Theseus, king of Athens, was the son of Aegeus and Etra.Etra was the daughter of Betheus, King of Trozens, whose paternal ancestors were the aged King Erichtunios and the Athenians who were said to have grown out of the ground; her mother's ancestors were the Peloponnesian Pelops, the mightiest of kings.Pelops' son Bethes founded the city of Trozen.Once, he personally received King Aegeus, who had ruled Athens 20 years before Jason set out to seek the Golden Fleece. Aegeus had no sons, so Aegeus was very afraid of his brother Pallas, who had 50 sons and was hostile to him. He wanted to hide his wife and remarry quietly, hoping to have a son to comfort him in his old age and inherit his throne.He confides his thoughts to his friend Pitheus.Fortunately, Bitteus just got an oracle that his daughter would not have a public marriage, but would bear a son of honour.So Pitheus decided to secretly marry his daughter Aethra to Aegeus, even though Aegeus already had a wife.Aegeus married Ethra and returned to Athens after spending a few days at Trozen.He bid farewell to his newlywed wife by the sea. When he said goodbye, he put a sword and a pair of trip shoes under a boulder by the sea, and said: "If God only blesses us and gives you a son, please quietly Bring him up, and let no one know who his father is. When the boy is old and strong enough to lift this rock, bring him here. Let him take out the sword and the tripod. shoes, tell them to come to Athens to find me!"

Etra gave birth to a son and named them Theseus.Theseus grew up under the care of his grandfather Pitheus.The mother never said who the child's biological father was.Pitheus said to the outside world that he was the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea.The Trozens regarded Poseidon as the protector of the city and respected him very much.They sacrificed the fresh fruits they picked every year to Poseidon.The trident in Poseidon's hand is the symbol of Trozen.So it was not at all disgraceful for a king's daughter to bear a son to a revered god. The child gradually grew up, not only strong and handsome, but also calm, quick-witted, and courageous.One day, mother Etra took her son to a rock by the sea, confided to him his true life experience, and asked him to take out the sword and slipper that could prove his identity to his father Aegeus, and then take them to Athens go.

Theseus hugged the boulder and easily rolled it aside.He put on his sword and put his shoes on his feet.Although his mother and grandfather repeatedly asked him to take the sea route, he was unwilling to take the boat.At that time, the overland road from the Isthmus of Corinth to Athens was full of robbers and villains blocking the way.A few robbers had been slain by Hercules, but when he was a slave to Omphale, queen of Lydia, violence in Greece was rampant again, because no one could stop them.The journey from the Peloponnese to Athens was fraught with danger.Grandfather Pitheus described these bandits and villains to Theseus one by one, especially emphasizing that they were very cruel to foreigners.But Theseus was determined to follow the example of Hercules.When Theseus was only five years old, Hercules came to visit his grandfather.Theseus also had the honor to dine at the same table as the great hero.While eating, Hercules took off the lion's skin and put it aside.The other children were frightened and ran away when they saw the lion's skin, but Theseus was not at all afraid.He went out, took the ax from one of the servants, and flung himself boldly at the lion's hide.He thought it was a real lion in front of him!Since meeting Hercules this time, he has been admiring the hero and thinking about how to build up his exploits like him in the future.Also, Hercules and Theseus were related.Their mothers were cousins, so how could Theseus, at the age of sixteen, watch his cousin do his best and avoid the struggle himself?

"People regard me as the son of the sea god. If I cross the sea safely, if there is no battle dust on my keepsake shoes, and no blood on the sword, what will my real father say?" These words of Theseus were impassioned, and my grandfather was very happy to hear them, because he was also a brave and capable hero in the past.After hearing what her son said, the mother hurriedly blessed her son.Theseus packed his luggage and embarked on the journey bravely.