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Aegeus (, ; ) was one of the kings of AthensHyginus, Fabulae 48 in Greek mythology, who gave his name to the Aegean Sea, was the father of Theseus,Apollodorus, 1.9.16; Hyginus, Fabulae 14, 48, 173, 241, 244, 251, 257 & 270 and founded Athenian institutions.
Aegeus' first wife was Meta,Compare Metis. daughter of Hoples and his second wife was Chalciope, daughter of Rhexenor, neither of whom bore him any children.Apollodorus, 3.15.6 He was also credited to be the father of Medus by the witch Medea.Hyginus, Fabulae 27, 244 & 275 In a rare account, Pallas was also said to be the son of Aegeus.Servius on Virgil, Aeneid 8.54 The latter was also said to fathered Megareus, eponymous founder of Megara.Stephanus of Byzantium, s.v. Megara (Μέγαρα)
Aegeides (Αἰγείδης), was a patronymic from Aegeus and especially used to designate Theseus. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Aegeides
The division of the land was explained further in the following text by the geographer Strabo:Strabo, 9.16
... when Attica was divided into four parts, Nisus obtained Megaris as his portion and founded Nisaea. Now, according to Philochorus, his rule extended from the Isthmus to the Pythium, but according to Andron, only as far as Eleusis and the Thriasian Plain. Although different writers have stated the division into four parts in different ways, it suffices to take the following from Sophocles: Aegeus says that his father ordered him to depart to the shorelands, assigning to him as the eldest the best portion of this land; then to Lycus he assigns Euboea's garden that lies side by side therewith; and for Nisus he selects the neighboring land of Sciron shore; and the southerly part of the land fell to this rugged Pallas, breeder of giants.
Later on, Lycus was driven from the territory by Aegeus himself, and had to seek refuge in Arene, Messenia which was ruled by King Aphareus. Pallas and his fifty sons revolted at a later time, being crushed by Aegeus' son Theseus.Pausanias, 4.2.6
The cryptic words of the oracle were "Do not loosen the bulging mouth of the wineskin until you have reached the height of Athens, lest you die of grief."Plutarch, Theseus; Apollodorus, 3.15.6 Aegeus did not understand the prophecy and was disappointed. This puzzling oracle forced Aegeus to visit Pittheus, king of Troezen, who was famous for his wisdom and skill at expounding oracles. Pittheus understood the prophecy and introduced Aegeus to his daughter, Aethra, when Aegeus was drunk.Scholium on Euripides' Hippolytus, noted by Karl Kerenyi, The Heroes of the Greeks (1959) p 218 note 407. They lay with each other, and then in some versions, Aethra waded to the island of Sphairia (a.k.a. Calauria) and bedded Poseidon. When Aethra became pregnant, Aegeus decided to return to Athens. Before leaving, he buried his sandal, shield, and sword under a huge rock and told her that, when their son grew up, he should move the rock and bring the weapons to his father, who would acknowledge him.Hyginus, Fabulae 37 Upon his return to Athens, Aegeus married Medea, who had fled from Ancient Corinth and the wrath of Jason. Aegeus and Medea had one son named Medus.
When Theseus grew up, he found his father's belongings left for him and went to Athens to claim his birthright. Aegeus recognized him as his son by his sword, shield, and sandals. Medea, Aegeus' wife perceived Theseus to be a threat for her children's inheritance and first tried to discredit and then to poison Theseus. When Aegeus discovered these schemes, he drove Medea out of Athens.Roman, L., & Roman, M. (2010).
After his adventures in Crete, Theseus returned by ship to Athens. His father, Aegeus previously had asked him to hang a white sail as a sign that Theseus is alive, but Theseus neglected this request. When Aegeus saw Theseus' ships without a white sail, he assumed the worst and threw himself in his grief into the sea, named after him the Aegean Sea. arriving at Athens and being recognized because of his sword by Aegeus''. Apulian red-figured Krater, ca. 410–400 BC, from Ruvo (South Italy).|left]]
When Theseus arrived, he did not reveal his true identity. He was welcomed by Aegeus, who was suspicious about the stranger who came to Athens. Medea tried to have Theseus killed by encouraging Aegeus to ask him to capture the Marathonian Bull, but Theseus succeeded. She tried to poison him, but at the last second, Aegeus recognized his son and knocked the poisoned cup out of Theseus' hand. Father and son were thus reunited, and Medea was sent away to Asia.Apollodorus, Epitome 1.5–7; First Vatican Mythographer, 48
Theseus departed for Crete. Upon his departure, Aegeus told him to put up white sails when returning if he was successful in killing the Minotaur. However, when Theseus returned, he forgot these instructions. When Aegeus saw the black sails coming into Athens, mistaken in his belief that his son had been slain, he killed himself by jumping from a height: according to some, from the Acropolis or another unnamed rock;Diodorus Siculus, 4.61.4; Plutarch, Theseus 17 and 22; Pausanias, 1.22.5; Catullus, 64.215–245 according to some Latin authors, into the sea which was therefore known as the Aegean Sea.Hyginus, Fabulae 41, 43 & 242; Servius on Virgil, Aeneid 3.74
Sophocles' tragedy Aegeus has been lost, but Aegeus features in Euripides' Medea.
There was a heroon of Aigeus in Athens, called Aigeion (Αἰγεῖον). Suda, alphaiota, 33
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