Aegeus
In
Greek mythology,
Aegeus, also
Aigeus,
Aegeas or
Aigeas, was the father of
Theseus and an
Athenian King. He was the son of
Pandion II and a brother of
Pallas,
Nisos, and
Lykos.
Upon the death of Pandion, Aegeus and his brothers took control of
Athens from
Metion, who had seized the throne from Pandion. They divided the government in four but Aegeas became king. His first wife was
Meta and the second was
Chalciope.
Still without a male heir, Aegeus asked the
Oracle at
Delphi for advice. Her cryptic words were "Do not loosen the bulging mouth of the wineskin until you have reached the height of Athens, lest you die of grief."
Aegeus (king of Athens) went to
Troezena and met with
Aethra, daughter of Troezena's king
Pittheus. Pittheus understood the prophecy and introduced Aegeas to his daughter, Aethra, when he was drunk. They had sex and then, in some versions, Aethra waded out to the sea to
Sphairia and had sex with
Poseidon. When she fell pregnant, Aegeus decided to go back to Athens. Before leaving, he covered his sandals, shield and sword under a huge rock and told her that when their son grew up, he should move the rock and bring the weapons back. Upon his return to Athens, Aegeus married
Medea who had fled from
Corinth and the wrath of
Jason. Aegeus and Medea had one son together named
Medus.
In Troezen, Theseus grew up and became a brave young man. He managed to move the rock and took his father's arms. His mother then told him the truth about who his father was and how he should take the weapons back to him. Theseus decided to go to Athens and had the choice of going by sea, which was the safe way or by land, following a dangerous path with thieves and bandits all the way. Young, brave and ambitious, Theseus decided to go to Athens by land.
When Theseus arrived, he did not reveal his true identity. He was welcomed by Aegeas, who was suspicious about the stranger who came to Athens. Medea tried to have Aegeas kill Theseus by asking him to capture the
Marathonian Bull, but Theseus succeeded. She tried to poison him but at the last second, Aegeas recognized the sandals, shield and sword and knocked the wine glass out of Theseus' hand. Father and son were reunited.
While visiting in Athens, King
Minos' son,
Androgeus, managed to defeat Aegeus in every contest during a feast. Out of jealousy, Aegeus killed him. Minos was angry and declared war on Athens. He offered the Athenians peace, however, under the condition that Athens would send seven young men and seven young women every year to
Crete to be fed to the
Minotaur, a vicious monster. This continued until Theseus killed the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne, Minos' daughter.
Aegeus had told Theseus, before he left, to put up the white sails when he left Crete, if he had been successful in killing the Minotaur. Theseus forgot (deliberately, according to some accounts) and Aegeus jumped into the sea when he saw the black sails coming into Athens, in the mistaken belief that his son had been slain, thus fulfilling the prophecy. Henceforth, this sea was known as the
Aegean Sea.
See also:
Apollodorus.
Bibliotheke;
Catullus, LXIV;
Plutarch.
Theseus.
