A hero in Greek Mythology was regarded as one who would manifest substantial amounts of fortitude in situations of great adversity. Furthermore, Theseus was regarded as a hero. Unlike many heroes who possessed the traditional heroic qualities of strength and courage, Theseus additionally possessed the qualities of wisdom and knowledge which he exemplified when being faced with his father’s challenge to lift a sizable stone. While Theseus was considered a founding hero of Athens, he was a great reformer of Athens as well, making him one of the most highly regarded kings and heroes of Greek Mythology.
Theseus was born of Princess Aethra and Athenian King Aegeus, although he was raised by Aethra and his grandfather King Pittheus of Troezen. The birth story of Theseus begins with his father, King Aegeus, stopping at Troezen and encountering an oracle. The oracle had forewarned Aegeus not to father a child on
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Theseus then decided to attempt to kill the minotaur that was sent as a punishment to Athens. This undertaking of Theseus’s brought forth another treacherous act to undertake. The people in Athens did not know that Theseus had planned to conquer the minotaur, rather they thought he was sacrificing himself. While Theseus was attempting to infiltrate the Minotaur’s labyrinth he was kidnapped and entrapped within the labyrinth. Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, fell in love with Theseus when she first saw him. Ariadne told Theseus that she would free him from the labyrinth as long as he promised to take her back to Athens and marry her once he escaped. She gave Theseus a ball of thread to attach to the knob of the door so that when he carried it with him he could always retrace his steps. When he finally stumbled upon the minotaur, it was fast asleep. He then pinned it to the ground and beat the minotaur to death. He was then able to escape the