"Men who hover over their opponents have no cause to evolve a science of wrestling; and Theseus is conventionally shown in combat with hulking of monstrous enemies, living by his wits. The tradition that he emulated the feats of Herakles may well embalm some ancient sneer at the over-compensation of a small assertive man. Napoleon comes to mind. If one examines the legend in this light, a well-defined personality emerges. It is that of a light-weight; brave and aggressive, physically tough and quick; highly sexed and rather promiscuous; touchily proud, but with a feeling for the underdog; resembling Alexander in his precocious competence, gift of leadership, and romantic sense of destiny."
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Sources
Mary Renault, on her portrayal of Theseus in her books, in The King Must Die (1958), "Author's Note", p. 333
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theseus
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Theseus
Theseus (/ˈθiːsiːəs/; Ancient Greek: Θησεύς [tʰɛːsěu̯s]) was a mythical king of Athens and the son of Aethra by two fathers: Aegeus and Poseidon. His name comes from the same root as θεσμός ("thesmos"), Greek for "The Gathering", and he was held as the unifying king of the synoikismos ("dwelling together") — the political unification of Attica under Athens, represented emblematically in his journey of labours, subduing ogres and monstrous
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