Editing Aegeus (section)

===Theseus and the Minotaur===
{{main|Theseus}}
In Troezen, Theseus grew up and became a brave young man. He managed to move the rock and took his father's weapons. His mother then told him the identity of his father and that he should take the weapons back to him at Athens and be acknowledged. Theseus decided to go to Athens and had the choice of going by sea, which was the safe way, or by land, following a dangerous path with thieves and bandits all the way. Young, brave and ambitious, Theseus decided to go to Athens by land.

When Theseus arrived, he did not reveal his true identity. He was welcomed by Aegeus, who was suspicious about the stranger who came to Athens. Medea tried to have Theseus killed by encouraging Aegeus to ask him to capture the Marathonian Bull, but Theseus succeeded. She tried to poison him, but at the last second, Aegeus recognized his son and knocked the poisoned cup out of Theseus' hand. Father and son were thus reunited, and Medea was sent away to [[Asia]].<ref>Apollodorus, Epitome 1.5–7; [[First Vatican Mythographer]], 48</ref>

Theseus departed for Crete.  Upon his departure, Aegeus told him to put up white sails when returning if he was successful in killing the Minotaur. However, when Theseus returned, he forgot these instructions.  When Aegeus saw the black sails coming into Athens, mistaken in his belief that his son had been slain, he killed himself by jumping from a height: according to some, from the Acropolis or another unnamed rock;<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]], 4.61.4; Plutarch, ''Theseus'' 17 and 22; Pausanias, 1.22.5; [[Catullus]], 64.215–245</ref> according to some Latin authors, into the sea which was therefore known as the Aegean Sea.<ref>Hyginus, ''[[Fabulae]]'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#41 41], [https://topostext.org/work/206#43 43] & [https://topostext.org/work/206#242 242]; Servius on Virgil, ''Aeneid'' 3.74</ref>

Sophocles' tragedy ''Aegeus'' has been lost, but Aegeus features in [[Euripides]]' ''[[Medea (play)|Medea]]''.