The birth of a Hero (Aegeus and Aethra)

After the death of Erechtheus, his son who's name was also Cecrops became king of Athens. Cecrops grandson, Aegeus, was the father of our hero Theseus.

Aegeus had been married twice before, but he did not had any son out of these marriages, so no heir to his throne. One day he decides to visit the oracle of Delphi to ask from Pythia the priestess what must he do to have a crown prince. Pythia told him that he must refrain from all intercourse with women outside of Athens and to go and visit the palace of Troezen where king was Pittheus..  But the words of the oracle were ambiguous.

- And what would I do in the palace of Pittheus, asked Aegeus who did not understand the oracle of the priestess.

- You will stay there and you will have your crown prince, answered Pythia.

Aegeus left Delphi and went straight to Troezen to consult Pittheus for an interpretation, a man with a reputation for wisdom.

King Pittheus was very hospitable to the king of Athens. And when Aegeus told him about the oracle, Pittheus understood the meaning of the priestess statement and deceived Aegeus.

The king made him drunk and caused him to lie with his beautiful daughter Aethra. But in the same night god Poseidon (Neptune) also loved her.

Afterwards, Aegeus, in case the girl might be pregnant,
put a sword and a pair of shoes under a large rock and
told Aethra that if she gave birth to a son who could lift
that rock, the sword and the shoes would be for him. 
Once this son had taken possession of the sword and the
shoes, Aethra was to send him to his father in
Athens.  Aegeus commanded Aethra to keep all of
this a secret from everyone.           

The reason for the secrecy was that Aegeus was afraid that the fifty sons of Pallas (his nephews) might find out about Aethra's child.  They were always mutinying against Aegeu's  authority and would kill anyone, such as an heir, that might stand between them and supreme power in Athens after Aegeu's death.

Aethra gave birth to a fine boy (circa 1300 B.C.), who was named Theseus.  Pittheus claimed that his daughter's child was the son of Neptune, and he raised and taught the boy in his own house at Troezen. 

One day, when Theseus was still a boy, Hercules was visiting the palace. Hercules was wearing the lion's skin that he had killed in Kitheron and when Theseus friends saw that the thought that it was a real lion and run away. Only Theseus was unafraid and stood there with a club in his hand ready to face the beast.

- Well done, said Hercules laughing. One day you will become as strong as I am.

Theseus grew up to be a very strong man, with unusual courage and intelligence.
Theseus was sixteen when the right time came, and Aethra took Theseus to his father's rock to be put to the test.

- Can you lift this rock? said Aethra.

Theseus easily lifted the rock and saw the sword and the shoes that Aegeus had left there for him.

- Those are gifts to you from your father who is ruler of a mighty kingdom. And told him who his true father was.  This was news to Theseus, who had been under the impression that his father was one of the gods.

- Go to Athens my son and show them to the king and he will make you a successor to his throne.

At that time, many bandits infested the road from the Peloponnesus to Athens. That age produced men who had strength, speed, and stamina, but used these gifts of nature badly. Insolent and cruel, they enjoyed and took pride in committing all sorts of outrages on anyone and anything that came under their power. They believed that the strong had no reason to respect others, and that justice and humanity were only wishful thinking on the part of those who were too squeamish or too feeble to cause pain.

Hercules, while he had been travelling in the world, had killed many of these evil men. Those who were afraid to fight Hercules kept out of sight, and eventually the territory of Greece was so peaceful and well-tamed that Hercules ran out of robbers and murderers to hunt there, and went to Lydia. But once Hercules was gone from Greece, crime broke out again because there was no one that dared to resist the criminals.

Pittheus told his grandson about all of the robbers and murderers who waited on the road, but Theseus thought it would be disgraceful to take the easy and safe way to Athens, instead of boldly meeting bad men. The example of his cousin Hercules had fired up his courage. Also, Theseus was ashamed to bring his father's sword back without baptizing it in evil blood, showing by his own noble deeds the noble blood that was in him. Disregarding all the arguments of his mother and grandfather, Theseus set out, like Hercules, intending to do no injury to anyone, but resolved to defend himself and to punish any aggressors he might meet.