Aegeus: The Father of Theseus and the King of Athens

Aegeus was an Athenian king and an important player in Greek mythology. He is best known as the father of the hero Theseus who defeated the Minotaur.

Aegeus was the King of Athens, and although he had been married twice, neither of his wives had been able to conceive a child. This left Aegeus without an heir and in fear of losing his power. One day, Aegeus decided to consult the Delphic Oracle. Upon consulting the Oracle, he received an odd prophecy:

Do not loosen the bulging mouth of the wineskin until you have reached the height of Athens.

Pittheus Interprets the Prophecy at Troezen

Aegeus, confused by this prophecy, stopped to camp in the territory of Troezen. The king of Troezen, Pittheus, was well known for his wisdom and he interpreted the oracle quickly. Knowing that Aegeus would produce a powerful heir once the “mouth of the wineskin” was loosened, Pittheus got Aegeus drunk and caused him to sleep with his daughter, Aethra.

source

The Sword and the Sandals

When Aegeus awoke the next morning and realized what had happened, he took Aethra to a place with a great boulder where he had hidden a sword and a pair of sandals. He instructed Aethra that if the child was a boy, she should wait until he was of age and bring him to the rock. If he was able to lift the rock and retrieve the sword and sandals, he should be sent to Athens to claim his rights as the heir to the Athenian throne.

The Birth of Theseus

After Aegeus had returned to Athens, Aethra gave birth to Theseus. Although Aegeus had, up to this point, been without an heir, his brother Pallas had fathered fifty sons. The sons of Pallas were intent upon claiming the throne and were poised to challenge any heir that Aegeus might produce.

Out of fear for the safety of all involved, if the sons of Pallas were to discover that Aegeus was the child’s father, Pittheus claimed that the child had been the product of an encounter between his daughter and the sea god Poseidon.

source

Theseus’ Challenges on the Road to Athens

When Theseus was of age, he easily lifted the boulder and retrieved the sword and sandals. He was thus sent to Athens to claim the throne. On the journey, Theseus faced many challenges. He had to kill some highway bandits as well as a son of the god Hephaistos. In addition, he was also forced to wrestle king Cercyon at Eleusis. When Theseus won the match, Eleusis became his land, and it was eventually added to the Athenian empire.

Medea Tries to Poison Theseus

During the time that Theseus was growing up, Aegeus had married Medea who was a witch and the former wife of the Greek hero Jason. Medea wanted her own son, Medus, to become the king of Athens. Therefore, when Theseus arrived in Athens, and she recognized him, she was determined to destroy him. Without revealing his identity to Aegeus, she convinced her husband to allow her to poison Theseus at a banquet. However, at the banquet, Theseus used the sword from his father to cut the meat. Aegeus thus immediately recognized Theseus and threw the poisoned cup from his hand. Aegeus then rejoiced that he had been reunited with his son, and he drove Medea out of Athens for her actions.

Theseus Fights the Minotaur

After his father expelled Medea from Athens, Theseus pushed back the fifty sons of Pallas and was named the successor of the Athenian throne. He eventually took on a number of other heroic tasks as well, one of which was defeating the powerful Minotaur, a bull-headed monster, on the island of Crete.

Because no warrior had ever been successful in an attempt to defeat the Minotaur, Aegeus lamented his son’s choice. Aegeus told Theseus that if he was successful, he must change the sails on his ship from black to white. If Theseus died, however, the sails were to be left black.

Theseus’ Mistake Results in Aegeus’ Death

Theseus defeated the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne, a daughter of King Minos of Crete. However, for reasons that are not entirely clear in the mythology, Theseus failed to change the sails on his ship from black to white. When Aegeus saw Theseus’ ships approaching with black sails, he assumed that his son had died.

Upon seeing the black sails atop Theseus’ ships, Aegeus was so overwhelmed with grief that he committed suicide. Some sources say that he jumped from atop the Acropolis, but others state that he threw himself into the sea. Even today, the Aegean Sea is named for this well-known King of Athens.

Sources
Cotterell, Arthur and Rachel Storm. The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology. Anness Publishing.
Thompson, Martha. “Aegeus.” Encyclopedia Mythica Online
Theseus - Wikipedia