Theseus

"Come forward. Let us finally see who is the greatest warrior in all of Greece." - Theseus Template:Infobox gods

Greek Mythology

Theseus was one of the most famous heroes and founder-king of Athens. He was the son of both the god Poseidon and a mortal man Aegus (his mother laid with both on her wedding night), the dual patronage of which still bestowed godliness unto him. (However, he may only be the son of one of them, most likely Poseidon). Although not his only one, his most famous exploit was killing the Minotaur, son of King Minos of Crete's wife and a sacred bull. Earlier, Theseus' father had sent one of King Minos of Crete's sons to his death and in return, the Cretans had defeated the Athenians in war. The Athenians then had to pay tribute; a nine-yearly sacrifice of seven young men and seven young girls to be sent to Crete to be eaten by the Minotaur. Theseus travelled on one of the ships to Crete, and with the help of Ariadne, Minos' daughter, he bested the Labyrinth and defeated the Minotaur. This myth might have referred to a change in Athenian constitution when the historical Minoan Empire came to an end.

Theseus had a bad history with women. After helping Ariadne escape with him to Athens, he abandoned her en route on the island of Naxos. As he was the son of Poseidon, and his best friend Peirithous was the son of Zeus, they decided that each should marry daughters of Zeus. Theseus decided on Helen (of Troy, but currently Helen of Sparta and only a child) and Peirithous on Persephone. They managed to kidnap Helen, but lost her to the Spartans while trapped in the Underworld by Hades for attempting to kidnap Persephone. Heracles eventually saved Theseus, but had to leave Peirithous. Later, while visiting the Amazons, Theseus claimed their queen, Hippolyta, to be his wife. This sparked a war between Athens and the Amazons. They did marry and have children though, but Theseus then remarried again, only to have his second wife, Phaedra, fall in love with his son from his marriage with Hippolyta.

In God of War II

In God of War II, Theseus served the Sisters of Fate as the 'Horse Keeper' and kept the key to the altars on the backs of the Steeds of Time. When Kratos arrived the Steeds and met their guardian, he proposed for Theseus to hand over the key, in exchange for his life. Theseus however, challenged Kratos to a duel to the death, in order to prove who was the greatest warrior in all of Greece.

After an extended one-on-one battle, Theseus climbed a doorway above Kratos, out of the Spartan's reach, forcing him to shoot him arrows from a distance with Typhon's Bane. However, the horse keeper started firing projectiles, and summoning Minotaurs, to kill Kratos.

At the end, Theseus slipped off the roof, allowing Kratos to latch his blade into him, and pull him down. Kratos then used Theseus' own spear against him by punching him in midair and impaling him to the door. Taking the key from him, he then used it to open the door Theseus was guarding. When the wounded Theseus attempted to stop Kratos, Kratos repeatedly smashed his head in between the door, before kicking him through, and into the newly opened room, thus killing him. Upon Theseus' death, Kratos obtained the Horse Keeper's Key.

Powers and Abilities

"I doubt you're capable of killing me, let alone the king of Olympus!" - Theseus

Theseus had numerous powers and special abilities. Gifted with Super Strength, Resistance and Durability, he also carried a large double-bladed spear along with him. He was able to infuse it with power, so that the spear could then become more damaging.

He also had the power to summon icy spikes (which may be a form of water control), and pairs of Erebus Minotaurs, to aid him in battle. While upon the doorway above Kratos, he could also use his spear to shoot projectiles in his direction.

Trivia

• It is interesting that Theseus is the "Horse Keeper", since, as son of Poseidon, god of horses, and founder hero of Athens, a city with strong ties to both Poseidon and Athena, and he therefore does have strong connotations with horses in myth.
• His ability to summon Minotaurs, is regarded as an ironic twist on the legend of Theseus.
• In Titan Mode, the ice spikes he creates will instantly kill Kratos if they hit him.
• During Bonus Play, using the L1-Circle attack of Typhoon's Bane on Theseus just as he strikes Kratos with one of his attacks will cause the game to freeze, making a restart necessary.
• If Kratos knocks Theseus off the roof when there are any Minotaurs left, the creatures will dissapear.

Related Pages

• Demigod
• Horse Keeper's Key

Gallery

• Theseus' spear

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Video

thumb|left|200px|Kratos vs. Theseus