things that would make a lot of sense if Theseus was named after Apollo, and symbolic connections between Theseus and Apollo:
[note - a blend of canon and ashaverse headcanons!]
1) not entirely representing the sun, but moreso representing light as enlightenment, knowledge, and truth
Theseus is seen as a poster child of the Ministry, in many respects. While getting involved in a Muggle war is no doubt highly political, given debates around the Statue, and constantly debated, he nevertheless is widely known as a hero. While Newt is named after Artemis, it’s Newt who has the most visible sun motifs in the series. For example, the scene with Frank, where Newt is bathed in golden light, the gold tracking powder Newt carries around, his whimsical and cheerful nature, his command of the habits in his case — even down to his freckled and weatherbeaten appearance, and unusually bright (for the time period) clothing.
In comparison, Theseus is presented as far more of an austere character. He is usually focused, serious, or awkward. At the same time, he initially seems to be more relaxed and confident in the world than Newt. Theseus is one of the most questioning characters in the series. He is constantly probing at the truth of the situations he’s in, from the encounter with Albus, to Travers’ orders on the night of the rally, to him telling his Aurors they mustn’t become what Grindelwald says they are. He isn’t as radiant, but tends to be incredibly constant in the lives of people — he follows Newt in SOD, follows Leta’s memory, and persists in engaging Albus about Grindelwald to the very end.
Theseus representing this different form of light that’s the core epithet of Apollo therefore makes a lot of sense.
2) several associated sacred animals, such as the swan (beauty and the soul departing at death), the raven as his personal messenger, the wolf as his darker side (Theseus and Leta!!). wolf god and god of light
I think there’s a lot of the hunter’s themes in Theseus’s plotline. The wolf therefore seems apt for some of the more nuanced and violent periods of life he’s experienced as an Auror and veteran. Not to mention that I’m sure Theseus was cast to look physically sharper, darker, more severe than Newt, but they both actually share somewhat of an affinity with creatures.
We know that Theseus was the first character of the series other than perhaps Percival to be directly stated involved in hunting Grindelwald, as in his letter sent to Newt before New York. Theseus looking for Grindelwald through Europe, Theseus and Leta’s gently separate-from-the-world and deeply intimate relationship, Theseus’s silent and alert hunting of Vinda in Berlin, Theseus’s being at the helm of the team as they escape the fire, all give me the sense of that loyal and also lonely figure we also see represented in the wolf.
We also see the fanged, more dangerous side, when Theseus can be sharp-tongued, ruthless in his pursuit of protection or righteousness, and the fact that an Auror and a veteran has likely both prevented and caused bloodshed.
The swan. (Swan over Leda by Hozier. Always makes me think of Leta.) Leta, Leda. The similarities aren’t unintentional. Her story is scattered in comparison to the myth. But many of the themes of grief, finding solace in and being betrayed by animals, and worse haunt Leta.
The raven. Ravens were Apollo’s personal messengers. In fact, he was the one who turned their feathers from white to black. One aspect of Theseus and Leta I love is that they’re both clearly complicated, difficult people. Newt isn’t particularly close to Theseus and doesn’t seem to spend much time with him. It’s said that when he hugs Theseus in the Paris Cemetry, according to the screenplay, it’s the first time it’s happened in their life. Leta is known to be an outcast, despite her pureblood heritage. She is constantly gossiped about and watched and judged and defensive and lonely. Theseus’s faith in the difficult people he loves is the glue that brings the doomed trio of Newt, Leta, and Theseus together. The Qilin warming to Theseus I feel also shows his capacity to love outcasts, as much as Newt does. So recognising the darkness in Leta, and loving her with it.
This also goes with my headcanon that Theseus was the first person Leta told about Corvus’s death, and the truth of it. Leta tells Theseus “how many times” have they talked about Corvus’s death, while the rest of the world believe he’s Credence, he’s alive, and he’s back with her. Theseus knows about the records. I’d like to think her telling Newt was so terrifying because she sees Newt as inherently good and they’ve become so distant now. But for her, it might not have been the first time.
3) guardian of streets, public doorways, and home entrances
Theseus is quite domestic. He rocks and hums and sings to the Qilin like a child without question. He strikes me as someone who’s a bit of a homebody outside of work and who likes to clean and cook. As an Auror and a member of public institutions, he has a responsibility to protect the streets and buildings of society.
4) along with Artemis, his arrows representing sudden and unexpected death
Newt and Theseus are both haunted and surrounded by death. Newt’s as Credence, Theseus’s as the forty-odd Aurors who died in Paris, Leta, and Percival Graves (based on the fact they corresponded when Grindelwald had replaced Percival, they had been close).
5) god who made humans aware of their own sins, ritual purification and guilt, after killing the python
To me, Theseus is a great character struggling with intense guilt and a desire for some form of revenge. We see this both when he tries to go after Vinda in COG and then when he has his moment of depressed staring down the cliff after Grindelwald. He’s also quite critical. He judges Newt as reckless and selfish, he judges the team are likely being ineffective when he joins. Surprisingly, he doesn’t judge Albus when Albus shows Newt and Theseus the effects of the troth. Nor when Albus says he loved Grindelwald. So his judgement seems to stem through some deep understandings of necessity and regret. Theseus is surprisingly sympathetic to the idea that it was for love. Maybe it’s Albus’s guilt that makes Theseus sympathetic, too, or maybe Albus’s association with Newt and Newt’s faith in Albus which allows Theseus to wipe this slate clean. He has intense morals and principles. But also the capacity for forgiveness.
(Also - a headcanon I have that Theseus struggles with OCD).
6) god of governance and legal order, of logic, a form of knowledge that acted as a counterpart to Athena’s wisdom
This one goes for itself! Theseus is clearly quite politically involved and often makes judgement calls or stands about what he believes good governance would look like, such as interrupting Grindelwald being allowed to stand for election in Berlin when no one else did.
Just a fun one! And also an interesting contrast with the hunt.
8) healer/destroyer (god of medicine and of plagues - only one who understands plague can bring healing)
This one is interesting to me mostly for ashaverse reasons. A headcanon I have is that Leta was training to be a curse breaker and she and Theseus would often work side by side on cases, sometimes without the explicit knowledge of the Ministry. Another is that when Theseus’s PTSD was particularly bad and the dragon project ended in Ukraine with the sanctioned slaughter of the dragons, only Percival and Theseus stayed behind. As Theseus could have easily been persecuted as a traitor under Evermonde’s Decree. For the last few months of the war, they used their basic magical healing skills to work as field medics. Easier to explain and come in and out, and move through units without being recognised, in the chaos of war where people are desperate to be saved.
We also see Theseus tending to Newt’s hand and rather expertly bandaging it in the deleted scene from SOD. I imagine Theseus was regularly patching Newt up in this gentle way throughout their childhoods, given Newt’s propensity to get injured in his various chases after creatures.
9) the laurel wreath as victory, achievement, and unattainable duty
Somehow, I’d like to relate this to the bittersweetness of knowing Theseus is likely doomed to die. A victory (I’d imagine, protecting his loved ones), and the unattainable duty (being a hero without becoming a myth).
10) innate relationship with the sea and protector of those setting sail
So, this is a fun one, because the sea is actually also crucial to the story of the Greek Theseus. The Greek Theseus’s father jumped into the sea and died from grief when Theseus returned home with black sails. In some ends of the story of Theseus, he dies from being pushed off a cliff. The Ship of Theseus is also a famous paradox in the extent to which a thing can be replaced in parts before it becomes a different thing (something I’m always thinking about when writing “all I need”).
If I had to give the four main FB characters elements, it would be Theseus - air, Leta - water, Newt - earth, Tina - fire.
But there’s something about relating Theseus to the sea and sailors…
Another fondness I have for this relationship is thanks to @uefb ‘s lovely fics about young Newt and Theseus, where their father’s nickname for Theseus is “sailor”.
Also - those setting sail - may I think fondly of both Leta at seven or so getting on that boat, and Newt on the trip to New York that changes his life? And Theseus being a protector of both?
11) the bond between Artemis and Apollo. their domains of the sun and the moon/reason and wilderness/prophecy and the lunar/judgement and the hunt, respectively, being a family inheritance from Phoebe who held both the moon and the oracle before it was claimed by Apollo
Again, maybe self-explanatory? The siblings were fiercely close and often fought side by side, being protective of one another. They can be seen as two sides of the coin, with some of the dichotomies listed above. These distinctions would fit really nicely into a lot of the stories I have planned for ashaverse, but maybe would be too much of an extension of canon to neatly slot into this post. But some hugely rich potential for the characters of Theseus and Newt there.
Also, as Callum Turner said: “Theseus had become part of the establishment, when his natural instincts would probably not to be that, much like his brother. But becoming Head Auror, that was the way he chose to fight the good fight.”
Two sides of the same story.
I originally gave Theseus the middle name of Athena, because I simply liked the idea of both the brothers being named for a goddess. But I’ve been doing more research into Apollo, and surfaced a lot of interesting epithets and symbolism that feel more and more fitting, so he might be getting another rename…
(also, please check out @heartbroken-bird’s lovely work with the brothers in Greek symbolism, and Theseus adorned with the symbols of prophecy. Absolutely beautiful!)
(hope you enjoyed my long fantastic beasts ramble!)
