Aegeus
Aegeus was mythical king of
Athens who was a grandson (on his father's
side) of Erichtonius. His wife was Aithra, princess of Troizen on the
Peloponnese. The couple had a son, the hero Theseus, who was also believed
to be the son of Poseidon. Later, Aegeus was also to marry the infamous
Medea.
After he had ad his wife pregnant in Troizen, he left her and went back to
Athens. Before he left, he hid his sword and sandals under a rock, for his
son to get when he was old enough to lift the rock. Theseus did so when he
had come of age, and then went to Athens, where his father recognized him.
When Theseus set out to defeat the Minotaur on
Crete, Aegeus made him
promise to set white sails on the way back, so that he would understand if
the mission had been successful. Theseus, however, forgot to do so, and when
Aegeas saw the ship return with black sails, he committed suicide by
throwing himself off a cliff into the sea. From that day, the sea was named
after him: the Aegean Sea.