tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post6782053623488497005..comments2024-02-14T13:04:30.499-05:00Comments on Good To Begin Well, Better To End Well: The Theseus PropagandaAmalia Dillinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-59201746220144389382013-02-02T11:19:04.409-05:002013-02-02T11:19:04.409-05:00Menestheus was indeed king during the Trojan War -...Menestheus was indeed king during the Trojan War -- after he was made king by Pollux and Castor, when they swept in to steal back Helen, whom Theseus had stolen, while he was down in the underworld with Pirithous. Of course you can make an argument that the whole Theseus-stealing-Helen to begin with was the Athenians forcing themselves and their hero into a story where he actually played no part Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-30195355905034541302013-02-02T07:58:59.659-05:002013-02-02T07:58:59.659-05:00I suggest the Theseus-democracy thing is the usual...I suggest the Theseus-democracy thing is the usual interpolation by later generations. Plutarch was just pulling stuff from known legends. Watch any historical movie out of Hollywood and you'll see much worse.<br /><br />Theseus was at least one generation before Troy. The Iliad states point blank that a guy called Menestheus was king of Athens during the Trojan War. This in turn all Gary Corbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14759372069119740227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-41323924792275368172013-02-01T10:01:31.745-05:002013-02-01T10:01:31.745-05:00Theseus is definitely one of my favorites, too. He...Theseus is definitely one of my favorites, too. He's a lot more interesting all around, and I never really cared that much for Heracles outside of Kevin Sorbo ;) But I also really like Pirithous!<br /><br />I have no problem with crediting LATER Athens with the idea of democracy -- I just think it is silly to say that it was Theseus who started it, still, today, when he was very much a Amalia Dillinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005039978668326144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5458380.post-1141062356924476262013-02-01T08:50:53.270-05:002013-02-01T08:50:53.270-05:00Well, by our current standards, there never was an...Well, by our current standards, there never was any real democracy in Greece. But we still have to credit them with getting the idea started. <br /><br />It's no secret that the Athenians thought they were smarter and better than everyone else. Obviously they needed a hero that was smarter and better than all the other heroes. I can't blame them. Personally, I've always preferred Sarah McCabehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10985261436020635823noreply@blogger.com