Like most Greeks, Theseus studies wrestling. Theseus asks Pittheus why they allow this, and Pittheus, telling Theseus they cannot resist Cretan power, sends the boy away so he will be spared. King Pittheus tells Theseus this is a sign that the gods have given him the power to protect the people.Ĭrete sends ships to Troizen to receive children who will be sacrificed in the bull dancing in tribute to Minos. One day, Theseus has a premonition of disaster shortly thereafter, an earthquake shakes the city. Theseus serves in the temple of Poseidon, where he lives and works for three years. Discussing the sacrifice, his grandfather tells him that in the old days, the king would have been killed along with the horse to please the gods even in the modern day, the king must be prepared to die for his people. He recounts a disturbing scene he witnessed at age six, the ritualistic slaughter of a beautiful horse. He begins with his childhood, describing the palace of his grandfather, King Pittheus of Troizen. Theseus, now an old man, narrates the events of his life. The King Must Die (1958), a historical novel by Mary Renault, tells the life story of Theseus, a hero of Greek Myth, using plausible historical world-building to create a realistic story that might have served as the basis for the myth that evolved.
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