In Greek mythology, Theseus’s father in Athens was King Aegeus. Theseus traveled from Troezen to Athens carrying the sword and sandals that Aegeus had hidden beneath a boulder.
Aegeus recognized his son just before Medea could poison him. Theseus then became a major Athenian hero and eventually succeeded Aegeus as king. Some ancient traditions also made Poseidon Theseus’s divine father, so the myths preserve a double paternity: Aegeus was his human father, while Poseidon was sometimes named as his divine one.
This distinction matters in stories about Theseus and the Minotaur. The Athenian tribute voyage was a royal and civic mission, not merely an adventure by an unknown hero. Theseus’s return from Crete therefore affected the succession of Athens as well as the city’s relationship with Minos.