Greek mythology has left us with several impressive myths that have been passed down through generations. Many of these served to teach important lessons and explain natural phenomena of the time. We invite you to read this article about the myth of the Minotaur , a rather unique monster from the island of Crete.
Who is the Minotaur?
Before discussing this mythical figure, we must clarify exactly who he is in the story. The Minotaur is a monster created by the Greeks and one of the most important characters in their mythology. His Greek name is Μινώταυρος (Minótauros) , meaning "Bull of Minos."
This creature is not born out of nowhere, in fact it is the son of Pasiphae and the Cretan Bull. Due to his bastard status and his hideous appearance, he was locked in a labyrinth under the island of Crete. For many years, this labyrinth designed by Daedalus was the punishment of many young people who launched themselves as tribute.
There is much speculation about why this myth was created; in fact, several experts and archaeologists have searched for the famous labyrinth, without success. The myth's description speaks of the Minotaur's anger causing the island to tremble. Years later, scientific evidence emerged of the existence of tectonic plates, and their movement was what caused the tremors.
If you'd like to read more articles like this, we recommend checking out our blog. In fact, we invite you to read Chilean Legends for Children in the myths and legends category.
The beginning of the myth of the Minotaur
On the myth of the Minotaur there are several versions that explain the birth of this monster and the relationship between the wife of Minos, Pasífae and the Cretan Bull. The longest version of this myth explains how Minos asked Poseidon for strength and popularity so that people would hail him as King of Crete, since his father Asterion had already died.
Poseidon decides to listen to him and fulfill his request, to do this, he makes a majestic white bull come out of the seas and tells Minos that he must sacrifice it in his name. Minos accepts, however, seeing the bull, he was mesmerized by its beauty. He hid the beautiful bull among his herd and sacrificed another common bull to the god, hoping that the god would not perceive what he had done.
Poseidon realized his deception and punished Minos, influencing the thoughts of his wife, Pasiphae, so that she would fall in love with the white bull that Minos had decided to hide. Pasifae knew that the bull would not consume that union being she a human. So she, with the help of Daedalus, a craftsman of the time, she created a cow so that both of them could procreate. The bull, thinking that the cow was real, lay with her, creating from this union the Minotaur.
The creation of the Labyrinth
With the head of a bull and a human body, this creature was a monster and a bastard. The then king Minos asks Daedalus to build a structure that allows him to control the Minotaur. This character was extremely wild and consumed human flesh, which made him a danger to the people. Daedalus, knowing that he not only had to hide the Minotaur, but also had to protect the city of Crete, built an elaborate labyrinth under the island where they could abandon the beast.
More of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur
While this creature was abandoned there, one of the legitimate sons of King Mino was assassinated in Athens. Androgeno had finished his Olympic competition by declaring himself champion. However, he met a dark fate when he was cruelly killed for winning.
The king of Crete then declares war on Athens, attacking her territory and conquering Megara, Athens had no choice but to surrender and declare Crete the winner of that war. As a result, Minos decreed that there would be several conditions that the Athenians had to meet. The first and most important for this story was that the Athenians were to give Crete a tribute of fourteen youths, seven men and seven maidens, as a sacrifice to the Minotaur.
This sacrifice would be made every three or every nine years, history does not make it very clear. What they do specify is that the sacrifice made the beast calm and that it did not get angry and make Crete tremble. The young men who served as tribute, had to enter the labyrinth and look for the beast. Within this scenario there were only two possible ends, either they died in the innumerable corridors of the labyrinth or the Minotaur found them and ate them, either ending was tragic.
If you'd like to read other myths like this one, we recommend checking out our Myths and Legends category, and especially the story of Sleepy Hollow.
Theseus arrives in Crete
All legends and myths have a hero, in the case of the Minotaur myth, the hero is Theseus, the son of Aegeus. With his immense bravery, he decides to kill the Minotaur and free the inhabitants of Athens from the sacrifice. There are two theories that relate to the arrival of Theseus and his introduction to the labyrinth.
The first explains that Theseus' desire is born after helping his father in the fight against the Palantids. This is where he finds out about the sacrifice that the young people of the town are suffering and decides to be a volunteer of this group, to enter the labyrinth and kill the beast.
The second theory says that it is Minos himself who chose the young people who will be sacrificed and among those he chooses Theseus, which although it seems like a random decision, is in fact to annoy Aegeus.
Legend has it that this was the third time the sacrificial youths had to face the beast—14 Athenians, including seven adolescents and seven maidens. These youths were presented to Minos, allowing Theseus to meet Ariadne, the king's daughter, and fall in love.
The young woman decides to help Theseus, despite her fear, tells him that she can devise a plan for him to defeat the creature and get out of the labyrinth. Ariadne seeks the help of Daedalus, the creator of the labyrinth, to show her the way out of it. The artist had created a single output and this worked from the start as well. The road was so complicated that it would be impossible to retrace his steps if they were not marked.
Ariadne then gave Theseus a ball of thread, which he would unfold as he walked. Once he defeated the Minotaur, Theseus could return to the entrance and leave the labyrinth.
The defeat of the Minotaur
Theseus complies with Ariadne's plan. As she walks, she unwinds the ball of thread marking the path she was walking. In the middle of the labyrinth he meets the Minotaur and with all his skill and bravery, he decides to kill the beast and the sacrifices.
To return, follow the path he had marked with the thread and exit the terrible labyrinth. What happens next is very confusing, as the various stories have different opinions about the relationship that Ariadne and Theseus had. So it's really unknown what happens after leaving the labyrinth and her life after the fact.
On the other hand, the stories don't specify how the Minotaur died, considering that he was an infernal creature. Few agree on how he died; some stories relate that Theseus killed the Minotaur by stabbing him with his own horn. In others, they ended up fighting, and Theseus finished him off with his fists. Different versions speak of a sword that was supposedly a gift from Ariadne. The reality is that we may never know exactly how the original Minotaur myth came to be.
The myth and the reality
Many experts have attempted to locate the famous Minotaur's labyrinth, as it is not known for certain whether a place similar to it actually existed. Over the years, archaeologists have investigated possible sites that inspired the myth. The basis of these sites is the palace of Knossos, a site known for its intricate and grand structures.
Any visitor to this place will realize how intricate the entire structure is. At first glance, this palace looks like a labyrinth. Although it is not the real place, since it is impossible to know if such a place even existed, this palace was the inspiration for the creation of the myth or so.
The tectonic plates and the Minotaur
Until a few years ago, it was completely unknown why the Minoan culture, which had roamed the earth around 1400 BC, and its replacement by the Mycenaean, had disappeared. Modern technological advances have revealed how this event occurred.
The myth of the Minotaur claims that when he was angry, he would make Crete tremble. However, today, knowing the impossibility of the Minotaur's existence, we wonder how Crete became so prone to tremors and what consequences they brought. The island of Crete was situated on a large fault, which, in turn, was also located above the Hellenic Trench, a large depression that runs from the Anatolian to the African tectonic plates.
When it reaches a hot spot, subduction occurs causing the second plate to sink under the first, allowing unusual movement of the earth. As there was no way to explain this event, the inhabitants of Crete designated the blame for said event to the Minotaur who lay under his city.
Now, curiously, this constant movement was what wiped out the Minoan culture, as they were exposed to the movement and explosion of three volcanoes surrounding the island of Santorini. This triggered one of the largest tsunamis in recorded history, a destructive event that wiped out the islands of Crete. While the landmass remained in place, history, culture, and millions of lives were destroyed overnight.
Finally, the inhabitants of Mycenae took advantage of this moment to invade what little remained of Crete and destroy any trace of the Minoan culture by replacing it with the Mycenaean.
If you'd like to read more articles like this, we invite you to explore the different categories we have on our blog. In particular, we recommend reading the myth of Narcissus in the myths and legends category.
Interpretations of the myth
It's impossible to compile all the references to the Minotaur myth that have existed throughout the years. However, what can be done is to look for the most noteworthy interpretations of this story. For example, Carlo Lapucci , a famous Italian writer, highlighted a connection between the Minotaur myth and the tale of Beauty and the Beast, an old French fantasy story.
On the other hand, it has been explained that this myth speaks of the subjugation that existed in Greece during the Minoan period. Even if the conquest didn't happen exactly as the myth depicts, it is true that a tense situation existed between the inhabitants of Athens and those of Crete. The author Jorge Luis Borges created a poetic reinterpretation of the myth; his short story "The House of Asterion" contains allusions to the legend.
Julio Cortázar , another internationally renowned author, wrote a play that not only alluded to the myth but also created a new version of it. This play, titled "The Kings," portrayed the Minotaur as a benevolent being and Theseus as the villain of the story.
Interestingly, the Minotaur has become a classic figure in fiction, being a character depicted in numerous video games and movies. His actions vary, in some versions he is the good guy, in others he is the bad guy. His appearance and his history manage to create the ideal character for these mythological representations.
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