Theseus

“‘Now then,’ said Minos, ‘you shall hear my decree. Athens has robbed me of my dearest treasure, a treasure that can never be restored to me; so, in return, I require from Athens, as tribute, that possession which is the dearest and most precious to her people; and it shall be destroyed cruelly as my son was destroyed.’”

Minos takes the approach that Athens must give to him something of equal value to that which was lost. He extracts his revenge on Athens by taking their children for the loss of his own child. This balances the scale of the war that would cost Athens many more lives.

“[T]he people lifted up their hands to Athena on the hilltop and cried out, ‘How long, O Queen of the Air, how long shall this thing be?’”

The people of Athens are turning to their patron goddess—Athena—for deliverance from this cruel situation. Even when times are hard, the ancient Greeks turn to the gods and believe in their divine power and authority. They pray for deliverance and for the gods to intervene on their behalf.

“[F]or no one who is thrust into the den of the Minotaur ever comes out again. Remember that you are the hope of Athens, and do not take this great risk upon yourself.”

Minos weighs the needs of the people against Theseus’s desire to enter the Labyrinth, while Theseus does the same. They come to different conclusions: Theseus believes he can best serve the people by going to Crete, while Aegeus wants him to stay and directly protect Athens.