ΧΑΪΔΑΡΙ ΧΑΪΔΑΡΙ - ΣΥΝΑΝΤΗΣΗ ΜΕ ΤΗΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ | Page 73

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Section of the burial enclosure by the Sacred Way, near the Dromokaiteion (photo by Sp. Panagiotopoulos).
Theseus travels to Athens
and meets Prokroustes at Chaidari
Theseus, the most important Athenian hero was the
son of Aigeus, king of Athens and Aithra, princess of
Troizena. The child was raised in Troizena to avoid being
murdered by Aigeus’ enemies. At the age of sixteen
Theseus headed back to Athens. Despite his mother’s
warning about bandits, Theseus decided to travel on
land, as he wished to compete with the achievements
of his cousin Hercules.
Theseus aimed to take exterminate all bandits from
Troizena to Athens. He killed Periphetes at Epidauros,
Sinis at the Corinthian gulf and after him Phaia, a wild
boar, at Megaris. He threw Skiron into the sea at Kakia
Skala and killed Kerkyon outside Eleusina. He met Sinis’
father, Polypemon or Prokroustes, at the wooded hills of
Hermos. Prokroustes had two beds, one short and one
long. He obliged short and tall travellers to lie on the
wrong bed and killed them by either overstretching or
chopping their legs.
Then, Theseus moved into Athens and later became king
of the city. Plutarch mentions that Theseus was ritually
cleansed from Sinis’ blood close to Kephisos river, and
there is a sanctuary to Zeus in the area of today’s Agios
Savvas church, on the north side of the Sacred Way.