In long Ionian clothes, shining with beauty, Theseus walked through the streets of Athens; lush curls fell over his shoulders. The young hero in his long robe looked more like a girl than a hero who had accomplished so many great deeds. Theseus had to pass by the temple of Apollo under construction, on which workers were already erecting a roof. The workers saw the hero, mistook him for a girl and began to mock him. Laughing, the workers shouted:
“Look, there’s a girl wandering around the city alone, unaccompanied!” Look how she let her hair down for show, and with her long clothes she sweeps up the street dust.
Angered by the ridicule of the workers, Theseus ran to the oxcart, unharnessed the oxen, grabbed the cart and threw it so high that it flew over the heads of the workers standing on the roof of the temple. The workers who mocked Theseus were horrified when they saw that this was not a girl, but a young hero possessing terrible power. They expected the hero to take cruel revenge on them for their ridicule, but Theseus calmly continued on his way.
Finally, Theseus came to the palace of Aegeus. He did not immediately reveal to the elderly father who he was, but said that he was a stranger seeking protection. Aegeus did not recognize his son, but the sorceress Medea recognized him. She, having fled from Corinth to Athens, became the wife of Aegeus. The cunning Medea, having promised Aegeus to restore his youth through witchcraft, ruled in the house of the king of Athens, and Aegeus himself obeyed her in everything. The power-hungry Medea immediately understood the danger she would face if Aegeus found out who the beautiful stranger he had received in his palace was. In order not to lose power, Medea decided to destroy the hero. She persuaded Aegeus to poison Theseus, assuring the old king that the young man was a spy sent by his enemies. Decrepit, weak Aegeus, afraid that someone would deprive him of power, agreed to this atrocity.
During the feast, Medea placed a cup of poisoned wine in front of Theseus. Just at that moment Theseus took out his sword for some reason. Aegeus immediately recognized the sword that he himself had placed under the rock near Troisena sixteen years ago. He looked at Theseus's feet and saw his sandals on them. Now he understood who this stranger was. Having knocked over the cup of poisoned wine, Aegeus hugged Theseus, his son. Medea was expelled from Athens and fled with her son Medon to Media.
Aegeus solemnly announced to the entire Athenian people the arrival of his son and spoke about his great exploits accomplished during the journey from Troisena to Athens. The Athenians rejoiced along with Aegeus and greeted their future king with loud shouts.
The rumor that the son of Aegeus had come to Athens also reached the sons of Pallant, brother of Aegeus. With the arrival of Theseus, their hope of ruling in Athens after the death of Aegeus collapsed - after all, he now had a legitimate heir. The harsh pallantides did not want to lose power in Athens. They decided to take over Athens by force. Led by their father, all fifteen Pallantides moved against Athens. Knowing the mighty power of Theseus, they came up with the following trick: part of the Pallantides openly approached the walls of Athens, while others had already taken refuge in ambush in order to unexpectedly attack Aegeus. But the messenger of the Pallantides, Leos, revealed their plan to Theseus. The young hero quickly decided how he should act; he attacked the Pallantides hiding in ambush and killed them all; Neither strength nor courage saved them. When the Pallantides, who stood under the walls of Athens, learned of the death of their brothers, they were overcome by such fear that they fled shamefully. Now Aegeus could reign calmly in Athens under the protection of his son.
Theseus did not remain inactive in Athens. He decided to free Attica from the wild bull that was devastating the area around Marathon. This bull was brought, by order of Eurystheus, from Crete to Mycenae by Hercules and released there into the wild. The bull fled to Attica and has since been a great evil for all farmers. Theseus set out fearlessly for this new feat. In Marathon he met an old woman, Hekala. She received the hero as a guest and advised him to make a sacrifice to Zeus the Savior before his new feat, so that Zeus would protect him during a dangerous battle with a monstrous bull. Theseus listened to Hekala's advice. Soon Theseus found the bull: the bull rushed at the hero, but he grabbed him by the horns. The bull rushed, but could not escape from Theseus’ mighty hands. Theseus bent the bull's head to the ground, tied it up, tamed it and led it to Athens. On the way back, Theseus did not find old Hekala alive; she has already died. Theseus honored the deceased with great honors for the advice and hospitality that Hekala had shown him so recently. Having brought the bull to Athens, Theseus sacrificed it to the god Apollo.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru