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Aegeus

Αἰγεύς). The son of Pandion, king of Athens, and father of Theseus, whom he begot by Aethra at Troezen. Theseus afterwards came to Athens and restored Aegeus to the throne, of which he had been deprived by his brother Pallas. Having slain Androgeos, son of Minos (q.v.), he was conquered by that king and compelled to send seven youths and seven maidens to Crete once in nine years as victims to the Minotaur. When Theseus set out to free his country from this cruel tax, he agreed in case of success to exchange the black sail of his ship for a white one; but forgetting to do so, Aegeus saw the black sail on the returning vessel, supposed his son lost, and threw himself into the sea, which is thus supposed to have been named Aegean after him. He is said to have introduced the worship of Aphrodité into Athens, where he himself was honoured with a shrine. See Medea; Theseus; Minotaur.

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