Theseus sucks, actually - Greek Mythology Explained

Summary

This video script recounts the mythological adventures of Theseus, a hero of Athens. It details his early triumphs, including defeating bandits and the Minotaur, and his tragic love affairs with Ariadne and Phaedra. The narrative also covers Theseus' battles, his abduction of Helen, and his eventual downfall, including being pushed off a cliff on the island of Skyros. The story is a blend of heroism, tragedy, and the complex nature of Greek mythology.

Takeaways

• 🗡️ Theseus began his heroic career by clearing the Isthmus of the Saic Gulf of six notorious criminals.
• 🏺 He then killed the Minotaur in Crete with the help of Ariadne, who he promised to marry in return.
• 🌊 On the island of Naxos, Theseus abandoned Ariadne, leading to her either committing suicide or being taken by Dionysus to become his wife.
• 🚢 Forgetting to raise white sails upon his return to Athens, Theseus inadvertently caused his father Aegeus to commit suicide by jumping into the sea.
• ⚔️ Theseus defeated his 50 cousins, the Pallantides, who had plotted to kill him and take the throne of Athens.
• 🏰 As king, Theseus accompanied Heracles on an adventure and kidnapped the Amazonian princess Antiope, who later bore him a son, Hippolytus.
• 🔥 Theseus's marriage to Phaedra ended tragically when she falsely accused Hippolytus of rape, leading to Hippolytus's death and Theseus's banishment of him.
• 🐃 Theseus and Pirithous attempted to abduct Persephone from the Underworld, resulting in their imprisonment until Heracles rescued Theseus.
• 🏹 The death of Hippolytus was a result of a curse from Poseidon, set in motion by Aphrodite as revenge for Hippolytus's scorn of her.
• ⛰️ Theseus met his end on the island of Skyros, where he was betrayed and pushed off a cliff by King Lycomedes.

Q & A

What was Theseus' first heroic act on his journey to Athens?

Theseus' first heroic act was to rid the land of the six most notorious criminals while traveling along the Bandit-infested Saronic Gulf.

How did Theseus free Athens from the subjugation of King Minos?

Theseus slew the Minotaur on the island of Crete, thus freeing Athens from King Minos' subjugation.

What happened to Ariadne after Theseus abandoned her on the island of Naxos?

There are differing accounts of Ariadne's fate. One version has her abandoned by Theseus, leading to her either committing suicide or being taken by Dionysus to become his wife. Another version suggests Dionysus forced Theseus to leave her in a dream, and yet another has her dying in childbirth after Theseus' ship was blown off course by a storm.

What was the consequence of Theseus forgetting to raise white sails on his return to Athens?

Theseus' father, Aegeus, seeing no white sails, believed his son had died and cast himself into the ocean.

How did Theseus become king of Athens after Aegeus' death?

With Aegeus dead, Theseus was the most eligible to inherit the throne of Athens, but he had to defeat his 50 cousins, the Pallantides, who plotted to kill him. Theseus ambushed them, killing them all and securing the throne.

What was the outcome of Theseus' adventure with Heracles into the land of the Amazons?

Theseus kidnapped the Amazonian princess Antiope to make her his queen, and they had a son named Hippolytus.

Why did Theseus' marriage to Phaedra end tragically?

Phaedra fell madly in love with Hippolytus due to Aphrodite's curse, which led to her confessing her unnatural desires and then falsely accusing Hippolytus of assaulting her, resulting in her suicide and Hippolytus' banishment.

How did Theseus and Pirithous plan to claim daughters of Zeus as their wives?

Theseus and Pirithous agreed to help each other claim daughters of Zeus as wives. They went to Sparta where Theseus abducted Helen and then attempted to kidnap Persephone from Hades, which led to their entrapment in the underworld.

What was the final fate of Theseus after his return from the underworld?

Theseus was pushed off a cliff by Lycomedes, the king of the island of Skyros, who feared Theseus or had pledged loyalty to Menestheus, the new king of Athens.

Why did Theseus' reputation as a hero decline towards the end of his life?

Theseus' reputation declined due to a series of unfortunate events and questionable actions, including the abandonment of Ariadne, the death of his father Aegeus, the tragic end of his marriages, the accidental death of Hippolytus, and his eventual violent death on Skyros.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 The Heroic Journeys and Tragedies of Theseus

Theseus, a legendary hero of Greek mythology, embarked on a valiant quest to meet his father in Athens. Along the perilous journey through the Saic Gulf, he vanquished six notorious criminals, earning him fame. In Crete, he slew the Minotaur with the aid of Ariadne, who he promised to marry. However, their relationship took a tragic turn on the island of Naxos, with Theseus either abandoning Ariadne or being forced to leave by Dionysus, leading to her becoming Dionysus' wife and eventually an immortal goddess. Theseus' life was marked by further misfortunes, including the death of his father Aegeus due to a signal miscommunication and a series of tumultuous relationships and battles, showcasing his complex character as both a hero and a flawed individual.

05:01

🛡️ Theseus' Adventures and Downfall

Theseus continued his adventures, including an expedition with Heracles into the land of the Amazons, where he kidnapped Antiope to be his queen. Their union produced a son, Hippolytus, but ended tragically when Theseus was tricked into killing Antiope. He later married Phaedra, but their relationship was destroyed by Aphrodite's curse, causing Phaedra to fall in love with Hippolytus. The ensuing scandal led to Hippolytus' banishment and death, and Theseus was left heartbroken. His life took a dark turn when he was betrayed, leading to his exile and eventual death on the island of Skyros, where he was pushed off a cliff by King Lycomedes. Theseus' story is a cautionary tale of heroism, hubris, and the tragic consequences of the gods' interventions in mortal affairs.

Keywords

💡Theus

Theus, also known as Theseus, is a legendary hero and king of Athens in Greek mythology. In the video, his story is central to the narrative, detailing his heroic deeds, personal relationships, and tragic flaws. Theus is portrayed as a complex character with both valorous and questionable actions, such as slaying the Minotaur and abandoning Ariadne, which are key elements in the script.

💡Ariadne

Ariadne is a figure from Greek mythology, the daughter of King Minos of Crete. In the video, she is depicted as a key character in Theus' story, aiding him in his quest to slay the Minotaur. The narrative describes her abandonment by Theus on the island of Naxos, which leads to her becoming the wife of Dionysus or meeting a tragic end, depending on the version of the story.

💡Minotaur

The Minotaur is a mythical creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull, featured in the labyrinth of King Minos. In the script, Theus' slaying of the Minotaur is a pivotal event that signifies his heroic status, freeing Athens from the subjugation of King Minos and marking a significant achievement in his career as a hero.

💡Dionysus

Dionysus, also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology, is the god of wine, festivities, and madness. In the video, he is mentioned in relation to Ariadne, either as the god who falls in love with her after Theus abandons her or as a deity who sweeps her away to become his wife, depending on the account. This element adds a layer of divine intervention to the narrative.

💡Pirithous

Pirithous is a figure in Greek mythology and a close friend of Theus. The video script mentions their adventures together, including an attempt to abduct Persephone from the underworld, which results in their being trapped by Hades. Pirithous' story illustrates the theme of friendship and the consequences of overreaching ambition in the mythological tales.

💡Amazons

The Amazons are a race of warrior women in Greek mythology. The script refers to Theus' abduction of the Amazonian princess Antiope, which leads to their marriage and the birth of their son Hippolytus. This segment of the video underscores themes of conquest, power dynamics, and the integration of different cultures through marriage.

💡Hippolytus

Hippolytus is the son of Theus and Antiope, mentioned in the video as a devotee of Artemis who scorns Aphrodite. His story is a tragic one, as Aphrodite causes his stepmother Phaedra to fall in love with him, leading to a series of misunderstandings and his ultimate death. Hippolytus' tale is a cautionary example of divine retribution and the perils of scorning the gods.

💡Phaedra

Phaedra is a character in the script who is married to Theus after his relationship with Antiope ends. Her story is a tragic one, as she falls in love with Hippolytus due to Aphrodite's curse, leading to a series of events that result in Hippolytus' death and her own suicide. Phaedra's narrative highlights the destructive power of unrequited love and divine manipulation.

💡Pelasgians

The Pelasgians are mentioned in the video as the people who Theus encounters when he returns to Athens after his adventures. They are an ancient group of people in Greek mythology, and their mention in the script serves to illustrate the political and social changes that occur in Theus' absence, contributing to the theme of the hero's struggle to maintain relevance in a changing world.

💡Skyros

Skyros is an island where Theus ends up after being deposed as king of Athens. In the video, the island is portrayed as the final destination of Theus' tragic decline, where he meets his end at the hands of Lycomedes, the king of the island. The mention of Skyros in the script serves as a poignant reminder of the fallibility of even the greatest heroes.

Highlights

Theseus' heroic journey begins with proving his valor by traveling through the Bandit-infested Saronic Gulf.

He rids the land of six notorious criminals during his journey to Athens.

In Crete, Theseus slays the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne, freeing Athens from King Minos' subjugation.

Ariadne is either abandoned by Theseus or taken away by Dionysus, leading to her eventual deification.

Some accounts absolve Theseus of abandoning Ariadne, suggesting divine intervention instead.

Theseus forgets to raise white sails, leading to his father Aegeus' tragic suicide.

Theseus becomes king of Athens after his father's death.

He defeats his 50 cousins, the Pallantides, in a battle to secure his throne.

Theseus accompanies Heracles on a quest into the land of the Amazons.

He kidnaps Antiope, an Amazonian princess, to make her his queen.

Antiope's acceptance of her new life and the birth of their son, Hippolytus.

Theseus' marriage to Phaedra and the subsequent conflict with Hippolytus.

Aphrodite's curse leads Phaedra to fall in love with Hippolytus, causing a tragic series of events.

Hippolytus' death after being falsely accused by Phaedra.

Theseus and Pirithous attempt to kidnap Persephone, resulting in their imprisonment in the underworld.

Heracles rescues Theseus from the underworld but leaves Pirithous behind as punishment for his hubris.

Theseus' fall from grace after the rescue of Helen by her brothers and the subsequent usurpation of his throne.

The tragic end of Theseus on the island of Skyros, where he is betrayed and killed.

Transcripts

so thesia career as a hero had a pretty

good start when he first set out to meet

his father in Athens he chose to prove

his Valor by traveling along the Bandit

infested saic Gulf and during this

journey he rid the land of its six most

notorious criminals he then of course

went to cre where he slew the minitar

freeing Athens from the subjugation of

King Minos he accomplished this with the

help of ariadne having sworn to make her

his wife in return then they sailed out

to the island of naos and this is where

things take a sharp turn though there

are differing accounts of what exactly

happened the most common version of

events has Theus abandoning aryadne in

her sleep then upon waking she either

committed not alive on herself or the

god dionis fell in love with her and

swept her away to make her his wife

ariadne had several children with

dionisis and eventually she was made

Immortal and worshiped as a goddess on

naos it should be noted that some

accounts absolve Theus of wrongdoing

Dior presents a version where dionisis

actually visits him in a dream and

forces him to leave the island without

her and Plutarch provides an obscure and

very tragic account where Theus ship

ended up at naos after being blown off

course by a storm Ari Adney was pregnant

and extremely seasick so she went onto

the island but then the storm picked up

again and pushed thesia ship back out to

sea the women of naos cared for Ari

Adney in her grief and attempted to

comfort her by forging letters from the

Theus but the poor girl fell sick and

passed away before her child was born

eventually Theus returned to the island

and was heartbroken to find his fiance

dead and he gave the people of naos

money to form a cult in her honor the

next big mishap in Theus life was

forgetting to raise white sails on his

return to Athens in order to Signal his

victory against the minitar this caused

his father Aus to cast himself into the

ocean this blender would have been a

little forgivable if we were to assume

that Theus was grief stricken over

ariadne but if that wasn't the case then

the only takeaway is that he's an idiot

with Aus dead Theus was now the most

eligible to inherit the Throne of Athens

much to the dismay of his 50 cousins the

palen tides they hatched a scheme to

kill Theus planning to separate into two

groups one meant to bait Theus out of

the city and the other waiting in Ambush

on his path to meet them but the herald

of the pal ties a man named Leos

betrayed them by divulging their whole

plot to Theus and he ambushed the

ambushers killing them all and sending

the other group running home after

becoming king of Athens Theus eventually

took back up his adventuring Hobby and

accompanied Heracles on his quest into

the land of the Amazon wait when exactly

is this supposed to be taking place uh

has media tried to kill you yet yeah so

this is after you were with the

Argonauts was I with the Argonauts yeah

you wait no you're supposed to be

trapped in Hades then and that hasn't

even happened I'm going to be where hey

guys let's not worry about the timeline

it's just going to get more confusing

the more you try and untangle it yeah

you're right fair enough anyway Theus

kidnapped the Amazonian princess antiy

to make her his queen and the two of

them had a son named hpus and apparently

antip decided you know what I'm actually

pretty happy here there are worse guys

to get kidnapped by and forced to Bear

children with however this marriage

wouldn't last after the death of King

Minos his son dualon took over CIT and

dualon sought to end his people's

hostilities with Athens so he betrothed

his sister fedra to Theus after being

dumped for the princess antip

decided to crash Theus and fed's wedding

with her Amazonian galp Pals and Theus

was forced to slay her in battle and I

thought my ex-wife was a pain to deal

with Theus and fedra then had two sons

but unfortunately this marriage wouldn't

last long either the downfall of their

relationship is told in detail by the

Greek playwright Ides fedis stepson hpus

was a devotee of Artemis and he scorned

the goddess aphrod for lack of interest

in all things carnal this pissed

Aphrodite off so to get him in trouble

she made fedra fall madly in love with

holus and the Queen's distress over her

unnatural desires caused her to fall ill

after being implored by her concerned

nurse fedra confessed her Secret in

confidence the nurse then went to hpus

and confessed ped's feelings on her

behalf and hpus fell into a disgusted

rage didn't you read my Twitter bio what

part of Arrow Ace do you not understand

Oh I thought that was just cuz you're

really into archery with her shame

exposed fedra promptly unived herself

and left a note for her husband falsely

accusing hpus of assaulting her Theus

then banished his son and prayed to the

god Poseidon to avenge fedra on his

behalf and as holus was leaving on his

Chariot a monstrous bull emerged from

the sea sending the horses into a panic

and causing him to get tangled in the

rains and dragged behind them after

hearing the news of this incident Theus

was visited by Artemis who revealed

fed's deception why didn't you tell me

this before I told Poseidon to kill my

innocent son because Dux machas are

cheap you're already a literal Dux

Machina and thesias visited his dying

son to beg his forgiveness and share a

tearful goodbye and I thought my dead

wife was a

by this time word of Theus heroism had

spread far and wide and perthus King of

the lapiths decided to put his

reputation to the test he stole Theus

cattle and when he came to confront him

the two kings were in awe of each

other's strength and masculine Beauty

and agreed to become besties for Life

Theus then attended ptha wedding where

perthus cousins the centaurs were also

invited however being unaccustomed to

Wine the horsemen got after absolutely

sosed and attempted to abduct all the

women in sight and Theus and perthus

took up their weapons to fight may I

join the fry fellow dudes at Arms oh

canas congratulations on your transition

you look great man and wow your voice is

so deep now thanks guys the magic HRT

Poseidon gave me did wonders it also

made my skin completely impenetrable

which is a nice plus ow ow ow ow ow ow

ow well sh and after a long battle Theus

and pus stood Victorious is this just

how weddings are supposed to go like

this is a weird thing to experience

twice right Theus andthus then agreed

that being themselves descendants of

gods they would help each other claim

Daughters of Zeus for wives first they

went to Sparta where Theus abducted

Helen but since she was only 12 years

old he left her in Athens to wait for

her to come of age purus chose a much

more ambitious conquest and went with

Theus into Hades hey there Hades we just

thought we'd come pay you a visit and

not kidnap your wife

panie well how nice of you to come by

why don't you two pop a squat on those

totally normal chairs right there don't

mind if we do huh ah damn it we've been

beguiled I knew this was going to happen

we should have listened to orus you

Hooligans have a lot of nerve the only

one who gets to kidnap my wife is me a

that's sweet honey and so Theus and

perthus remain trapped in the the

underworld until Heracles came by on his

quest to retrieve Cerberus and he broke

thes free from his chair however when he

attempted to free perthus the Earth

Shook and it was decided that his

intention to abduct a goddess was too

great a sin to be forgiven and pus would

remain trapped in Hades forever I'll

never forget the time we shared

kidnapping girls swear to me you'll

commit twice as many horrendous crimes

for my sake I will brother I will

however when Theus returned home he

discovered that Helen's brothers casor

and poock had come and rescued her and

installed mesus his first cousin twice

removed as the new king of Athens and I

thought my 12-year-old bride was okay

I'm not going to make that joke that

one's too far anyway Theus fled to the

island of skyros but like Ames the king

of the island was afraid of Theus for

his past Deeds or possibly he had

already pledged loyalty to mesus Theus

demanded a portion of Land Based on some

ancestral claim that I'm too lazy to try

and Trace back like amedes brought him

up to a tall Peak on the pretense of

surveying his new estate and pushed him

off a cliff and that was the end of

Theus everyone's favorite heroic monster

Slayer SL serial widower slch child

abductor yeah he went downhill really

fast no pun intended

[Music]