Theseus in the Underworld
E597908
"Theseus in the Underworld" is a mythic episode in which the Athenian hero descends to Hades—most famously to aid his friend Pirithous in a doomed attempt to abduct Persephone—resulting in his imprisonment until rescued by Heracles.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
episode in Greek mythology
ⓘ
mythological episode ⓘ |
| associatedDeity |
Hades
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Persephone NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedHero |
Heracles
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Theseus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedKing | Pirithous NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| consequence |
imprisonment of Pirithous in Hades
ⓘ
imprisonment of Theseus in Hades ⓘ |
| depictedIn |
ancient vase painting
ⓘ
later European art ⓘ |
| featuresCharacter |
Hades
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Heracles NERFINISHED ⓘ Persephone NERFINISHED ⓘ Pirithous NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genre | heroic myth ⓘ |
| hasAction |
Heracles pulls Theseus from the chair
ⓘ
Theseus and Pirithous sit on the Chair of Forgetfulness ⓘ |
| hasOutcomeForPirithous | remains bound in the Underworld ⓘ |
| hasOutcomeForTheseus | returns to the world of the living ⓘ |
| hasSettingAspect |
court of Hades and Persephone
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
realm of the dead ⓘ |
| involvesMotif |
descent to the underworld
ⓘ
failed abduction of a goddess ⓘ heroic rescue ⓘ katabasis ⓘ |
| mainCharacter | Theseus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| moralTheme |
consequences of oath-bound friendship
ⓘ
hubris ⓘ limits of heroic power ⓘ |
| mythologicalTradition | Greek mythology ⓘ |
| narrativeRoleInTheseusMyth | late and disastrous adventure of Theseus ⓘ |
| narrativeSequence |
follows friendship oath between Theseus and Pirithous
ⓘ
precedes Theseus’ later misfortunes in Athens ⓘ |
| purposeOfDescent |
aid to Pirithous
ⓘ
attempt to abduct Persephone ⓘ |
| relatedWork |
Athenian heroic cycle of Theseus
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
myths of Heracles’ twelfth labor ⓘ |
| resolution |
Pirithous remains in the Underworld
ⓘ
partial rescue of Theseus by Heracles ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
danger of overreaching divine boundaries
ⓘ
irreversibility of death for most mortals ⓘ |
| takesPlaceIn |
Hades
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Underworld ⓘ |
| traditionalSource |
Roman mythographic tradition
ⓘ
later Greek mythographic tradition ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.