There are four mythical persons connected with the island of Skyros, and are known throughout the world as Theseus, Lykomides, Achilles and Neoptolemus.
Aegeus, who was the son of Pandiona and Pylia - according to some sources, he was the son of Skyrio - married Aether, daughter of the Troezenian king Pitheas, whose father was Pelops.
Their union bore only one son, whom Aether named Theseus because, When Aegeus was leaving for Athens he placed (“thesi”) the symbols of his acknowledgement of his son (sandals and a sword) under a rock. When Theseus grew in, his mother spoke to him about the symbols and, after finding them, he left for Athens to find his father.While traveling to Athens, Theseus experiences many of his famous adventures, which we will briefly describe:
(a) He killed Periphytis at Epidaurus.
(b) At Kechreai near Corinth, he killed Sini (Pitiokambti).
(c) At Krommyon, after the Isthmus of Corinth, he slew the wild sow Phea.
(d) At Skironian Rocks, known today as Kaki Skala, he threw Skiron off a cliff into the sea.
(e) At Elefsina, he killed Kerkiona.
(f) At the holy road near the town known today as Daphni, Theseus killed Prokrousti.
After Athens, Theseus went on to Marathon where he killed the wild bull and then on to Crete where he slew the Minotaur. It has been said that this monster was half man half bull, while another version has it that “tavros” (meaning bull) was the name of one of generals of Minos, king of Crete.
Theseus finally married Phaedra, daughter of Minos, with whom he had two sons - Acamas and Dimofon - who took part in the Trojan war, around 1200 B.C. It is said that these children were not really Phaedra's; they were borne by her sister Ariadne. Acamas stands for “acamatos” (tireless), “acourastos” (indefatigable), “adamastos” (unconquerable), which were the characteristics of his father, while Dimofon was derived from the words “dimos” (meaning the public, the people) and “fos” (meaning fight, the saviour of the people).
In honor of Acamas, one of the ten tribes in ancient Athens was named the Acamantes.
When his friend Pilithus wanted to take Persephone as his wife (who was the daughter of the gods), they went down together to the Underworld (also called the Hades), but there they were captured and tied by Pluto (or Hades). Hercules (Heractes) then came down to the Underworld and freed Theseus, while Pilithus decided to remain there forever.
Returning to Athens from Hades, Theseus found Menesthea on the throne, who was a descendent of Erechtheus, and an old political adversary Theseus decided then to leave for Skyros, where his father Aegeus had property.
The then king of Skyros was Lykomides, whom Theseus considered a friend, but he was the one that killed Theseus by pushing him off the cliff at the castle. But there is another viewpoint as to why Theseus went to Skyros.
King Menesthea of Athens considered Theseus a threat to his throne, and therefore sent him to Crete to Devcaliona, son of Midas, but due to a storm, Theseus landed up in Skyros.
The inhabitants of the island had heard about his many deeds, his glories and his origin, and therefore showered him with honours and attention.
When Lycomides saw this, he became concerned about his throne and decided to destroy Theseus. Of course, another interpretation of Theseus' death exists, which advocates that he wasn't pushed over a cliff but slipped and fell one night while taking a stroll within the castle.
This was then the tragic end of one of the greatest Greek heroes, the second after Hercules. This entire myth reveals facts which are linked to the racial rearrangements that were taking place at that time and mainly to the withdrawal of the , Ionian element from Skyros.
The discovery of Theseus' grave is of great importance to Skyros and that is why we will go into this more extensively. As the Dolopians of Skyros had a great naval force, they Neglected all agricultural activities and lived off piracy, at a time when piracy. And trade were looked upon as the same profession.
They impounded a Thessalian ship upon its arrival at the harbour of “Krizion” (known today as Kalamitsa) and looted it. Those on board managed to escape and immediately reported the crime to the “Amfiktioniko” Council (Council of Representatives - amfiktionia from amfi + ktizo, meaning the surrounding members consisting of all the Greek cities), which condemned Skyros and charged them with a fine, which Skyros refused to pay. This Council of Representatives is recognised internationally as being the forerunner and model of the present United Nations.
Athens then, either in an attempt to punish Skyros or more likely, because it needed the island - together with Limnos and Imvros - sent the great general Kimon in 475 B.C. to conquer the island, in order to have secure trade-links with Hellespont from which it imported wheat. Kimon (510-449 B.C.) was the son of the well-known general Miltiadis of the battle of Marathon (490 B.C.) and Igisipilis, daughter of the Thracean king Oloros.
This also, in a sense, fulfilled the propheca of Delphi, which foresaw that the remains of Theseus would be brought from Skyros 400 years after his death.
Opinions differ completely, though, between Plutarchos (approximately 50-125 A.D.) and Pavsanias (2nd Century A.D.), as to the manner in which Kimon discovered the remains of Theseus.
The former supports the view that after conquering the island, an eagle pointed out to Kimon the location of the grave by digging with his beak.
Searching this hilly area, he found the remains of a large body together with a bronze lance and a sword.
The latter claims that Kimon first found the remains of Oresti in a steel monger's yard in Tegea and then went on to easily conquer the island. The Athenians received the remains with great joy and offered special honors, ceremonies and sacrifices “as if Theseus himself had returned to the city”.
Theseus, who as we mentioned before, is considered the second greatest hero after Hercules, appears - according to Greek tradition - during the second millennium B.C., and the genealogical charts establish this period as being a generation before the Trojan War.
Now, whether Theseus, who doesn't seem to be an ancient God, really lived before popular tradition awarded him with numerous feats or whether he is really a mythical figure, is a question which cannot be answered with certainty. The only sure fact is that he was, an ancient hero.
However, regardless of the above, the Athenians who lived during the classical years (500-300 B.C.) believed that their country originated from the union of many smaller countries, an accomplishment realized by the mythical king Theseus.
Author: Napoleon Xanthouli with book "Skyros"