THESEXJM. 222 THESMOPHORIAZUS^. eled to serve as a church. A few years ago it was a museum, and it still serves as a storeroom ior unimjjortant antiques. Of the sixty-eight metopes ouly eighteen are sculptured, namely, the ten across the eastern end, representing labors of Hercules, and the four adjoining me- topes on each side, representing deeds of Theseus. Across the ends of the cella an Ionic frieze re- places the Doric, and at the eastern end is prolonged beyond the walls of the cella to the beams of the peristjde. The shorter west frieze contains the contest of the Centaurs and the Lapithae, while the east frieze represents a battle in the presence of six seated gods, but no sure interpretation of its meaning has been reached. The sculptures which originally adorned the pediments have disappeared. Bibliography. The literature is very exten- sive, but the following are among the more im- portant or accessible works: Stuart and Revett, Antiquities of Athens, vol. iii. (London, 1762- 1816) ; Wachsmuth, Die titadt Athen im Alter- tum (Leipzig, 1874-90) ; Graef and Baunieister, s. V. "Theseion," in Bauraeister's Denknuiler der Idiissischen Altertiimsicissenschaft (Munich and Leipzig, 1880) ; Harrison and Verrall, Mythology and Montinients of Attcient Athens (London, 1890) ; Frazer. Pausanias, vol. ii (ib., 1808) : B. Sauer, Dus sogenaiinte Theseion mid sein plas- tischer Schmuck (Leipzig, 1899) ; Reinhardt. Ge- setzniassiqkeit der griechischen Baukunst, vol. i. (Stuttgart. 1903). THESEUS, the'se-us or the'sus(Lat., from Gk. Oria-evs I . The national hero of the Athenians, and, next to Hercules, the most famous character of Greek legend. His story owes its prominence largely to the influence of Athens in Greek art and literature, for in the epic Theseus has but small place. A doubtful verse in the Iliad asso- ciates him, not with Athens, but with the Thes- salian Lapithse and their conllict with the Cen- taurs, and he appears in the late passage of the Odyssey which describes the visit of Odysseus to the low'cr world. The early art knows only the slaying of the Minotaur, and seems to have bor- rowed the type from Mycemean tradition. Though a thoroughly satisfactory analysis of the Theseus legend is still lacking, it seems probable that it was closely connected with the Mara- thonian tetrapolis, then crossed to Trrezen, whence it returned to Athens. Its first great development occurred under the Pisistratidse, when Theseus was recognized as the uniter of Attica, and the type of the gentle and just ruler, beloved of his people, a sort of mythical pre- decessor of Pisistratus. Soon after the Persian wars the democracy transformed him into its real founder, who protected the injured from other States and forced Creon and Eurystheus to observe justice and humanity. At this time (B.C. 473) his reputed bones were brought from Scyros to Athens with great pomp by Cimon, and an heroon, the Theseum (q.v.). was erected. In 'origin, Theseus is probably best considered as a beneficent deity, a local parallel to Hercules, who slays monsters and gives peace and security to his worshipers, but, like other nature-divinities, de- scends into the lower world, and is subject to the powers of death. Legend made Theseus the son of J^^thra, daughter of Pittheus. King of Troezen. His father was commonly said to be ^geus. King of Athens, though early legend recognized the paternity of Poseidon. (The two versions are really the same, .-Egeus being originally a name of the sea-god.) He was brought up at Tra'zen, and, on reaching manhood, proceeded to his father's residence at Athens. On his way thither across the isthmus he destroyed robbers and monsters who rendered the route unsafe for travelers, such as Periphetes, Sinis, the Crommyonian sow, Sciron, Cereyon, and Pro- crustes. (See Pkocrustes.) On his arrival in Athens he found the sorceress Medea living as his father's wife, and only escaped her attempt to poison him through .^igeus's timely recogni- tion of his own sword and sandals, which he had left in TrtBzen for his son. Medea fled and Theseus overcame Pallas and his sons, who at- tempted to secure the royal power. He also bound the JIarathonian bull, which was ravag- ing the Tetrapolis. Then came the expedition to Crete to deliver Athens from its tribute to the Minotaur (q.v.) of seven youths and seven maidens. On this voyage he proved his descent from Poseidon by Ijringing back the ring of Minos from the depths of the sea, and by the help of Ariadne (q.v.) killed the Minotaur. On his way back he founded a festival of Apollo at Delofe, to which the Athenians ever after sent an annual embassy. As his father. .95geus, had destroyed himself in the belief that his son had perished in Crete, The- seus now became King of Athens, and consolidated into one State the twelve independent communi- ties of Attica, in celeliratinn of which event was instituted the festival of the Panathenfea. That the festival conunemorated such an event is prob- able, but this does not prove the liistoricul per- sonality of Theseus. Legend also told of his friendship for the Lapith King Pirithoiis, at whose wedding he fought the Centaurs (see L.piTH.E), with whose aid he carried ofl" Helen to Aphidna, and with whom he finally descended to the lower world that his friend might carry off Persephone as his bride. Pirithoiis never re- turned, and Theseus remained in captivity till Hercules, on his quest for Cerberus, prevailed on Hades to release him. Athenian legend also told of the great invasion of the Amazons in his reign, of the straits to which they reduced the Athenians, and of their final rout by the hero, who secured as wife their queen, Antiope or Hippolyta, by whom he had a son, Hippolytus. Later he married Phfcdra (q.v.). daughter of Minos and sister of Ariadne. It was said that during his absence in the lower world Jlenes- theus, with the help of Castor and Pollux, who had come to rescue Helen, made himself King, and that Theseus, unable to reestablish his au- thority, went to Scyros, where he was murdered by Lycomedes. Much in the character of The- seus as it appears in legend seems due to Athenian desii-e to represent their national hero as the embodiment in heroic times of the virtues on which they prided themselves in historic times, and which the great heroes of the national epic often conspicuously lacked. THES'MOPHO'RIA. See Greek Festivals. THES'M:OPHOR'IAZTT'S.ffi (Lat., from Gk. eeo-jno^optdfouo-ot, Thesmophoriazonsai, women celebrating the Thesmophoria) . A comedy by Aristophanes (about B.C. 410). It is aimed against Euripides for his innovations and his dislike for women, on account of which he is
