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Jim Henson's The Storyteller S02E01 Theseus and the Minotaur
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CreativityTranscript
00:00Transcription by CastingWords
00:30Transcription by CastingWords
01:00Transcription by CastingWords
01:29Transcription by CastingWords
01:59Transcription by CastingWords
02:29Ten centuries ago, a creature was born, child of a terrible passion, son of a queen, son of a bull.
02:37A creature so monstrous, Minos, king of Crete, had this maze built to hide him.
02:43Every seven years there was a blood tribute paid to Crete.
02:47Every seven years a black-sailed ship came from Athens.
02:51Seven youths in their prime, seven pure maidens were taken as sacrifice, brought here to the labyrinth, where every passage is a promise broken.
03:00Every way out is a way in, and where the Minotaur's savage appetite for human flesh could be dealt with in the dark.
03:09But there was one person who came and went at will in the beast's domain.
03:16Ariadne, daughter of Minos, the king, every day she visited the creature, cared for it, pitied it, down in the dark, shut away with its secrets.
03:31Shhh...
03:33Shhh...
03:34It's me. I'm here.
03:38Come close. Come here.
03:40She knew the heart was human, no matter what the face.
03:44Come close.
03:46No matter what she saw.
03:48No matter what she heard.
03:50The cries of the victims, the pitiful cries, awful, awful, awful, awful.
04:01Many leagues away from Crete, a bull was being sacrificed, watched by a mother and her son, Theseus.
04:10She had never told him who his father was, bound by a promise made seventeen years before.
04:16Now, Theseus was growing up, and she knew that soon he would leave her, just as his father had done before him.
04:27Why do you weep? At the bull's death?
04:31No.
04:33No.
04:34Then what?
04:37I was thinking of the pine forest, of a rock, and the high ground in the forest.
04:46When you can move the rock, you will find out who your father is.
05:00I cannot!
05:01Then wait one summer!
05:02Why are you happy?
05:04Because when you can move the rock, you will leave me.
05:07Never!
05:09I promise!
05:12But Theseus couldn't wait another summer.
05:14He was there, morning after morning, straining at the rock, tearing his muscles, until one day, the dawn still damp in his hair, he felt the rock give.
05:26Then, with one last effort, he heaved it away.
05:45Mother, was my father a great warrior?
05:50Your father is a king.
05:52Your father is Aegeus, king of Athens.
05:58And Theseus heard the story of his birth, and vowed to go to Athens and make himself known to his father.
06:05I will come back.
06:07I promise.
06:09Go to Athens by sea.
06:11Don't risk the coast road.
06:13Danger will find you soon enough.
06:15Did he go by sea?
06:18No, he went by the coast road, plagued by robbers, giants, bandits.
06:24On the long journey, he slew Procrustes, Skyron the Kicker, Cenus the Pinebender, until at last he came to the great fortress of Athens, rising up from the sea.
06:35And with the dust of the journey, still on his skin, he sought audience with Aegeus, his father.
06:47It was seventeen years since Aegeus had left Theseus' mother.
06:51Now his beard was grey, and another woman was by his side.
06:57Medea.
06:59I thank you, Lord, for greeting a stranger.
07:02Word of your great adventures reaches the king.
07:05Slayer of giants, we hear.
07:07Scourge of bandits.
07:09I wish the road between my home and Athens safe for travellers.
07:12Where is that home?
07:14Troisene, in the west.
07:16Troisene?
07:18My Lord is trusting.
07:20I tell him, as his priestess, as mother to his sons, be wary of those who arrive with blood on their hands.
07:25I seek purification from the king.
07:27Of course you do.
07:29What is your name, warrior?
07:31Theseus, Lord.
07:32Your lineage?
07:33Some say my father is of the sea.
07:35Some say he is a great king.
07:37The king is insulted by riddles.
07:39Does he have your allegiance?
07:40I would give my life for him.
07:42I would take life from all who are his enemies.
07:45The king invites you to feast with him this evening.
07:48First, with his blessing, go to the river Cephisos and be purified.
07:52Then you are welcome in Athens.
07:53I don't like her.
07:55She's a witch.
07:56She was a witch.
07:58She was also a mother.
07:59And she knew Theseus.
08:01She knew nothing would stand in his way.
08:03Not love.
08:04Not fear.
08:05Not a promise.
08:07Theseus went to the river Cephisos and washed himself in readiness for the peace.
08:12Medea, wanting the kingdom for her own sons, also made preparation.
08:18Mixing secret herbs and poisonous spices.
08:23Welcome, hero.
08:24My lady.
08:25My lord.
08:27Your sword.
08:28Forgive me, lord.
08:29I wear it in peace.
08:33Drink, friend.
08:34Drink the wine.
08:35No!
08:36Theseus!
08:37My son!
08:38My son!
08:39My son!
08:40Seize her!
08:41Seize the sorceress!
08:42A curse on you, Aegeus of Athens.
08:43A curse on your son.
08:44You will bring each other nothing but pain and sorrow.
08:45Before a year is out, grief will poison you.
08:49Poison you.
08:50Poison you.
08:51Poison you.
08:52Poison you.
08:53Poison you.
08:54Poison you.
08:55Poison you.
08:56Spitting out her foul curse.
08:57She vanished and was seen no more.
08:58sorrow. Before a year is out, grief will poison you. Spitting out her foul curse, she vanished
09:07and was seen no more. But is that true? Did they bring each other nothing but pain and sorrow?
09:16Was it terrible? No, no. At first it was wonderful. The king, who had rarely smiled, now laughed.
09:23Age dropped from him and Theseus walked the fortress of the Acropolis with the proud steps
09:28of a prince. No, no. At first it was wonderful. There's a but coming up. But. There was already
09:37a curse on Athens and the time had come for fourteen more of her sons and daughters to
09:42set sail for Crete, dressed in the white robes of sacrifice. Stop! Take off the robe. Take
09:52off the robe. Every seven years, father, stretching into the future, our sons and our sons' sons,
10:00our wives' daughters and their daughters too. Not any more. Son, don't, I beg you. What
10:05is this minotaur of theirs? Who has seen it? I have. In my dreams I have seen it. It waits
10:12for me. And I, Theseus, son of Aegeus, who slew Procrustes and Skyron the kicker and seen
10:20as a minister pinebender. I will face the monster and rid Athens of its fear. Raise your heads,
10:27sons and daughters of Athens. Lift up your hearts. We will return with the head of the
10:33beast on our prow. Don't return under the black sail. If you come back safe, hoist a white
10:40sail. Son, do you hear me? I shall be watching every day from the cliffs. The white sail, father.
10:46The white sail, father. Have no fear. I will return. I promise. A white sail. I promise.
10:56And with his promise catching on the wind, Theseus set sail for Crete. And at that very
11:02moment, in the heart of the labyrinth, the minotaur woke from a dream in the dark and howled.
11:08Shhh. It's all right. It's a dream. Shhh. Be here. I'll tell you about the world outside.
11:25About the light. About the colour of the sky. They say the sky is blue, but it's not.
11:33It can be a thousand colours. Pinks. Grays. Colour of gold. Colour of wine.
11:44But there are people. Families.
11:50I am somebody's daughter. I am the daughter of a king. I am a sister.
11:56You are a son. You are a brother.
12:14As Ariadne came from the labyrinth, ran from the monster left with its secrets, Theseus,
12:20son of Aegeus, sailed into Crete.
12:23And as the children of Athens came before her, Theseus, the hero, stood defiant.
12:30And as he saw her, as she saw him, the threads of their lives crossed, tangled, knotted them together.
12:42Kneel, Athenian.
12:44Who am I kneeling to?
12:45Ariadne, daughter of King Minos.
12:48If I said, Athenian, I implore you, I beg you, kneel before me, would you do that?
13:00How could I refuse?
13:06Forehead on the ground as the Egyptians kneel to their kings and queens.
13:13Who are you?
13:14Theseus, son of Aegeus.
13:18The king's son?
13:21And you go to the Minotaur as sacrifice?
13:24Or did you think you would kill it?
13:26I think I was a fool.
13:28I think so too.
13:29When I gave you a civil answer.
13:31Take him away, so die all enemies of my father.
13:34As the guards lifted him up, he felt I press something into his hand.
13:39It was a key.
13:40She gave him a key?
13:42My goodness, this is getting exciting.
13:44Well, Theseus was locked with the others in the deepest, darkest dungeon of the palace.
13:49Those that slept shook with their nightmares.
13:53Those who couldn't sleep were fixed on their fate.
13:56Death playing over in their minds.
13:58How they would die.
14:00What they would feel.
14:02Whether the pain would be quick or slow.
14:04Zeus, help me.
14:07Athene, help me.
14:09The far end of the palace, you will come to a great door marked with gold.
14:17Go through it and enter the labyrinth.
14:19Pay out this ball of twine behind you as you go to guide you on your return.
14:23Go forwards and always down.
14:25And in the very heart of the maze, you will find the beast.
14:28Why do you do this for me?
14:29Because the curse on Athens is also the curse on Crete.
14:34Because of the way you look at me.
14:36How do I look at you?
14:38Like this.
14:41And like this.
14:42Why do you want the Minotaur dead?
14:47It shames my family.
14:49It shames me.
14:52What life does it have in the dark?
14:54It's loveless.
14:55Don't ask more.
14:57Go.
14:58Go and kill the beast.
15:01Promise me one thing.
15:03Promise me if you return, you'll take me with you.
15:06I promise.
15:07And so Theseus, the hero, opened the great door to the labyrinth.
15:23He knew immediately the beast could sense him.
15:26But like a brooding black spider, it could sense the slightest movement in its massive, intricate web.
15:35Theseus froze.
15:36Theseus could hear his own heartbeat.
15:39Or was it the beast's?
15:43What happened?
15:44No, don't tell me.
15:46No, tell me.
15:47Ugh, this is terrible.
15:49Theseus crept around the next corner.
15:51And the next.
15:53Always forwards.
15:54Always down.
15:56Paying out the thread.
15:57Until...
15:58The power of a bull, the guile of a man.
16:07It knew every inch of its domain.
16:10Wherever Theseus went, it knew another way.
16:12Suddenly appearing.
16:14Smashing through passages.
16:15Maddened.
16:16Wild.
16:17Famished.
16:18No.
16:18No.
16:19No.
16:19No.
16:19No.
16:20No.
16:20No.
16:20No.
16:21No.
16:21No.
16:22No.
16:22No.
16:22No.
16:23No.
16:23No.
16:24No.
16:24No.
16:25No.
16:25No.
16:26No.
16:26No.
16:27No.
16:28No.
16:30No.
16:30No.
16:31No.
16:31No.
16:32No.
16:32No.
16:33No.
16:34No.
16:34No.
16:35No.
16:35No.
16:36No.
16:36No.
16:37No.
16:38No.
16:38No.
16:38No.
16:39No.
16:40No.
16:42No.
16:43No.
16:44No.
16:45No.
16:46No.
16:46No.
16:46No.
16:47It lay there on the floor, bleeding to death, and Theseus stood above it with his sword,
16:56and as he watched, its huge jaws moved, and it seemed to him as if the sounds coming from
17:03them were almost human.
17:06Mother, it seemed to say, mother, father, brother, sister.
17:16No. Don't. Don't kill him. He's my brother.
17:36Please. He's my brother.
17:41Move. Move away.
17:45Theseus, son of Aegeus.
17:56He killed it?
17:57He killed it.
17:58Oh.
17:59Oh.
18:00Oh, what?
18:01Was it really her brother?
18:02It really was.
18:04That's sad.
18:05That's why Ariadne always came here, isn't it? Because she was his sister.
18:10That's right.
18:12Did Theseus have to kill him? Couldn't he have been tamed?
18:16Theseus saw only the beast, saw only the moment when he could hold the horns aloft on the quay
18:22at Athens.
18:23His father's face, the pride, the hero's welcome.
18:27All his life had been for that moment. The birth, the rock, the sword, the labors, all for that moment when he struck off the head of the minotaur.
18:37Within an hour, he was pulling out of the harbor, firing the Cretan ships, heading out towards the open sea, the beast's head wrapped in sailcloth.
18:46Did she go with him?
18:48She did go with him. She loved him. From the first moment she'd seen him, she loved him. But already she saw his heart was growing cold and famous.
18:59And she was forced to look on the bloodied sail which covered her brother's head, and the burning of her father's mighty fleet.
19:06And regret chilled her as she stood and watched Crete recede and fade on the horizon, knowing she could never go back.
19:17The next night they put in at Naxos, certain of their safety, danced the dance of the crane. The fourteen Athenians danced the ritual steps of victory.
19:28Feasted late into the night, the fires, the wine, the triumph flushing their faces.
19:35And Ariadne watched, pale as sin, watched and waited for her new lord to join her, waited for him to lie with her.
19:45And when the fire had died to its embers, when the wineskins were dry, when his feet could no longer carry him, Theseus came to her.
19:58And all night he promised her anything. Everything. The promise of a man to a woman. The promise his father had made to his mother. And broken.
20:14And broken.
20:17So he married her.
20:18When Ariadne woke, the bed was empty. The sun beat down on the white sand. She looked for Theseus, but he was gone. She ran to the shore, running through the ashes of the feast, running in the footprints of the dance into the water, as the ship with the black sail carried Theseus to Athens.
20:36Theseus!
20:37Theseus! Son of Aegeus! Breaker of promises! Betrayer!
20:43But already Theseus' thoughts were elsewhere. Puzzling on the beast's head he kept in the sailcloth. Now folding, now unfolding. Amazed that with each day its features seemed to him more human, more gentle.
21:01That was his sail. That was the white sail. He promised he would hoist it on his return.
21:07I know.
21:08He did not wrap the head in it. He promised his father.
21:11Aegeus had grown old, scanning the distance. He had grown old, waiting. And then one day, standing at the edge of the cliffs, he saw a sail approaching. He held his breath.
21:23From the altars of my family, you lord me! My brother's blood on my hands, faithless ones!
21:30His eyes were weak. The sun so blinding. At first he could not tell if it were white or black.
21:37You carry the beast's forehead with you! But also my heart! My heart! My wretched heart! Abandoned on this shore! No way back! Not forward!
21:49I curse you! I curse you! I curse you! I curse you!
22:01His heart broke and he leapt out into the dazzling light of the day, into the sea which ever after bears his name.
22:08I curse your birth! I curse the love I bore for you! You gods who watch all things! Hear my cries! Mark my tears! Let the sky fall on him! The sea swallow him! The earth drown him! He abandoned me!
22:29Theseus, son of Aegeus, bull slayer, king of Athens.
22:50Many nights he would dream of wandering through the winding corridors of his palace, looking as he had done once before for a monster to kill.
22:58But in the dream, it was always his mother, or his father, or his wife he killed. And when he caught his own reflection, he had the monster's face.
23:28The End
23:30The End
23:33The End
23:37The End
23:51The End
23:53The End
24:02The End
24:03The End
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