The Minotaur
THE MINOTAUR
The Minotaur was one of the most famous and gruesome monsters in Ancient Greek mythology, usually portrayed with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Due to the Minotaur's monstrous form, King Minos ordered the craftsman, Daedalus, and his son, Ica rus, to build a huge maze known as the Labyrinth to house the beast. The Minotaur remained in the Labyrinth receiving annual offerings of youths and maidens to eat, until his death from Theseus. The following video is brought to you by Mythology & Fiction Explained YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fVRJXECkhY THE BIRTH OF MINOTAUR
Pasiphaë and the Minotaur, Attic red-figure kylix found at Etruscan Vulci. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (Ancient Greek: Μῑνώταυρος, Latin: Minotaurus) is a mythical creature portrayed in Classical times with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "part man and part bull". Before Minos became a king, he asked god Poseidon for a sign to approve that he would become the king of Crete and not his brother. So, god Poseidon sent a very beautiful white bull and told Minos to sacrifice it for him, but Minos excited by its beauty, sacrificed another bull hoping that the god would not notice it. Unfortunately, the god, who knew about Minos action, he became very angry, so he made Pasiphae, Minos wife, to fall in love with the white bull. Incapable of resisting to the temptation, Pasiphae asked for help from the mechanic Daedalus. He made for her a hollowed wooden structure which resembled a cow and the woman got inside it in order to trick the bull. She succeeds so the beautiful white bull mated with her. That was the story about the birth of the legendary Minotaur, an anomalous offspring of an unnatural union.
THE LABYRINTH
The Minotaur in the Labyrinth, engraving of a 16th- century.
Minos was appalled by the sight of Pasiphae’s offspring and soon after the Minotaur’s birth, to cover his disgrace, he ordered Daedalus and his son Icarus to build a structure to his palace in Knossos in order to not only 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. The Minotaur remained in the Labyrinth receiving annual offerings of youths and maidens to eat.
THESEUS
Edward BurneJones's illustration of Theseus and the Minotaur in the Labyrinth, 1861.
Theseus was an Athenian prince, the son of Aegeus, who volunteered to be sent with other 6 boys and 7 girls in Crete. His hidden purpose was to kill minotaur. Due to the fact Athens had to pay Minos a full tax of 14 Athenians annually (or every nine years, according to some) in recompense for the death of Minos son, Androgeus. He was killed out of jealousy by the Athenians for beating them at the Panathenaic Games. After that Athenians had to pay a blood tax to Minos. Theseus thought up a plan in which he trained two boys of the mission to treat like girls in order to help him trick the minotaur and finally succeed to kill him. THE DEATH OF THE MINOTAUR
Theseus Slaying Minotaur (1843), bronze sculpture by Antoine-Louis Barye.
When Theseus arrived in Crete, Ariadne - Minos’ daughter- fell in love with him. So she decided to help him to the best of her knowledge. Ariadne 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 he 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. Eventually, both Crete and Athens were finally freed.
Ariadne and Phaedra watching the battle with the Minotaur. (Henry Fuseli)
The string of Ariadne (Rouen) THE INTERPRETATION OF THE MYTH
Theseus with the head of Minotaur
Some people believe that Minos and the Minotaur were not two different creatures, but they were the same person due to their malicious and controversial personalities. Others may suggest that the legend that is combined with the death of Minotaur symbolizes the Greek’s freedom from the sovereignty of the Minoan Crete. Of course, this legend has inspired many different artists such as musicians, painters, authors and many more. One of the most famous novels that was inspired from the legend of the Minotaur is “In the palaces of Knossos” written by Nikos Kazantzakis. In addition to that Kazantzakis’ has written another novel called “Kouros or Theseus”. Despite the novels, Nikolaos Gkikas a very famous painter had given us the honor to paint a painting depicting the labyrinth. Finally, in the early years many plays have been taking place over the Greek (and not only) theaters teaching and entertaining the broader public about the known legend of the Minotaur.
Our sources:
. www.wikipedia.com . www.greekmythology.com . www.greekboston.gr . www.britanika.com