[the-seus, son of ?-geus, king of athens, offered to form one of the yearly tribute of seven young men and seven maidens, who were sent to crete to be thrown as an offering to the minotaur, a monster which fed on human flesh. theseus and bis companions are standing before minos, king of crete.]
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theseus stood before minos1, and they looked each other in the face. and minos bade take them to prison, and cast them to the monster one by one, that the death of androgeos2 might be avenged. then theseus cried-"a boon, o minos! let me be thrown first to the beast. for i came hither for that very purpose, of my own will, and not by lot.""who art thou, then, brave youth?"1minos: king of crete (in greek mythology), a great law- giver.
2androgeos: son of minos, supposed to have been killed by aegeus when on a visit to athens.
"i am the son of him whom of all men thou hatest most, aegeus the king of athens, and i come here to end this matter."and minos pondered awhile, looking stead- fastly at him, and he thought, "the lad means to atone by his own death for his father"s sin"; and he answered at last mildly-"go back in peace, my son. it is a pity that one so brave should die."but theseus said, "i have sworn that i will not go back till i have seen the monster face to face."and at that minos frowned, and said, "then thou shalt see him; take the madman away."and they led theseus away into the prison, with the other youths and maids.
but ariadne, minos" daughter, saw him, as she came out of her white stone hall; and she loved him for his courage and his majesty, and said, "shame that such a youth should die !" and by night she went down to the prison, and told him all her heart; and said-"flee down to your ship at once, for i have bribed the guards before the door. flee, you and all your friends, and go back in peace to greece; and take me, take me with you! for i dare not- stay after you are gone; for my father will kill me miserably, if he knows what i have done."and theseus stood silent awhile; for he was astonished andconfounded by her beauty: but at last he said, "i cannot go homein peace, till i have seen and slain this minotaur, and avenged the death of the youths and maidens, and put an end to the terrors of my land.""and will you kill the minotaur? how,then?""i know not, nor do i care: but he must be strong if he be toostrong for me."then she loved him all the more, and said, "but when you havekilled him, how will you find your way out of the labyrinth1?""i know not, neither do i care: but it must be a strange road, if i do not find it out before i have eaten up the monster"s carcase."then she loved him all the more, and said-"fair youth, you are too bold; but i can help you, weak as i am. i will give you a sword, and with that perhaps you may slay the beast; and a clue of thread, and by that, perhaps, you may find your way out again. only promise me that if you escape safe you will take me home with you to greece; for my father will surely kill me, if he knows what i have done."then theseus laughed, and said, "am i not safe enough now?" and he hid the sword in his bosom, and rolled up the clue in his hand ; and then he swore to ariadne, and fell down before her, and kissed her hands and her feet ; and she wept over him a long while, and then went away; and theseus lay down and slept sweetly.
and when the evening came, the guards came in and led him away to the labyrinth.
1 labyrinth: a famous edifice or excavation with numerous winding passages from which it was very hard to find one"s way out.
and he went down into that doleful gulf, through winding paths among the rocks, under caverns, and arches, and galleries, and over heaps of fallen stone. and he turned on the left hand, and on the right hand, and went up and down, till his head was dizzy; but all the while he held his clue. for when he went in he had fastened it to a stone, and left it to unroll out of his hand as he went on; and it lasted him till he met the minotaur, in a narrow chasm between black cliffs.
and when he saw him he stopped awhile, for he had never seen so strange a beast. his body was a man"s: but his head was the head of a bull; and his teeth were the teeth of a lion, and with them he tore his prey. and when he saw theseus he roared, and put his head down, and rushed right at him.
but theseus stept aside nimbly, and as he passed by, cut him in the knee ; and ere he could turn in the narrow path, he followed him, and stabbed him again and again from behind, till the monster fled bellowing wildly; for he never before had felt a wound. and theseus followed him at full speed, holding the clue of thread in his left hand.
then on, through cavern after cavern, under dark ribs of sounding stone, and up rough glens and torrent-beds, among the sun less roots of ida1, and to the edge of the eternal snow, went they, the hunter and the hunted, while the hills bellowed to the monster"s bellow.
1 ida: chief mountain in crete.
theseus slaying the minotaur
and at last theseus came up with him, where he lay panting on a slab among the snow, and caught him by the horns, and forced his head back, and drove the keen sword through his throat.
then he turned, and went back limping and weary, feeling his way down by the clue of thread till he came to the mouth of that doleful place; and saw waiting for him, whom but ariadne?
and he whispered, "it is done!" and showed her the sword;and she laid her finger on her lips, and led him to the prison, andopened the doors, and set all the prisoners free, while the guards lay sleeping heavily; for she had silenced them with wine.
then they fled to their ship together, and leaped on board, and hoisted up the sail; and the night lay dark around them, so that they passed through minos" ships, and escaped all safe to naxos; and there ariadne became theseus" wife.
-charles kingsley
