Minotaur - ancient greek monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, is perhaps one of the most famous mythological creatures. The Minotaur, whose real name was Asterius, played the role of punishment for the sins of the Athenians before the Cretan king Minos. And every year, 7 young men and 7 girls, doomed to a terrible death, were supposed to hopelessly stray in his labyrinth.
The legend of the terrifying minotaur was detailed by Apollodorus, and it reads as follows: as a result of " civil war”, which took place in Crete, King Minos overthrew all his brothers and seized sole power on the island. In order to consolidate his victory, Minos needed to earn the patronage of the divine forces. To do this, he asked Poseidon to send to earth from sea depths bull, then to sacrifice it to the glory of the Gods. However, Minos cheated, he kept the bull for himself, and sacrificed the most ordinary bull. Poseidon, angry at the betrayal of the new ruler, endowed the “sea” bull with a ferocious disposition, and curses Minos’ wife, Pasiphae, which consists in an irresistible love passion for this bull. Unable to resist the unnatural attraction, Pasiphae asks Master Delal, who was exiled to the island for murder, to come up with some way to satisfy his animal passion. The master helped the queen, and after, she is born unusual child who was called the Minotaur. The Minotaur was born with the head of a bull and the body of a man. On the advice of the oracles, Minos imprisons him in a labyrinth, which was built by the same Daedalus. The labyrinth was built in such a cunning way that one who got into it would no longer be able to return.
Every nine years the Athenians were forced to send seven boys and seven girls to be devoured by the monster. When Theseus had the lot to become a victim of the insatiable Minotaur, he decided to rid his homeland of such a duty. The daughter of the Cretan king Ariadne, who fell in love with the hero, gave him a magic ball of thread. If the end of the thread is tied to the door of the palace, the ball rolls itself to the center of the labyrinth, where the Minotaur was. Using a guiding thread, Theseus found a sleeping monster. killed the Minotaur and managed to safely find his way back through the plexus of labyrinth passages.
The myth of the confrontation between Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the most popular stories ancient world that inspired sculptors and artists to create immortal creations. Many ancient vases depicting a duel are known, numerous poems, a novel and even ballets have been created.
minotaur, in ancient Greek mythology, a monster with a human body and a bull's head, who lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete. The Minotaur, whose real name was Asterius, was born from Pasiphae, the wife of Minos. His father was a bull that came out of the sea, and according to another version - Poseidon himself. Minos hid his son in an underground labyrinth built by Daedalus. The labyrinth was so complex that not a single person who entered it could find a way out.
Minos suspected the Athenian king Aegeus of killing one of his sons and, in order to take revenge, he asked Jupiter to send a plague to Athens. The Athenians turned to the oracle for advice, who told them that the epidemic would stop only if they sent seven boys and seven girls to Crete every year to be devoured by the Minotaur.
Prince Theseus decided to save the Athenians from a terrible sacrifice and destroy the Minotaur. He replaced one of the young men who went to Crete. There, the hero was helped by Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, who was in love with him. She gave Theseus a thread that was supposed to help him get out of the labyrinth. Theseus entered the labyrinth and defeated the Minotaur.
Minotaur
The legend of the minotaur begins with a misdeed, the king of the island of Crete, Minos. Instead of sacrificing to the god Poseidon, he left the bull for himself. Enraged, Poseidon bewitched the wife of Minos, and she committed a terrible adultery with a bull. From this connection, a terrible half-bull, half-man, called the Minotaur, was born.
The architect Daedalus, who escaped from Greece, built the famous labyrinth in which the Minotaur was settled. Athens, which was guilty before the Cretan king - in order to avoid war, had to supply 14 boys and girls every year to feed the Minotaur.
Girls and boys from Athens were taken away by a mourning ship with black sails. One day Greek hero Theseus, the son of the ruler of Athens, Aegeus, asked his father about this ship and, having learned the terrible reason for the black sails, set out to kill the Minotaur. Having asked his father to let him go instead of one of the young men intended for feeding, he agreed with him that if he defeats the monster, then the sails on the ship will be white, if not, then they will remain black.
In Crete, before going to dinner with the Minotaur, Theseus charmed the daughter of Minos Ariadne. The girl who fell in love before entering the labyrinth gave Theseus a ball of thread, which he unwound as he moved deeper and deeper into the labyrinth. In a terrible battle, the hero defeated the monster, and returned along the thread of Ariadne to the exit. On the way back, he set off already with Ariadne.
However, Ariadne was to become the wife of one of the gods, and Theseus was not part of their plans at all. Dionysius, namely, Ariadne was to become his wife, demanded from Theseus that he leave her. but Theseus was stubborn and did not listen. Angered by the gods, they sent a curse on him, which made him forget about the promise given to his father, he forgot to change the sails from black to white.
The father, seeing a galley with black sails, rushed into the sea, which was called the Aegean.
Sources: www.onelegend.ru, godsbay.ru, krit.info, bobfilm.net, animalspace.net
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It's no secret that myths different countries similar to each other in one way or another. But in ancient Greek mythology there is one myth, the equal of which is not found in any of the world's cultures. Main character of this myth terrified people, mercilessly dealt with the young people sent to him for devouring. Bull god, bull man, his name is Minotaur.
According to the myth, the Minotaur was the fruit of the unnatural love of the Cretan queen Pasiphae for the sacrificial bull sent by Poseidon (or Zeus, depending on the source) for sacrifice. This feeling was sent to her by a jealous Aphrodite, whom Pasiphae did not honor for many years, as was customary in the kingdom of King Minos.
And according to other sources, Aphrodite did such a perversion at the request of Poseidon, who was offended that Minos sacrificed not the same bull, but a simple one from a shepherd's flock. To hide the shame of his wife, the king ordered his sculptor Daedalus to build a huge Labyrinth, where the Minotaur was settled, and criminals were given to him, and every nine years - young men and women sent from Athens.
Who is this - the Minotaur, and why in one part of the great Hellas they were afraid of him, and in the other they openly laughed at this cruel legend? And in fact, everything goes back to those distant times when Ancient Greece did not yet know what democracy is. King Minos is the key link in this myth. This king appears in many myths, the most vivid legends are associated with his name. Ancient Greece.
The king is actually mythical, and he never actually existed, but his very name is reminiscent of the Aegean civilization, namely the Cretan-Mycenaean period. The very word "Minos" was the designation of the king, a kind of title worn by the Cretan autocrats. early civilization Cretan-Mycenaean period is called the Minoan civilization - by the name of the title.
IN historical tradition these times are called the pre-antique period. By itself, Antiquity did not yet exist, it was just beginning to emerge, and the gods that people worshiped had not yet taken on a completely anthropomorphic form. The bull was the central figure in the beliefs of the Minoans - such beliefs were widespread in those days in the territory Central Europe and Egypt. Studies of archaeologists and historians in this direction give reason to believe that the Minotaur actually existed.
Yes, yes, do not be surprised - the Minotaur existed, however, in a slightly different guise. After all, if you think sensibly - once Schliemann believed in a fairy tale about Trojan War and went in search of this, as it seemed then, mythical city. And he found not only Troy, but also a whole civilization that preceded the period of Antiquity. This means that the Minotaur is not a fairy tale, but someone real who has become a terrible creature.
But first things first. So, in Crete, the bull-god was honored. What god this bull god later transformed into is not exactly known, but the two brothers Poseidon and Zeus can equally claim this role. However, the real name of the Minotaur, given to him at birth - Asterius, still goes back to Zeus, this name is one of the epithets of the supreme Olympic god.
The main celebration of the god was the annual fight with the bull. This battle was ritual and timed to coincide with the beginning of the cultivation of the land. During the battle, it was required to kill the bull, thereby making a sacrifice to the god. And only the bull-god knows how many people died until someone alone killed the sacrificial bull. Such battles took place all over the Old Europe and in some places have survived to this day, taking on the character of entertainment. You know about him, about this entertainment - bullfighting is called.
And then began the celebration of the winner. The man who killed the bull became central figure festivities, and the priest, putting on his head the muzzle of a bull, performed ritual dance in honor of the winner, and at the same time offered up a prayer so that God would accept this sacrifice. Stop. Priest! A priest is a person who puts a bull's muzzle on his head. It was this priest who bore the name Minotaur during the festival. If we translate literally from the Mycenaean language, then the very word "minotaur" means "king-bull". Here the opinions of historians differ - and who was the priest who put on the bull's head. And most believe that the priest was Minos himself, that is, the king. After all, we remember that Minos is a title, not a name.
And what about the labyrinth? And the labyrinth is famous palace in the city of Knossos, the then capital of Crete. And it was not the palace that got such a name that it looks like a labyrinth, but the labyrinths were later named after the palace. All passages and corridors in this palace are tangled, and it took a very long time for an uninitiated person to get out of it. And the palace was called the Labyrinth because its walls were decorated with Greek double-edged axes - labris, symbolizing the horns of a sacred bull. Here on the roof of this palace, the king-priest in the form of a bull-god performed his annual ritual dance.
Note that everything fits together. The king - Minos, who acted as a priest, turned into a bull of the Minotaur by dressing up, and before that many people died, until one of them killed the sacrificial bull. Subsequently, it turned out that the ruler was transformed into King Minos (and even later there were two of them, Minos I and Minos II). The minotaur, into which the king-priest turned, became a terrible monster devouring people, because people died before such a reincarnation. And it all happened in the Labyrinth.
Then it happened terrible disaster, the equal of which did not know ancient world which subsequently gave rise to many legends. The Aegean civilization was practically wiped off the face of the earth due to a volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini (Thera). Only memories of the dance of the bull-man remained, words and phrases from the Mycenaean language remained, rare pictures remained that depicted the death of people during the fight with the bull. By combining all these small crumbs of the Minoan culture, the ancient people composed a beautiful and at the same time cruel fairy tale, dividing the images of the just king Minos and the terrible gluttonous Minotaur.
Then this tale was closely intertwined with other legends and became an integral part of ancient Greek culture. It was passed from mouth to mouth, written down by poets, distorting the original meaning of the presence of the Minotaur among people. But this distortion did not make it any less enticing.
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Myths of Ancient Greece they talk about the existence of Knossos (Knossos Palace), where King Minos ruled, and a terrible monster lived in the Labyrinth of his palace, the Minotaur - a creature with a bull's head and a human body, eating human flesh!
But in short, it all began with the fact that the mighty Zeus, the supreme god of Olympus, saw the beautiful Europe, the daughter of a wealthy Phoenician king. I saw and desired. In order not to frighten the girl and her friends, he took the form of a wonderful bull. His fur shone, his golden horns were curved, and a silver spot burned on his forehead like a moon. The bull's breath was fragrant with ambrosia, and the whole air was filled with this aroma. A miraculous bull appeared in a clearing and approached the maidens, among whom was Europe, when they frolicked and picked flowers. The maidens surrounded the marvelous animal and gently stroked it. The bull approached Europe, licked her hands and caressed her. Then quietly lay down at her feet, offering to sit on it.
Laughing, Europe sat down on the bull's broad back. Other girls wanted to sit next to her. But suddenly the bull jumped up and rushed to the sea. Like the wind, the golden-horned bull rushed, then he rushed into the sea and quickly, like a dolphin, swam through the azure waters. The waves of the sea parted before him, and soon they appeared in the sea distance of the shores of Crete. Zeus the bull quickly swam to him with his precious burden and went ashore. Europa became the wife of Zeus and lived in Crete ever since. TShe had three sons from Zeus: Minos, Rhadamanthys and Sarpidon. Later, Europa married King Asterion of Crete, who adopted the children of Zeus. After the death of Asterion, the eldest son, Minos, became king. He married Pasiphae, daughter of the sun god Helios and the nymph Kriti. They had 4 sons and 4 daughters, including the beautiful Ariadne. Together they lived in the palace of Knossos.
During one great feast, Minos wanted to make a sacrifice in honor of Poseidon, the god of the sea, and asked him that Poseidon send a magnificent animal for this (this is a strange way to make sacrifices, first asking them;). In response, Poseidon sent a beautiful white bull out of the sea. So beautiful that Minos took pity on him and sacrificed another bull. Poseidon was very angry, and in order to punish Minos, he inspired the voluptuous queen Parsifae with an insane passion for a white bull. To satisfy her perverted passion, Parsiphae turned to famous master Daedalus. Daedalus made an empty effigy of a cow, and when Parsiphae entered this effigy, the bull was reunited with her. From this disgusting copulation the Minotaur was born, a monster with human body and a bull's head. In order to avoid a scandal, King Minos locked the Minotaur in labyrinth, a complex structure that Daedalus built for this.
The further fate of the white bull is unknown.
Further, the myth tells about Androgeos, the son of Minos, who took part in the games in Athens and became the winner in all sports disciplines. Some of the offended Athenians ambushed and killed him. This murder aroused the wrath of Minos, he immediately declared war on Athens and went on a campaign. The compensation he demanded from the Athenian king Aegeus was much harsher and more shameful than the defeat of Athens itself: every 9 years Aegeus had to send 7 girls and 7 boys to the Labyrinth. They were locked in the huge palace of the Labyrinth, where they were devoured by a terrible monster.
Theseus and the Minotaur
The son of the Athenian king, the young hero Theseus, decided to stop paying this terrible tribute and protect the innocent. When the ambassadors from Crete arrived for the third time for the due tribute, everyone in Athens was plunged into deep sadness and equipped a ship with black sails, Theseus voluntarily entered the number of young men sent to Crete, with the sole purpose of killing the Minotaur. King Aegeus categorically did not want to let go of his only son, but Theseus insisted on his own.
In Crete, at Knossos, the mighty king of Crete immediately drew attention to a beautiful muscular youth. He was also noticed by the daughter of Minos, Ariadne. Ariadne was fascinated by Theseus and decided to help him. Knowing that the Labyrinth was built in such a way that those who got there could never find a way out, she secretly gave Theseus a sharp sword and a ball (Ariadne's thread) secretly from her father, which helped him not to get lost. Theseus tied the thread at the entrance, and entered the Labyrinth, gradually unwinding the ball. Theseus walked further and, finally, he saw the Minotaur. With a formidable roar, bowing his head with huge sharp horns, the Minotaur rushed at the hero. A terrible battle began. Finally, Theseus grabbed the Minotaur by the horn and plunged his sharp sword into his chest. Having killed the Minotaur, Theseus found a way out with the help of a ball of thread and brought out all the Athenian boys and girls. Theseus quickly equipped his ship and, having cut through the bottom of all the ships of the Cretans, hastily set off on his return journey. Ariadne also left Knossos and sailed away with Theseus.
However, Ariadne and Theseus were not destined to live together happily ever after. Theseus had to yield Ariadne to the god Dionysus. She didn't make it to Athens. The goddess was Ariadne, the wife of the great Dionysus. But that is another story...
The ship of Theseus rushed on its black sails across the azure sea, approaching the shores of Attica. Theseus, saddened by the loss of Ariadne, forgot about the agreement with his father - he had to replace the black sails with white ones in case of a safe return. Aegeus was waiting for his son. A dot appeared in the distance, now it grows, approaching the shore, and it is already clear that this is his son's ship, a ship under black sails. So Theseus is dead! In desperation, Aegeus threw himself from a high cliff into the sea, and the waves washed his lifeless body ashore. Since then, the sea in which Aegeus died has been called the Aegean.
At this time, in the palace of Knossos, Daedalus, who was being held captive by Minos so that he would not leave and reveal the secret of the Labyrinth, was planning his escape. With the help of artificial wings, which were held together with wax, he flew away with his son Icarus. Then you probably know everything. Icarus, fascinated by the flight, flew too high to the sun, the hot sun's rays melted the wax, and ... Icarus was called the sea in which young Icarus died.
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In Greek legends, the Minotaur was a terrible monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. This creature lived in a huge palace with many intricate corridors - the Labyrinth, on the island of Crete. King Minos ruled Crete. He was rich and powerful, but his life was overshadowed by terrible grief - the son of Minos, Androgey, was killed by the Athenians. For this, Minos demanded an ominous tribute from the inhabitants of Athens. Every nine years they had to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete. There they were locked in the Labyrinth, and the cruel Minotaur dealt with them.
The Greek hero Theseus arrived in Athens just at the moment when the ship with black mourning sails was leaving for Crete. The whole city was immersed in deep sorrow for the young victims of the Minotaur. Courageous Theseus decided to fight this monster. He vowed to free the young Athenians or perish with them. Theseus' father - old Aegeus - tried to dissuade his son from this dangerous undertaking, but Theseus was adamant. He promised his father that if happy victory over the Minotaur will return to Athens under white sails.
The ship safely approached the coast of Crete, and the young Athenians were taken to Minos. The daughter of the king - the beautiful Ariadne - fell in love with Theseus at first sight and decided to help him defeat the Minotaur. On the eve of the battle, she gave Theseus a sharp sword and a ball of thread. When Theseus, along with other young men and women, was taken to the Labyrinth, he tied the end of the ball at the entrance. Wandering through the numerous corridors of the Labyrinth, Theseus gradually unwound the ball. And finally, out of the darkness came the roar of the Minotaur. Bending his head with huge sharp horns, he rushed at Theseus. A fierce battle ensued. The Minotaur was strong and full of rage, but Theseus still managed to defeat him.
Having killed the monster, Theseus left the Labyrinth with a thread of a ball that Ariadne gave him and led all the young Athenians out. Fearing the wrath of Minos, Theseus quickly equipped the ship and set off on his return journey. Ariadne, in love, followed him. However, during the journey, the god Dionysus appeared to the sleeping Theseus. He said that the gods appointed Ariadne to be his wife, and ordered Theseus to leave his beloved on the shore. Theseus did not dare to disobey Dionysus and continued further way without Ariadne. Finally, the native shores appeared in the distance. But the excited Theseus forgot the promise given to his father - to replace the black sails with white ones. While waiting for his son, Aegeus peered into the sea distance, standing on a high rock. When he saw the black sails on the ship, in desperation he threw himself from a cliff into the water and died. Since then, the sea in which Aegeus found his death has been called the Aegean.
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Minotaur this is a terrible bloodthirsty monster that has a body from a man, but inherited a head and tail from a bull. Such a monster ate exclusively human bodies, and he needed food in considerable quantities. He lived in a labyrinth, from which he got there ordinary person it was absolutely impossible to get out.
As is the case with many powerful creatures of the wild, the origin of the minotaur is closely connected with the history of the ancient gods. In those distant times, the island of Crete was ruled by King Asterion. It so happened that he took Europa as his wife, who had three sons born from her union with Zeus himself. The children were named Minos, Sapedon and Rhadamanthus.
The moment came when the ruler died, and he did not have time to bequeath the throne to one of the offspring. As usual in such situations, the struggle for the throne between the brothers began.
It was Minos who had the advantage, since even his name meant "king". In addition, he called on all the gods for help and boasted of their support. Minos promised to make a generous sacrifice to the gods. And then one fine day, Poseidon himself sent him a magnificent bull from the sea. Now no one could doubt the victory of the future king. Two less fortunate brothers were expelled from the island of Crete.
But Minos did not keep his promise to Poseidon, but sacrificed the most ordinary bull from the herd, leaving himself divine gift. For this, the lord of the seas and oceans was seriously angry with the negligent king and decided to punish him.
Appearance of the Minotaur
Kara was sophisticated. Poseidon instilled in the wife of the guilty king, Pasiphae, love for the bull. Going crazy with perverted passion, the woman was looking for a way to reunite with the object of her desires. Two masters helped her in this: Daedalus and Icarus. Being inside a wooden frame covered with the skin of a real cow, Pasiphae seduced a powerful bull. From this unnatural vicious connection, the queen brought offspring.
The child, a boy whom the queen named Asterius, of course, was not quite normal. When he grew up a little, his head became bullish, horns grew and a tail appeared. He became creepy monster, which had to be fed with something, but ordinary human food did not suit him. He was tormented by a thirst for blood, the meat of people.
minotaur labyrinth
King Minos realized that this was his punishment for breaking the promise given to Poseidon. Therefore, he did not judge his wife, but something had to be done with the predatory freak. With the help of the same Daedalus and Icarus, an unimaginably tangled one was built, where the bull-man, named by the Minotaur, was imprisoned.
As food, people were sent to him, mostly sentenced criminals who could not get out of the cunning confusion of roads and remained there to be eaten by the monster. Subsequently, wanting to avenge the death of his only son Androgeus, King Minos demanded an annual payment from the Athenians, in the form of seven girls and seven guys. They became victims of the labyrinth and the Minotaur.
Who killed the minotaur
According to legend, only in the third batch of unfortunates sent to the island was a daredevil named Theseus. The half-sister of the Minotaur, named Ariadne, fell in love with this handsome and brave young man. Realizing that he, having gone into the labyrinth, would certainly be doomed to death, she decided to find a way to save him. The girl handed young Theseus a ball of thread, one end of which the guy tied near the entrance. He managed not only to get out of the trap, but also to defeat the Minotaur in the fight. Some sources say that victory future king Athens won with his bare hands, with a blow of his fist. Others mention the sword of Aegeus. However, in any case, the monster was defeated. And thanks to the thread leading to the exit, all the surviving prisoners of the labyrinth, led by Theseus, left their sophisticated prison.
