COL088

2012

Other

The Minotaur, also known as Asterius, is a creature from Greek mythology with the head of a bull and the body of a man. His birth was the result of Poseidon cursing Pasiphae, the queen of Crete, to fall in love with a Cretan bull.

King Minos, Pasiphae's husband, commissioned Daedalus to build a labyrinth, a complex maze, to contain the Minotaur. The labyrinth was located beneath Minos's palace in Knossos.

As punishment for the death of his son Androgeus, King Minos demanded that Athens send seven young men and seven young women every year (or every nine years, depending on the version) to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. This tribute continued until Theseus, a hero from Athens, volunteered to be part of the sacrificial group.

With the help of Ariadne, Minos' daughter, who fell in love with him, Theseus navigated the labyrinth using a ball of thread she provided. He successfully confronted and killed the Minotaur, ending the Athenian tribute. He then escaped the labyrinth, freeing the other Athenians.