Aegeus

Aegeus is a figure in Greek mythology best known as a king of Athens and the father of Theseus. In classical sources he is the son of Pandion II, and his wife or partner is often given as Aethra. In some traditions Theseus is described as the son of Aegeus and Aethra, while in others his paternity is attributed to Poseidon, indicating a mixture of mortal and divine lineage in the myths surrounding Theseus.

Aegeus is primarily remembered for his role in the early history of Athens and for the token he left for his future son. He reportedly hid his sword and a pair of sandals under a rock and instructed any rightful heir to fetch them when grown, thereby proving his identity and claim to the throne. Theseus, guided by various mentors and travelers, retrieved the items and traveled to Athens, where he was recognized as the heir to Aegeus and would later become ruler.

Aegeus also appears in the tale of Theseus’s expedition to Crete to defeat the Minotaur. In some versions, Theseus’s return from Crete is marked by a signal—white sails if victorious—prompting a later, tragic exception: Theseus forgets to change the sails from black to white, and Aegeus, seeing the black sails and believing his son dead, is said to have thrown himself into the sea. The Aegean Sea is named after him in memory of this event.

In later literature, Aegeus is associated with Medea, who, in some accounts, becomes his wife after fleeing Jason; she is said to have plotted against Theseus in some versions. The figure of Aegeus thus occupies a foundational, if sometimes contested, place in the mythic history of Athens and in etiological tradition explaining the name of the Aegean Sea.