Minotaur

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In Greek mythology, the Minotaur is a creature with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man that lived at the center of an elaborate maze called the Labyrinth, which was built by the architect Daedalus on the orders of King Minos of Crete. The Minotaur became central to a grim ritual in which Athens was forced to send young citizens to the Labyrinth every nine years, likely as a sacrifice to the creature.

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Key facts

Deity.other_names: Asterion
Deity.type: Greek
Deity.name: Minotaur
Deity.image: Tondo Minotaur London E4 MAN.jpg
Deity.caption: The Minotaur on an Attic kylix tondo from  BC with a kalos inscription.
Deity.abode: Labyrinth, Crete
Deity.parents: Cretan Bull and Pasiphaë
Deity.siblings: Ariadne, Androgeus, Glaucus (son of Minos), Deucalion, Phaedra

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Wikidata facts

Image: Tondo Minotaur London E4 MAN.jpg

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Commons category: Minotaur
name in native language: Μῑνώταυρος

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~17 min read

Article

16 sections

Contents

Etymology
Creation myth
Appearance
Theseus myth
Interpretations
Image gallery
References in media
Dante's ''Inferno''
Surrealist art
Television, literature and plays
Film
Video games and role-playing games
See also
Footnotes
References
External links

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (), also known as Asterion or Asterius, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "part man and part bull". He dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus, upon command of King Minos of Crete. According to tradition, every nine years the people of Athens were compelled by King Minos to choose fourteen young noble citizens (seven men and seven women) to be offered as sacrificial victims to the Minotaur in retribution for the death of Minos's son Androgeos. The Minotaur was eventually slain by the Athenian hero Theseus, who managed to navigate the labyrinth with the help of a thread offered to him by the King's daughter, Ariadne.

==Etymology== The Minotaur was called '' in Latin and in Etruscan. English pronunciation of the word "Minotaur" is varied; the following can be found in dictionaries: , , .