Talk:Theseus
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[edit] Clarification Request
"Theseus subsequently built a deme in her honor."
- What is meant by "deme" isn't clear. Can someone clarify this, or perhaps edit the linked article to clarify the meaning? --Kerowyn 08:22, 19 September 2005 (UTC)
I doubt the correctness of the Greek spelling, with υ rather than ο as the second-to-last letter. Where did it come from? -- Mike Hardy
- Probably from Shakespeare. In A Midsummer Night's Dream Theseus is spelled with the "u." This might be the first widely distributed instance of the name in English. Just my own theory thoug. --Kerowyn 08:22, 19 September 2005 (UTC)
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http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Theseus.html has the previous spelling (with the υ). I too am confused, but this is consistent with the English spelling (υ is typically transliterated to 'u', whereas ο is typically transliterated to 'o'. cf. αυτο -> "auto", etc. So if the Greek had an ο, one would expect the English spelling to be "Theseos," which it is not.). Changing back until we get some contradictory sources saying otherwise. Delirium 00:43 Jan 8, 2003 (UTC)
You're mistaken about one thing: Most masculine Greek names ending with "omicron sigma" get transliterated so that they end with "us", because they got Latinized before they got transliterated. But a bit of web searching now makes me think upsilon was right. -- Mike Hardy
Wait .... I should have said they got Latinized when they got transliterated. The Romans transliterated them and adapted them to their own language by putting "-VS" where "-ΟΣ" had appeared in Greek. Then we inherited the Latin spellings. -- Mike Hardy
The first sentence of this article says Theseus was king of Athens. It seems to me that could be historical, or legendary, or mythological, or some mixture of those three. Could that be clarified in the first sentence? Michael Hardy 18:58 14 Jul 2003 (UTC)
- I believe mythological/legendary, but probably based on a historical figure. In some quick googling I wasn't able to discern whether there's good evidence for his being historical or not, so can't say for sure. Any classicists around here? --Delirium 01:22 15 Jul 2003 (UTC)
[edit] Theseus and Amazons
Theseus defeated Amazons (really, an Hittite invasion) at Areopagus, in Athens, in second half of 2nd millennium BC. This event was of respective rank of Persian invasion of Dates (490 BC). This event did his name deathless. Later, he was reputed to be an hero (or sometimes, an hemigod).
--IonnKorr 20:57, 5 December 2005 (UTC)
That is complete original research, as well as unsupported nonsense. Hittite invasion theories are considered fringe, not mainstream, and theseus' historicity is generally regarded as extremely unlikely. --Victim of signature fascism 18:54, 10 December 2005 (UTC)
[edit] The Ball of Twine
I was under the impression (probably from Graves' _The Greek Myths_) that the ball of twine that Ariadne gave Theseus was actually to help him find the Minotaur's lair, and not to find his way out. That was the secret of the lair -- that the ball would continue to roll downhill. Does anyone else remember reading this? My copy of Graves is in another city right now :P. Chaleur 20:43, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
- In The Greek Myths, section 98 Graves does give the impression that the ball is rolling of itself; his sources are Plutarch, Life of Theseus and Pseudo-Apollodorus, Epitome of the Bibliotheke, which has this text: "Following his instructions, she gave Theseus a ball of thread as he entered. He fastened this to the door and let it trail behind him as he went in. He came across the Minotauros in the furthest section of the labyrinth, killed him with jabs of his fist, and then made his way out again by pulling himself along the thread." In all the myths it is the winding and unwinding of the thread that is mentioned. What would be downhill one way is not the other.--Wetman 21:09, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
