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Theseus and Pirithous: Part 2
Piritous wanted to go to Hades, and bring back Persephone, the beautiful queen of the dead and Goddess of spring!
Theseus was indebted to his friend and had to oblige him by joining his quest. After searching caves for some time, they found an entrance to Hades, and were met by the God of the dead himself. Pirithous tried to convince Hades that Persephone would be much happier with him, and the God thought over his arguments
At last Hades pretended to agree with Pirithous and asked that they join him in a farewell toast to Persephone. Theseus and Pirithous were seated on a bench, and Hades went to fetch the wine. Shortly, the two heroes discovered that they were stuck to a magical bench, and could not pry themselves free.
There they remained, until Theseus' cousin Heracles came to Hades on one of his labors. Heracles pulled Theseus free, but part of Theseus' thighs were left behind. And that is why the ancient Greeks said that Athenians had slim thighs. Heracles would not pull Pirithous free, as it was foolish to risk upsetting the gods, and there he remains to this day.
Theseus became unpopular in Athens late in life and was exhiled. He found his way to the island of Scyrus and was hurled off a cliff by Lycodemes. But no one likes to talk about that. Actually, no one seems to know why either of those two events occurred. Even if the people of Athens had banished Theseus , they honoured him like no other mortal. They built a great tomb for him and said that it would be a sanctuary for slaves and all people who are helpless, in memory of one who through his life had been the protector of the defenseless.
As a great hero, Theseus went to the Elysian fields. A section of Hades where the great heros all went.
Lets meet some of them now, shall we?
