Athens’ Blood Sacrifices
Athenians had to send seven young boys and seven young girls to Crete every nine years. The Minotaur would eat them. This had been imposed by Minos after the Athenians lost a war to the Cretans. Minos saw it as a fit punishment for the death of his son, Androgeus, who’d been killed in Athens.
Theseus vs Minotaur
The Athenians had already sent several sacrifices when King Aegaeus’ son, Theseus, decided to take the place of one of the seven young boys and go to Crete to kill the Minotaur. When he reached Crete, he met Minos’ daughter, Ariadne. She fell in love with him and helped him in his quest. Theseus entered the labyrinth, fought the Minotaur and killed him. Following a thread that Ariadne had given him, Theseus was able to find his way out and the two of them left for Athens.
On his way back from Crete, Theseus forgot to change the black sails of his ship to the white ones that would have announced his victory. Seeing the black sails and believing his son dead, King Aegaeus threw himself into the sea and drowned. Since then, that sea has been known as the Aegean Sea.
Minos’ Death
He Had a Name!
The real name of the Minotaur was Asterion, though everyone knew him as Minotaur, ‘the bull of Minos.’
According to Pausanias, Minos died on an expedition to Sicily. While there, he was killed by a local king.
What Happened to Daedalus
After Theseus escaped the labyrinth, Daedalus was imprisoned by Minos. Daedalus built two pairs of wax wings with which to escape from Crete with his son, Icarus. The young Icarus ignored his father’s warning and flew too close to the Sun. The wax melted, and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.
The Bull in Minoan Culture
The bull was an extremely important symbol for the Minoan civilisation. The animal can be found in works of art, vases and even bull-leaping – a sport in which athletes jumped over a running bull.
PROFILE
Name: Minotaur
Kind: Bull-man
What Was the Labyrinth?
The mythical labyrinth was probably the very maze-like palace of Minos in Knossos. It spans 22,000 square metres – as big as 34 football fields – and has 1,400 rooms.
Date of birth: Minos’ times
Place of birth: Knossos
Home: Labyrinth
Hobby: Eating young people
Favourite colour: Definitely not red
