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The Minotaur - Greek Mythology

The Minotaur was one of the most famous and gruesome monsters in Ancient Greek mythology, usually described with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

Born from the unnatural union of Pasiphae and the Cretan Bull, the Minotaur resided at the center of the Labyrinth, designed specifically to hide him from view at the request of King Minos.

With the help of Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, Theseus, the greatest Athenian hero, eventually managed to kill the Minotaur.
Born part man and part bull, the Minotaur was the result of Minos' pride, Poseidon's wrath, and Pasiphae's passion.

The story of the Minotaur begins with the death of Asterius, the sacred king of Crete. Since he was childless from his marriage with Europa, Minos one of Europa’s children with Zeus and a stepson of Asterius assumed the right to the throne, declaring to his rivals that this was the supposed will of the gods.

To prove this, he prayed to Poseidon to send him a bull from the sea, which he promised to solemnly sacrifice to him afterward. Poseidon did his part, and Minos won the crown.

However, the virile and mighty white bull was just too beautiful to be killed and King Minos decided to sacrifice a different one to Poseidon. Poseidon was angered by this act, so much so that he made Minos' wife fall in love with the Cretan Bull.

Incapable of resisting the temptation, Pasiphae persuaded Daedalus to fashion for her a hollowed wooden cow, which she hid until the Cretan Bull finally mated with her.
The Minotaur, named Asterius at birth was the strange offspring of this unnatural union.

Minos was horrified by the sight of Pasiphae’s child, to cover his disgrace, he ordered Daedalus to build a structure so elaborate that not only it would make it impossible for the monster to leave it, but it would make it difficult for anyone going inside it to find his way out.

Daedalus devised a plan for a vast underground maze of hallways and passages we now know as the Labyrinth.

Soon after, the center of the Labyrinth became the Minotaur’s dark dwelling place. There, the monster was regularly fed with human flesh, specifically that of fourteen young Athenian noblemen and women.

These were sent as a sacrifice by the city of Athens to Minos every nine years, according to some stories in recompense for the death of his son, Androgeus, whom the Athenians had once killed out of jealousy for beating them at the Panathenaic Games.

Theseus, the founding hero of Athens, wasn’t someone who’d turn a blind eye to the sufferings of his fellow citizens. So, when the time for the third sacrifice came, he volunteered to go to Crete.

Fortunately for him, Ariadne, Minos’ daughter, fell in love with him and decided to help him to the best of her knowledge. She begged Daedalus to tell her the secret of the Labyrinth, until finally, the master craftsman caved in. At his advice, Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread, which the hero used to navigate himself inside the structure, comforted by the fact that he would always be able to find his way out.

Finally, at the center of the Labyrinth, Theseus came across the Minotaur and, after a long and exhausting fight whether with his bare hands or a club, he finally managed to overpower the vicious monster. Both Crete and Athens were finally set free.

The story of the Minotaur teaches us about the consequences of our actions, and the strength and courage necessary to overcome adversity.


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