This project is co – funded by European Union.
ESPERINO GENIKO LYKEIO LAMIAS
According to the Greek Mythology the Aegean Sea took its name after the King
of Athens, Aegeas.
King Minoas of Crete in order to punish the Athenians who had killed his son
Androgeo, declared war on Athens and won. The Athenians subsequently became
subjects of the Minoan Empire. Then King Minoas demanded a tribute of honour
should be paid by them.
At nine years intervals, seven Athenian boys and seven Athenian girls were to be
sacrificed. They were to be sent to Crete and devoured by the mythical Minotaur, a
monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, which lived in the labyrinth.
Theseas, the son of Aegeas and Aithra, decided that he would kill the
Minotaur and put an end to the shameful bloody sacrifices. He took the place
of one of the seven young men and set sail for Crete. Before he left, it was
agreed with his father, Aegeas that they would raise black sails as a sign of
mourning, but if they were successful and killed the monster, they would
raise white sails on the journey back home.
On his journey he met and fell in love with Ariadne, daughter of King
Minoas. She gave him a ball of string, ‘Ariadne’s Clue’. The idea was to
unravel the string in the Labyrinth, so that after Theseas killed the Minotaur,
he would find his way back to the entrance. The mission was successful and
the Minotaur was killed.
During the night Theseas, Ariadne and the other Athenian boys and girls
escaped to the port and embarked on the ship for the return journey. On the
way home they stopped at the island of Naxos. Story tell us that Theseas
abandoned Ariadne there while she was sleeping and continued on his
journey home. Ariadne laid a curse on him because he had abandoned her
and he forgot to raise the white sails as he had promised to Aegeas.
Aegeas waited for his son to return. As he stood on the Cape of Sounio,
he saw the the ship as it came round the cape. It had black sails and the King
was desperate. Believing that his son was dead, he jumped off the cliffs
from the Temple of Poseidon into the sea and he killed himself. So this sea
has been called the Aegean Sea ever since.