1 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Theseus
2 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Cecrops and Athena
3 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Erechtheus
4 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) The Birth of a Hero
 5 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Theseus Firsts Exploits		   6 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Cleaning the way
  7 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Medea's Plot
  8 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) The Marathonian Bull
   9 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Theseus in Crete
10 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) The Minotaur		 11 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Ariadne and Dionysus
12 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) The Death of Aegeus
13 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Theseus fights the Amazons
14 bghome1.gif (1445 bytes) Theseus Exile & Death

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theseus_title_small.jpg (6488 bytes)

Medea's Plot

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Now the road from Peloponissus to Athens was cleared thanks to Theseus. Theseus was marching on the "Hiera Odos" the road that joined Athens and Eleusis. At a point on this road some builders where constructing a temple for Apollo. The roof of the temple was still on a carriage when Theseus was passing from there. when some of the builders saw Theseus they teased him by calling to him that no girls are allowed to walk alone in that road. Theseus even that he did not look very strong as Hercules was he lifted up the temples roof from the carriage and throw it at the builders. The builders where so scared from the young man's strength that they started running without looking back.

Theseus fame arrived in Athens before he did and everyone was talking about the young hero who cleaned the way to Peloponissus. What the Athenians did not know was that the young man was the son of the king.

When Theseus arrived in Athens, he found the city in chaos, and divided into factions. King Aegeu's household was in an uproar, due to the presence of Medea. Medea had fled from Corinth and come to Aegeus, promising to use her sorcery to produce him a son. This was the same Medea who had helped Jason and the ARGONAUTS harvest a crop of armed warriors and steal the Golden Fleece out from under the nose of the dragon that guarded it. Jason had eventually abandoned Medea, and she had grown understandably bitter.

Theseus did not reveal his identity at first but was hailed as a hero by the Athenians, for he had rid the highway of its terrors. In honor of his exploits, he was invited to the palace for a banquet. Serving as hostess was his father's new wife, Medea. Medea, being a sorcerer, knew who Theseus was and she decided that he was a threat to her own son's prospects (that she had with another man) of ruling Athens after King Aegeus.

Now Medea played on the king's insecurity. Surely the stranger at the banquet was too popular for the good of the throne. With the people behind him, he might well seize it for himself.

- What shall I do? asked Aegeus.

She persuaded jealous and suspicious old Aegeus to give Theseus a cup of poison at the banquet given to welcome this hero to Athens.

At the table a cup of wine with poison was given to the young hero. At that point Theseus casually pulled out his sword  to mince his boar's meat and was about to drink the potion that Medea had prepared  for him when Aegeus recognized the pattern on the sword's hilt. This was his sword, which he had left under a rock for his son to discover.

- No my boy, No, he yelled and dashed the poisoned cup to the ground.
 

After questioning his son, he called an assembly of the Athenians and presented Theseus to them as the heir to the kingdom of Attica. News of the adventures of Theseus along the road to Athens had preceded him, and the people were pleased to have such a man as their prince.

Medea was sent once more into exile far away from Athens in the Asia Minor area.

Pallas and his fifty sons now saw the end of all their hopes, and they openly revolted against Aegeus. One group of them advanced on the palace, and another group hid in an ambush for Theseus. Theseus found the ambushers and killed them all, and when Pallas heard the news, he and the rest of his sons scattered for safety.