At this point the Athenians recognized Theseus as one of their own. However, he still felt the need to prove his worth to the residents of his new home, and when the opportunity presented itself, he risked his life for them. The king of Crete, Minos, came to Athens to extract a total of fourteen people to sacrifice to a vicious beast. This beast was known as the Minotaur, half-man, half-bull, and wandered an inescapable maze or maze. When King Minos came to claim his victims, Theseus boldly volunteered as tribute and sailed to the dreaded Crete. Before being introduced into the Labyrinth, Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, fell in love with Theseus. Hoping he would survive, she gave him a gift. She gave him a ball of string that he could use to escape the maze by retracing his steps after defeating the Minotaur. The battle between the Minotaurs was not to be neglected, especially since all the combatants were stripped of their weapons. To succeed, Theseus used a combination of mental and physical genius. He snuck up on the Minotaur while he was sound asleep and, using only his bare fists, he beat the evil beast to death. He then escaped the confusing Labyrinth and abandoned his lover Ariadne on the island of Naxos as he fled Crete for Athens. His ability to trick Ariane into helping him escape the Labyrinth, as well as his brute strength demonstrated in defeating the Minotaur without a weapon is more than impressive. This was by far Theseus' greatest triumph, as he combined brains and brawn to overcome obstacles. When Theseus returned home after his adventure, he was informed that his father had committed suicide, believing that his son had perished in his attempt to kill the .... .. middle of paper ....... Theseus, the greatest hero of Athens, was a unique mythological hero. He may not have been as strong as Heracles, but he found a way to make up for it with his intelligence and creativity. Examples of this can be seen in his ability to trick Adriane into helping him escape the Labyrinth and the unification of the nations of Attica. Another important aspect of his heroism was his efforts to improve the lives of the Athenian people. This can be seen when he cleared the path of criminals from Troezen to Athens, defeated the terrorizing Minotaur, and created a government based on the idea of ​​democracy. His triumphs have left an everlasting mark on our world in the mythological and even historical sense. Theseus was not only a formidable leader, he was also the true definition of a hero and deserves to be glorified for his notorious deeds and noble qualities..