foundation stories Flashcards
1
Q
Theseus’ early life
A
- Theseus’ father placed sandals and a sword under a stone and said that once Theseus was of age if he was worthy to be the son of Aegeus, he would lift the rock and bring the sandals and sword to him
- when Theseus was of age he easily lifted the stone and took the sword and sandals
- there were 2 ways to Athens - boat or land -> boat route was much safer but Theseus went by land
2
Q
Theseus and Periphetes
A
- Periphetes would hide on the side of the road and jump out and beat travellers to death with his club
- Theseus spotted him before ehe could pounce, grappled him and beat him with his own club
3
Q
Theseus and Sinis
A
- Sinis was a robber that would tie his victims to the end of pine trees then release them, tearing them to pieces
- in one version, Theseus let go and flung Sinis to his death
- in the other version, Theseus let go and Sinis was ripped in two
4
Q
Theseus and the Crommyonian sow
A
- in one version Theseus sought out to find it and fought it
- in another version the sow referred to a female thief called ‘sow’
- in both stories he kills them
5
Q
Theseus and Sciron
A
- Sciron was an old man who would sit at the edge of the path and ask people to wash his feet
- when they bent over he would kick them into the sea and they would be eaten by a giant turtle
- Theseus caught the old man by the feet and threw him in the sea
6
Q
Theseus and Cercyon
A
- Cercyon was the king of Eleusis
- as a show of strength, Cercyon would challenge passers-by to a wrestling match
- whoever won would be king of Eleusis
- Theseus defeated him by skill rather than strength
7
Q
Theseus and Procrustes
A
- Procrustes would invite visitors to stay a night on a ‘magical’ bed that would fit anyone
- if they were too small he would use his mallet to stretch them out
- if they were too tall he would use his axe to chop off their head and feet
- Theseus persuaded Procrustes to lay on the bed to test it + when he did Theseus quickly chopped off his head
8
Q
Theseus and the Minotaur
A
- Theseus got on the boat to Crete to try and slay the minotaur
- his father told him to sail with a white flag if he succeeded not a black flag
- when he arrived, he refused to bow to Ariadne and she got the guards to take him away but slipped a key into his pocket
- that night she gave him string to drag with him so he could find his way out again and a sword to slay the minotaur
- he found the beast and stabbed it
9
Q
why was Theseus so important to Athens?
A
- he was the king of Athens and he bought a high number of reforms on Attica
- Attica was made up of lots of warring towns, they lacked unity which made it weak
- Theseus promised democracy to these towns - this ensured their allegiance to Athens
- democracy bought the opportunity for the voting body to elect their own leader
- Theseus would become commander in times of war and encourage laws to be kept - in every other way they were equal
- Theseus, to encourage religious unity, started the Panathenaic games so all Athenian’s could represent their tribe
10
Q
greatness of Theseus’ deeds
A
nobody forced him to do his labours
11
Q
greatness of Romulus’ deeds
A
became brave through fear of slavery and threatened punishment. his fear of extreme suffering meant he came to accomplish things out of sheer necessity
12
Q
Theseus’ leadership
A
- lead to saving people
- result of easiness and goodwill
13
Q
Romulus’ leadership
A
- led to tyranny
- the result of selfishness and severity
14
Q
reason for Theseus’ misfortune
A
hasty temper and irritation, anger for his son but no good reason, resulted in an unfortunate result
15
Q
reason for Romulus’ misfortune
A
hasty temper and irritation for Remus but had love and jealousy, resulted in curses from an old man
