It's crystal clear from these early stories that Theseus is destined to rank right up there with all of his fellow heroes. Like Perseus and Heracles, he's a demigod, meaning that at least one of hi...

Aegeus is Theseus's mortal father and the King of Athens. He's kind of a dead-beat dad for the first part of Theseus's life, since he ditches Theseus's mom, Aethra, to head back to Athens. Of cours...

The first bad guy that Theseus slays on the road to Athens, Periphetes is famous for whacking people on the head with his iron club and robbing them. (Yeah, he wasn't exactly an overachiever.) Thes...

Also known as Siris, this creative killer has a habit of tying people to two bent pine trees, and then letting the trees whip into the air, thereby ripping the people apart. (Wow, Hannibal Lecter w...

A big mean pig, who is Theseus's third foe on the road to Athens. Some say that the sow's name was Phaea. Others say that the sow had a nasty hag of an owner named Phaea. Still others say that ther...

The fourth villain encountered and slain by Theseus on the way to Athens. This guy got his kicks by convincing passersby to wash his feet, after which he kicked them over a cliff to be devoured by...

The fifth bad guy defeated by Theseus on his way to Athens. Cercyon liked to wrestle people that came by and then kill them. Like Periphetes, some say that he was a son of Poseidon, while others sa...

Procrustes probably gets the award for the creepiest of all of Theseus's very creepy foes. This crusty (pun intended) old guy has fun by inviting travelers to sleep the night in his bed. (Wait, it'...

Medea is the original Femme Fatale. She's a sorceress who is most famous for helping Jason and the Argonauts steal the Golden Fleece. After that she marries Jason, who later ditches her for the pri...

Aethra is Theseus's mom, who conceives the hero after sleeping with both King Aegeus and Poseidon on the same night. That's pretty much all she's famous for, besides showing Theseus the rock under...

Pittheus is Theseus's grandfather and ruler of the little city of Troezen. He's famous for snookering King Aegeus of Athens into sleeping with his daughter, Aethra, and conceiving Theseus. Father o...