THERSITES, Mgr-Sr-PS, a deformed Greek ' officer before Troy, fond of reviling the rals, especially Agamemnon, Achilles, and Ulysses. He was killed by Achilles for laughing at the death of Penthesilea.
Tursaus, the'-seus, king of the Athenians, (Theseld,e), was son of lEgeus (q. v.) and King Pittheus's daughter /Ethra. On his way from Trcezene (•where he was educated) to Athens, to make himself known to his father, he slew the famous robbers, Sinnis, Sciron, Cerclon, Periphetes, Procrustes, and the sow Phma. On his arrival at Athens Medea (q. v.) incited rEgeus to kill Theseus ; but the king recognized his son, and Theseus then put the Pallantidm (q. v.) to death. Theseus afterwards caught the famous bull of MarAthon, and led it in procession through the streets to be sacrificed to Minerva. His next exploit was killing the Minotaurus (ck v.), and, on his return, he abandoned Artadne (q. v.) in Naxos ; and, through a mistake in not hoisting the white flag as agreed on when the ship of Theseus was in sight of Athens, /Egeus, supposing Theseus to be dead, killed himself. Theseus,
now king, 7235 B.C., consolidated the state and united the demes of Attica into one city, Athens (see PANATHENAKA). His territories were invaded by King PirithUus (q. v.), of the Lapithm, but, before any engagement, the two kings became intimate friends. Theseus was afterwards present at the famous contest of the Lapithm and Centaurs at PirithUus's marriage with Hippodamia. Theseus, on the death of his wife Phmdra, by Pirithiius's assistance carried off the famous Helen, but Castor and Pollux recovered her. The two friends after wards descended to Hades to carry off Proserpine for Pirithous. There the latter remained for ever ; but Theseus was relieved from imprisonment when Hercules visited Hades to take away Cerberus. On his return to Athens Theseus found the throne in pos session of Mnestheus, a descendant of Erech theus ; and, failing to recover the crown, he withdrew to King Lycomedes of Scyros, who perfidiously flung him down from a precipice.