CLAS104 Lecture 21: 21-Theseus and Myths of Athens

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Classical Studies
• Course: CLAS104
• Professor: Ronald Kroeker

Document Summary

Autochthony: common theme, greek word meaning born from the ground. Greeks saw themselves as uniquely sprung from ground of athens: cecrops king of athens, more symbolic than active. Judge between poseidon and athena on deciding who top deity would be. Also portrayed as a culture hero; taught how to build cities, bury the dead, how to write. Ejaculated on her leg, she wiped it off and threw it on ground out sprang erichthonius. Athena put him into chest and gave it to 3 daughters of cecrops, told them not to look inside. They looked inside, saw erichthonius, went mad, threw themselves off a cliff and died. Erichtonius was then raised by athena and became king of athens. Another culture hero, particularly for athens: erechtheus: war with eleusis, sacrifice of daughters, emolpus (poseidon"s son) Erechtheus was grandson and successor of erichthonius, went to war with elusinian lead by.