Theseus
Theseus EuropeLegendary Greek hero. The Athenians ascribed to this prince numerous exploits that were the beginning of democracy. He deposed tyrants, freed his fellow citizens from terror, and ended onerous tribute to foreign powers. Most famous was the slaying of the Minotaur, a bull-headed man fed by the Cretans on seven maidens and seven youths exacted annually from Athens. In this adventure he was assisted by Ariadne, a Cretan princess, who supplied him with the skein of thread that permitted him to escape from Daedalus' labyrinth after he had killed the Minotaur. In this myth perhaps we have a garbled version of far older tales of the sacred bullfight dating from the pre-Greek era of Cretan history.
Other feats of Theseus were the defeat of the Amazons and the capture of their queen, Antiope; his successful alliance with King Pirithous of Thessaly against the Centaurs, aggressive horse-men; and his daring descent to the underworld with Pirithous...
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