After posting a series of Egyptology articles in the past weeks, I took a leap from Ancient Egypt to Greek Mythology. I guess it was a pretty sweet move because I might have bored some of my readers (if there are).

The first story was about the alluring story of the Sirens then followed by the rugged Centaurs. For this week, expect more Greeky stuff as we will be showcasing the best stories from the Greek mythology.

To kick things off, let us all find out about the tale of Theseus and the Minotaur that weaves together the ancient Greek kingdoms of Crete and Athens. Theseus, son of King Aegeus of Athens, slew the monster kept by the King of Crete.

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Birth of the Minotaur

Because Minos, the King of Crete displeased Poseidon by not sacrificing the pure white bull that the god had given to him as a sign of his kingship, the god caused Minos' wife, Pasiphae, to desire the bull. She asked Daedalus for help and he fashioned a wooden cow for her to hide in. The bull mated with her and the Minotaur, half-man-half-bull, was born.

The Minotaur and the Maze

In his shame, Minos ordered Daedalus, the famous architect, to design a lair for the horrid monster. Daedalus designed and built a massive labyrinth near the royal palace at Knossos and the Minotaur went to live inside.

The maze was so complex that no one could ever find their way through it.

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A Tribute: To Feed a Monster

Monsters need to eat, and Minos had a plan. He was at war with Athens and winning. As part of the terms of the peace between the two kingdoms, Minos demanded Athens provide seven young men and seven maidens every year. These young men and women were taken to Knossos and thrown in with the Minotaur.

Between the might of the beast and the confusion of the maze, none of them ever made it out.

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Theseus the Hero

By then, Theseus, son of King Aegeus of Athens, had made a name for himself as a great hero by killing all of the highwaymen on the roads around Athens. Theseus volunteered to be one of the seven youths sent that year to the Minotaur, and his father reluctantly agreed.

When Theseus arrived in Crete, the daughter of Minos, Ariadne, fell in love with him.

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The goddess Aphrodite caused the daughter of Minos to fall in love with Theseus and Ariadne provided help with the condition that he take her with him when he left. She gave him a ball of string to unwind in the labyrinth with the end tied at the entrance.

Theseus was victorious over the Minotaur, freeing his countrymen from the Cretan levy and with Ariadne's help, regained his own freedom.

Loss of Ariadne

Theseus escaped from Crete with Ariadne but according to one legend, was instructed by the goddess Athena to not continue his voyage with her.

He stopped in Naxos on his way back to Athens but left Ariadne sleeping on the beach when he departed. This is how it came to be that Dionysus found Ariadne on Naxos and made her his wife.

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Loss of his Father

Before leaving his homeland, Theseus had promised his father that, on their return, they would signal their success with white sails, or with black for failure. Unfortunately, they did not remember to change the sails and Aegeus, anxiously looking out to sea every day, saw the ships returning with black sails. Grieved at the thought that his son was dead, he threw himself into the sea which now bears his name, the Aegean.

Theseus succeeded him as King of Athens, where he earned a reputation as a tough and ruthless ruler.

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Some believe that the myth dates to the time when Athens was a vassal of Crete. Young men and women may well have been part of the tribute, and Cretan priests may have sacrificed them while wearing bull masks.




Sources
_{Theoi - Minotauros / Theseus and The Minotaur
Greek Boston - Story of Dionysus and Ariadne}

Interested in the Greek Mythology? You may check my other posts for further reading.

• Mythical Creatures: The Centaurs
• Mythical Creatures: The Seductive Sirens