THE MYCENAEAN TIMES
EXCLUSIVE ISSUE THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR
THE YOUNG PRINCE’S TRIUMPH, THE TRAGIC AFTERMATH AND THE ORIGINS OF THE BEAST WITHIN THE LABYRINTH
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CONTENTS| INSIDE THE ISSUE D
03
IN THE AFTERMATH
04
THE HERO HIMSELF: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
05
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
06
GOSSIP COLUMN: WHERE IS SHE NOW?
COVER IMAGE: THESEUS FIGHTING THE MINOTAUR BY JEAN-ETIENNE RAMEY, 1826, TUILERIES GARDENS, PARIS , PHOTO COURTESY OF JASTOW
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A WORK NOT INTENDED FOR REALISTIC PUBLICATION. THE MATERIAL WITHIN THIS PIECE IS FOR THE SAKE OF A DIGITAL CLASS PROJECT FOR CLAN001: MYTHS OF THE GREEKS AND ROMANS, INTENDED TO REPRESENT THE MYTH OF THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR (AND ASSOCIATED MYTH) AND WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE IF ANCIENT GREECE HAD THE SAME TYPE OF MEDIA COVERAGE THAT WE DO IN THE 21ST CENTURY (SUCH AS NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES). WE DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE MATERIAL WITHIN THIS PUBLICATION. THE MYCENAEAN TIMES | 2
ARTICLE| IN THE AFTERMATH
TRAGEDY STRIKES ATHENS IN WAKE OF MINOTAUR’S DEMISE CITY MOURNS LOSS OF BELOVED KING IN TRAGIC SUICIDE
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onstruction of the sanctuary dedicated to the late king Aegeus was completed this morning, already named by the people the hero-shrine of Aegeus. In light of this monument we look back on the unfortunate events that precipitated our beloved king’s tragic suicide. This previous year brought to our grand city the long-lost prince Theseus, illegitimate son of King Aegeus. Sources inside the castle claimed that although the king did not know his son’s face, he recognised him by the sword he carried, which, the king announced to the royal court, was Aegeus’ own blade which he had apparently left under a great stone for his son to find when he came of age. No sooner than he had came, Theseus left in search of the great Minotaur, which his father, growing weary of the continued sacrifice of his people, had urged him to seek out and slay. When passing though Crete our hero captured the heart of one princess Ariadne, who swore to aid him in his quest in return for his affection. With Ariadne (and her clever ball of string) at his side Theseus was victorious and the beast that had so long tormented Cretans and Athenians alike was slain. However the events
that were to follow were much less fortunate. The seamen who accompanied Theseus inform us that on his return journey to Athens the hero-prince made port at the island of Naxos. According to them, through some strange happenstance Ariadne was lost and, believing her dead, Theseus was forced to continue on his way without her. And it was in his grief, they report, that he forgot the white sails he was to raise to signal his defeat of the monstrous Minotaur, and so brought about that which we still mourn today. Eyewitnesses of this horrific demise claim that the king had paced the towers overlooking the bay for several days and nights, anxiously awaiting his son’s return. However upon seeing the black sails which still adorned Theseus’ vessel, witnesses say, he cried out in anguish (for surely his son had fallen prey to the bull-headed monster) and flung himself from the cliffside into the jagged rocks below. The sanctuary dedicated to the late king Aegeus will be open to the public as of tomorrow.n THE MYCENAEAN TIMES 3
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW| THE HERO HIMSELF
THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW| THE HERO HIMSELF
THESEUS
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND
WOOER OF PRINCESSES, SLAYER OF BEASTS AND ALL AROUND GREAT GUY, ATHENS’ HEROIC PRINCE THESEUS SAT DOWN WITH US TODAY TO DISCUSS THE DETAILS OF HIS EPIC QUEST INTO THE HEART OF THE LABYRINTH
Q: Before we begin I’d like to thank you for taking the time to be here today, it’s an honour to meet you. T: Truly, the pleasure is all mine. Q: So Theseus, although you’re the son of the late king Aegeus, you weren’t raised by him as his heir. How is it that you came to Athens? T: That’s true, I wasn’t; I was raised by my mother in Troezen. I never really knew who my father was – if it was Poseidon or was it Aegeus, my mother wouldn't, or perhaps couldn't tell. But as a child she would tell me that king Aegeus had hidden his sword and sandals beneath a large rock, and that when I was grown enough to lift it, then I should seek out my father in Athens. Q: Poseidon? Great lord of the seas? No wonder you were able to slay the Minotaur and navigate the labyrinth with such ease! T: Well, I don’t pay much mind to my status as a half-god. In all honesty I believe that it was the humans who were the true heroes – without
Daedalus’ genius there would have been no labyrinth to contain the Minotaur in the first place, and were it not for Ariadne’s clever thinking with the ball of string I would have perished within the winding maze of the labyrinth like so many before me. Q: So you would say that ultimately the intelligence of mankind played a greater role in subduing the monster? T: Without a doubt. Q: Interesting! Maybe there’s hope for us mortals yet. And is it true that princess Ariadne was lost on the journey home to Athens? T: I fear as much. My men and I dropped anchor at the island of Naxos on our way home. Somehow Ariadne was separated from the crew. For hours we could not find her – my men and I searched for hours, calling her name until our throats were raw, to no avail. Eventually our navigator informed me of a storm about to roll in, and we were forced to [continued over the page] THE MYCENAEAN TIMES 5
THESEUS WITH ARIADNE OUTSIDE THE LABRYNTH, HOLDING HER BALL OF STRING
\ set sail and leave her for dead. Storm or no, I will never forgive myself for condemning her to death. Q: Your crew tell us that it was the guilt that made you forget the white victory sails. T: Another burden I still bear – I was so overwhelmed with grief that even such a crucial element of our carefully crafted plan slipped my mind. Just like the hero Orpheus, even in the face of triumph and for all our strengths and victories, our passions will eventually get the better of us and bring about our downfall Q: But what a victory it was! Because of your efforts countless young lives have been spared.
Q: With no father and no wife, where will you go from here? Is succeeding your father’s throne in the cards? T: At this point, perhaps not. I think it would be best for me to do all I can do as a demigod and follow in the footsteps of the greatest hero of all time: Heracles. Q: [jokingly] Will you complete 12 labours like he did? T: [smiling] I will do my best. Q: That sounds promising indeed. Unfortunately that’s all we have time for today. Thank you very much for taking the time to join us. T: Anytime.n
T: I suppose. For that at least I can be grateful.
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ARTICLE| HOW IT ALL BEGAN
MESS WITH THE BULL, GET THE HORNS THE ORIGINS OF CRETE’S MOST TERRIFYING CREATURE
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ome say the Minotaur was placed on this Earth as a punishment for some ignoble need, some claim it was borne straight from the realm of Tartarus itself, and others say that it was the unnatural offspring of an unholy union between man and animal. That last one, as a matter of fact is completely correct. This grotesque beast came into existence when the king of Crete, Minos (known for his outstanding naval power) defied the god Poseidon by failing to worship him as he did other gods. As punishment, the Lord Poseidon called forth a great bull to rampage the countryside, spreading terror throughout the people of Crete. One citizen however had quite the opposite reaction. According to local gossip, queen Pasiphae became enamoured with the magnificent beast. She apparently sought the aid of Daedalus, creator of the labyrinth to fulfil her strange desires. “She requested that I build her a cow-shaped vessel,” he informs us “that would enable her to… well I’m sure you understand…” And well we do, for not long after, she begat the dreadful Minotaur.
IIMAGE: THE MINTAUR BY GEORGE FREDERIC WATTS, 1885
(We attempted to reach out to Pasiphae for confirmation of this interesting anecdote, but she declined an interview.) “But, with my genius mind I designed the labyrinth which kept the beast locked safely away,” Daedalus so humbly continued, seeming to forget the fourteen youths sacrificed every year, “But thanks to the hero Theseus, once again all is well.”
THE MINOTAUR IN ALL ITS BEASTLY GLORY
It just goes to show that you can have all the military power in the world – the gods are absolute, almighty, and not to be trifled with. Questioning their authority will almost certainly turn out to be more trouble than it’s worth, as the people of Crete and Athens know all too well.n THE MYCENAEAN TIMES 7
ARIADNE SLEEPING ON THE ISLAND OF NAXOS AS THESEUS SAILS HOME TO ATHENS
GOSSIP COLUMN| WHERE IS SHE NOW?
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espite her former fiancé’s reports of her untimely death, the people of Naxos report that they have seen the Cretan princess Ariadne alive and well, wandering about the island in the company of a mysterious (and very handsome) young man
If that were the case, then it would appear the lovely Ariadne has moved on very quickly from her former lover Theseus. But honestly, who can blame her? It's not every woman that receives affections from a god, especially Dionysus, who has rarely been seen in the company of any other women.n
“It was Dionysus, I swear it,” one fisherman reported, a sentiment shared by many others in the area. One local claimed that the two were married, apparently having witnessed the wedding festivities firsthand.
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