Theseus

American  

[thee-see-uhs, -syoos] / ˈθi si əs, -syus /

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. an Attic hero, the husband of Phaedra, father of Hippolytus, and slayer of the Minotaur and the robber Procrustes.

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Theseus British  

/ ˈθiːsɪəs, θɪˈsiːən /

noun

1. Greek myth a hero of Attica, noted for his many great deeds, among them the slaying of the Minotaur, the conquest of the Amazons, whose queen he married, and participation in the Calydonian hunt

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Theseus Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, a hero of the city of Athens (see also Athens). He killed Procrustes and the Minotaur and made war on the Amazons, subsequently marrying their queen, Hippolyta.

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Other Word Forms

• Thesean adjective

Example Sentences

Theseus managed to kill the Minotaur, but still needed help from a princess to escape.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2024

“And sort of like the ship of Theseus, by the end they actually have a completely different revue,” said Ellison, who is directing the opener in Brooklyn.

From New York Times • Feb. 12, 2024

There's the existential drama of questioning if, or when, like the ship of Theseus, enough parts are removed that we might cease to be ourselves.

From Salon • Jul. 14, 2023

We are tempted to conceptualize identity in terms of persistence, but the Ship of Theseus challenges the commonly held intuition regarding how to make sense of identity.

From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022

It took him down to the lower world, and it was then that he freed Theseus from the Chair of Forgetfulness.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton