Minotaur
Sign in to saveIn 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
AI overview
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
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
16 sectionsContents
- 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: , , .