent bull sent by Poseidon to Minos that became the father of the Minotaur, later...
Dionysus
godGod of wine, ritual madness, and theatrical performance. Dionysus was the only Olympian born of a...
Labyrinth
placeAn impossibly complex maze built beneath the palace of Knossos on Crete by the master craftsman...
Labyrinth (Concept)
conceptThe Labyrinth was the maze built by Daedalus beneath Knossos to contain the Minotaur — its name...
Labyrinth of Knossos
placeThe legendary maze built by Daedalus to contain the Minotaur, possibly inspired by the elaborate...