Plutarch's Lives

Theseus

His grandfather, Pittheus, founded Troezen, a little state. Pittheus was very well respected for his eloquence and wisdom. Aegeus had a child with Pittheus' daughter, Aethra, and left behind a sword and sandals hidden under a great stone. He told Aethra that if a son was born, when he became a man and could lift the stone, he should take the sword and sandals from beneath it and go on a secret journey to find Aegeus.

Aegeus then fled, fearing his life was in danger if he stayed in Troezen. Theseus was born. Aethra hid his true parentage during his childhood. Rumors circulated that his father was Poseidon, Troezen's favorite god.

When Theseus grew up, his mother told him his true parentage and bade him take the tokens from under the stone, which he easily lifted, and go sail to Athens. He chose not to sail, which would have been way easier, and instead went by land, where the whole way was infested with robbers and bandits. Inspired by tales of Herakles and his courage, he went by land and cleared the sea and land of the brigands who infested them.

First he killed a man with a club in Epidaurus and became known as the club-bearer. He took a liking to the club. Then he killed a licentious woman in Krommyon. Then he flung a robber off a cliff into the sea in Megara. Then he wrestled and killed another in Arcadia, punishing evildoers with the same cruelties they had practiced on others.

Finally he made it to Aegeus, who didn't recognize him at first and was about to poison him until Theseus drew his sword, which had once belonged to his father. Then Aegeus embraced him and announced to the city that he was his son.

He was given the kingdom, which annoyed the citizens, but Theseus won them over by doing cool shit, like killing bulls and then sacrificing himself to Minos.

Background: Athens had to give a tribute to Crete every nine years because the oracle told them that if they propitiated Minos, king of Crete, who had gone to war after his son died and brought evil to the country, the anger of Heaven would cease. The land was not bearing fruit at the time. So they gave seven youths and seven maidens to Minos every nine years until the Minotaur was slain.

Usually lots were drawn for the unfortunate to be picked, but Theseus volunteered in an act of patriotism, honestly kind of like Katniss Everdeen. He and the others were sailed to Crete. Ariadne fell in love with him and gave him the clue of the string. He slew the Minotaur and sailed away with Ariadne and the youths. Ariadne either died on the way back to Troezen or was abandoned, depending on the telling.

He said he'd raise a white sail on his way back to Attica if he was returning safely, and a black sail if he had perished. He forgot to raise the sail and his father, Aegeus, flung himself down the cliffs in despair and died.

The thirty-oared ship which Theseus sailed back from Minos with the youths was kept by the Athenians. They constantly removed decayed timbers and renewed them with sound wood. Some argued it remained the same ship, others argued it did not.

After his father's death, he was king, and he gathered all the inhabitants of Attica and made them citizens of one city. He visited all the villages and tribes and won their consent. He promised that the new constitution should not include a king, but should be a pure commonwealth, with himself merely acting as general of its army and guardian of its laws, while in other respects it would allow perfect freedom and equality to everyone.

He destroyed the prytaneia, the senate house, and the magistracy of each individual township and built one common one on the site of the present acropolis and called the city Athens. He also instituted games there. In emulation of Herakles, who ordained the Greeks should celebrate the Olympic Games in honor of Zeus, Theseus appointed that they should celebrate the Isthmian games in honor of Poseidon.

Aristotle tells us that he was the first who inclined to democracy, and gave up the title of king.

Theseus had a friend, Peirithous, who became his friend when he turned and faced Theseus instead of running when Theseus raided his cattle. They both respected the beauty and courage of the other and became friends.

They went to Sparta and captured Helen as a kid, agreeing that she would become one of their wives when she was old enough. Theseus won Helen, but they had a deal to find the other a wife, so they went to Epirus to obtain the daughter of Aidoneus, the king of the Molossians.

All suitors who wanted his daughter, Kore, had to fight his dog, Cerberus. But when he learned Theseus and Peirithous came not as wooers, but ravishers, he cast them into prison. He had Peirithous killed by Cerberus but kept Theseus alive. Herakles begged for the life of his friend Theseus and his release as a favor, and Aidoneus agreed.

Once freed, Theseus was not accepted back into Athens, because he'd kidnapped Helen and some powerful people were furious. So he set sail for Skyros, where he thought he'd be accepted. Lykomedes, king of Skyros, led him up to his estate and then pushed him off a cliff and killed him.

Romulus

The dynasty of Alba Longa, established by Aeneas, came down to two brothers, Numitor and Amulius. Amulius offered Numitor the choice between sovereign power and the royal treasure, which included gold brought from Troy. Numitor chose sovereign power. Amulius thus had all the treasure, and therefore the real power, and easily dethroned Numitor so that he possessed both sovereign power and treasure.

Numitor got screwed by his brother, and on top of that, Amulius made Numitor's only daughter, Ilia, a priestess of Vesta sworn to celibacy forever, because he feared she would have children who would avenge Numitor.

She broke the law of the Vestals and became pregnant. She bore two children, and Amulius commanded them to be thrown into the river. Faustulus brought them down in a cradle but placed them next to the flooding river instead of in it. The river rose and floated the cradle down to Cermalus, anciently called Germanus.

When the infants were lying there, a she-wolf suckled them and a woodpecker helped feed and watch over them. These animals were sacred to Mars, and some believed Mars was their father.

Faustulus kept their existence secret and had them educated in Gabii. The boys were named Romulus and Remus.

They grew up with great strength and beauty, defending the land against brigands and avenging those who had suffered wrong. Thus they became famous.

They killed Amulius because Remus got captured by the king's servants and Romulus went to free him. They gave the power back to their grandfather and set out to found their own city.

Romulus killed Remus because Remus was mad he got cheated in the bird-watching game. Romulus said he saw twelve vultures compared to Remus's six and thus got to choose where to found the city.

Four months after Rome was founded, they attacked the Sabines with provocation to get more wives for themselves. The new colonists had few wives, so they snatched daughters of the Sabines. Some say up to 683, others say only one.