Name that Greek myth?

Question

I've been trying to remember this story and it's driving me nuts. It goes something like this:

This king or a noble, maybe, has a son who goes out to war. Before leaving, the father makes the son promise that on his return (I think they return by boat), he would make a sign that he was still alive (I forget what the sign is. Something to do with sails?). The son agrees. When the army returns from war, the son forgets the promise and when the king looks for the sign and doesn't see one, he hurls himself off a building and dies.

If it helps, I read it in these books based on greek mythology called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I forget which book and I've been searching forever but haven't been able to find it.

I know it's not a lot to go on, but that's all I can remember...

Thanks!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I think you are talking about Aegeus and Theseus

The arrival of Theseus strengthened the city and secured the throne, for his expedition to Crete liberated Athens from its subjection to the power of Minos 2. But on his return, Theseus forgot to spread white sails on his ship when he stood for port; and Aegeus 1, seeing the black sail from the Acropolis, believed that Theseus had perished in Crete, and threw himself into the sea (called Aegean after him), and died. For they say that the ship that carried the youths to Crete used to make the voyage with black sails, but that Theseus, who expected to destroy the Minotaur, had told his father that he would use white sails if he should return victorious. However, the loss of Ariadne made him forget the signal, and when Aegeus 1 saw from the distance the ship borne by black sails, he thought that Theseus was dead and killed himself. Some have said that the sail which would signal victory was not white but "a scarlet sail dyed with the tender flower of luxuriant holm-oak". In any case, the signal was forgotten, and Aegeus 1 threw himself down, and if he did not fall into the sea, he was dashed in pieces against the rocks. (homepage.mac.com)

Hope this is what you were looking for!

Maddio · Answer

isn't that the one with the minotaur, theseus was his name, i think, and he was being punished and was sent to the labyrinth where the minotaur lived, but the kings daughter ariadne or something (the king was punishing him and had built the labyrinth, not specifically for theseus but for punishing people in general) gives him some magic string so theseus could find his way back and so he defeats the minotaur and takes the kings daughter home with him but when he gets home he forgets to fly a white flag like his father asked, so when his father sees a black flag, he is so sad that i think he falls off the building he was standing on
hope that helps

Chennele · Answer

The sign was the flag on the boat. If he was alive then they would raise a white flag, if dead then a black one....

This myth I believe was in either the Iliad or the Oddysey. I can't be too sure.

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Name that Greek myth?

3 Answers