The legendary minotaur lived in this place. The legend of the Knossos palace and the labyrinth of the Minotaur. Cost of visiting the Labyrinth of the Minotaur

It contains many exciting stories, instructive legends and touching stories. There was a place in it for terrible monsters, beautiful young men, and mysterious nymphs. One of the brightest and famous characters is the Minotaur.

Of course, most of us are familiar with this monster. But how well do you know the history of its appearance? Or maybe he didn’t exist at all?

Who is the Minotaur

The appearance of the Minotaur is truly terrible: a bloodthirsty monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

Its diet consisted of people, and not green grass, like ordinary artiodactyls.

The Minotaur's place of residence was a labyrinth created to hide the monster from human eyes. But where did such a terrible creature come from?

Appearance of the Minotaur

In most cases, the appearance of an unusual creature is associated with the history of the ancient Gods. The man with the head of a bull was no exception.

At that time, Asterion was the king of the island of Crete. His wife, Europa, had 3 sons from a previous union with Zeus. Their names were Minos, Sapedon and Rhadamanthus.

After some time, Asterion passed away, but did not have time to bequeath his throne. Of course, a fight began between the brothers. The winner was to take the throne.

Minos, who had an advantage in the fateful struggle, called on all the gods for help, promising to make a generous sacrifice to them.

One day Poseidon sent Minos a magnificent bull that came out of the sea. It was he who had to sacrifice, fulfilling his promise. There was no doubt: it was Minos who would win, taking the throne of the king of Crete. Therefore, Sapedon and Rhadamanthus were expelled from the island.

But, as it turned out, it was hasty. Minos did not keep his oath. Poseidon's bull seemed too beautiful to him, and the self-confident young man decided to deceive. He replaced the donated bull with an ordinary one and sacrificed it.

However, everyone knows that the gods cannot be fooled. Poseidon, having learned about everything, became furious and decided to punish the deceiver.

Punishment of Poseidon

The cruelty of the punishment was in the spirit of the ancient Greek gods.

The Lord of the Seas inspired Minos' wife, Pasiphae, with an unnatural, sinful love for the bull.

Pasiphae and the cow built by Daedalus

Pasiphae went crazy with irresistible passion, but could not find a way to reunite with the desired bull. Daedalus and Icarus became her assistants in this matter.

They built a wooden frame in the shape of a cow, covering it with real hide.

Climbing inside, Pasiphae seduced the divine bull, and after the due date gave birth to a child.

The boy, named Asterius, was absolutely unusual. With age, his head turned into a bull's, and horns and a tail grew.

The terrible monster that appeared as a result of a vicious relationship was bloodthirsty: ordinary food did not give him pleasure, he needed human blood and meat.

Legendary labyrinth

To everyone's surprise, Minos did not condemn his wife, because it was he who was to blame for what happened. But he was not going to put up with the monster either.

Daedalus and Icarus, again called to help, built the most complex labyrinth of Knossos, where the bull-man, called the Minotaur, was subsequently imprisoned.

Knowing his bloodthirstiness, Minos sent people into the labyrinth for food. As a rule, these were criminals sentenced to death.

But the king of Crete also had his own son, Androgeus. However, the young man did not have a long and happy life; he was killed by the Athenians.

Wanting to avenge the death of his heir, Minos demanded an annual payment from the Athenians: seven girls and seven boys who went into the labyrinth to be devoured by the Minotaur.

A daredevil named Theseus

Several times Athenian boys and girls disappeared without a trace in a labyrinth with a terrible monster. And only Theseus, who arrived in the next batch, was able to defeat the Minotaur. But how did he do it?

Ariadne, the half-sister of the bull man, fell in love with Theseus. She understood that if she did not do anything to save the young handsome man, he would be doomed to death.

A way of salvation was finally found. Before Theseus entered the labyrinth, Ariadne gave him a ball of thread.

A smart guy figured out to tie one end near the entrance. Moreover, the ball was magical: having touched the ground, it rolled by itself, and Theseus followed him like an experienced guide.

The ball led him to the Minotaur's lair, where he slept peacefully.

How exactly Theseus defeated the monster, no one knows. But there are several versions of what happened.

• The first source claims that Theseus killed the Minotaur with a blow of his fist.
• Others believe that he used the sword of his father, Aegeus.
• And still others believe that the Minotaur was strangled.

Be that as it may, the monster was defeated. And the magic ball of the resourceful Ariadne helped Theseus and the surviving captives escape from the labyrinth.

Unfortunately, myths involving gods rarely have a happy ending.

Theseus, in love, realizing that he could not live without Ariadne, kidnapped her and went to his homeland.

On the way, the girl drowned. Most likely, Poseidon contributed to this, as revenge for the murdered Minotaur.

Saddened Theseus fell into mourning, forgetting about everything. This is what caused other tragic events.

After the victory, the flag on the ship had to be changed to white so that Theseus' people could see the approaching hero.

However, the death of Ariadne did not allow him to do this. Noticing the black flag of the approaching ship, which was a symbol of bad news, King Aegeus regarded this as news of the death of his son, Theseus. Unable to bear the loss, Aegeus threw himself into the sea, which was later named after him.

Rationalistic version of the legend

Some ancient historians who studied myths described one non-standard, but very interesting version.

In their works, the Minotaur, like a monster with the head of a bull, is just an allegory. In fact, he was a man named Taurus.

Taurus was Minos' teacher when he was very young.

Legends say that Taurus was an extremely cruel man, and therefore Minos decided to establish a competition, during which his teacher would fight with the Athenian youths sent.

Athens at that time was indeed under the rule of Crete, and was obliged to pay tribute by the people. Having defeated 9 Athenians, Taurus met with Theseus, who was able to win.

The image of the Minotaur in culture

Ancient Greek myths often form the basis of literary works, and their colorful characters are a source of inspiration for many authors. The Minotaur was no exception.

Knossos labyrinth palace of King Minos Greece 1700 BC.

In literature, the image of a bull man can be found:

1. The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri
2. "House of Asteria", Jorge Luis Borges
3. Theseus, Mary Renault
4. "Labyrinth of the Minotaur", Robert Sheckley
5. "Minotaur", Friedrich Durrenmatt
6. "Helm of Terror. Creatiff about Theseus and the Minotaur”, Victor Pelevin

Of course, the authenticity of the legend of the Minotaur and Theseus has not been confirmed.

It can be treated as a fairy tale, an allegorical story, and an instructive story.

However, the Minotaur's palace has survived, albeit in a dilapidated state, despite its venerable age of 4 thousand years.

The main characters were depicted on paintings, on the surfaces of vases, and in the form of sculptures. Theseus and Ariadne, lovers and brave, will forever remain in the memory of people as the saviors of humanity from a terrible monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man.

Myths of Ancient Greece They talk about the existence of Knossos (Knossos Palace), where King Minos reigned, and in the Labyrinth of his palace lived a terrible monster, the Minotaur - a creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man, feeding on human flesh!

But in short, it all began with the fact that the mighty Zeus, the supreme god of Olympus, saw the beautiful Europa, the daughter of a rich Phoenician king. He saw and desired. In order not to frighten the girl and her friends, he took on the guise of a wonderful bull. His fur sparkled, his golden horns were curved, and on his forehead a silver spot burned like a moon. The bull's breath was fragrant with ambrosia, and the whole air was filled with this aroma. A wonderful bull appeared in a clearing and approached the maidens, among whom was Europe, as they frolicked and picked flowers. The maidens surrounded the wondrous animal and affectionately stroked it. The bull approached Europe, licked her hands and caressed her. Then he lay down quietly at her feet, offering to sit on him.

Laughing, Europe sat down on the broad back of the bull. Other girls also wanted to sit next to her. But suddenly the bull jumped up and rushed to the sea. The golden-horned bull rushed like the wind, 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 the shores of Crete appeared in the distant sea. Zeus the bull quickly swam to him with his precious burden and went ashore. Europa became the wife of Zeus and lived from then on in Crete. TThree sons were born to her from Zeus: Minos, Rhadamanthis and Sarpidon. Europa later married the king of Crete, Asterion, who adopted the children of Zeus. After Asterion's death, his eldest son, Minos, became king. He married Pasiphae, the 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 Knossos Palace.

During one great holiday, Minos wanted to make a sacrifice in honor of the god of the sea Poseidon and asked him that Poseidon would send a magnificent animal for this (this is a strange manner of making sacrifices, having first asked for them;). In response, Poseidon sent a beautiful white bull from 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 the white bull. To satisfy her perverted passion, Parsifai turned to the famous master Daedalus. Daedalus made an empty effigy of a cow, and when Parsifae entered the effigy, the bull was reunited with her. From this disgusting copulation The Minotaur, a monster with a human body and a bull's head, was born. To avoid 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.

The myth further tells about Androgeos, the son of Minos, who took part in the games in Athens and became a winner in all sports disciplines. One of the offended Athenians ambushed and killed him. This murder angered Minos; he immediately declared war on Athens and set off 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 a huge palace, 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 ambassadors from Crete arrived for the third time to collect the due tribute, everyone in Athens was plunged into deep sadness and equipped a ship with black sails. Theseus voluntarily became one of the young men sent to Crete with the sole purpose of killing the Minotaur. King Aegeus categorically did not want to let his only son go, but Theseus insisted on his own.

In Crete, in Knossos, the powerful king of Crete immediately drew attention to a beautiful, muscular young man. Minos's daughter, Ariadne, also noticed him. Ariadne was fascinated by Theseus and decided to help him. Knowing that the Labyrinth was built so that anyone who got there would never be able to 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 a thread at the entrance and entered the Labyrinth, gradually unwinding the ball. Theseus walked further and further and finally saw the Minotaur. With a menacing 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, with the help of a ball of thread, found a way back and brought out all the Athenian boys and girls. Theseus quickly equipped his ship and, having cut through the bottom of all the Cretan ships, hastily set off on the return journey. Ariadne also left Knossos and sailed away with Theseus.

However, Ariadne and Theseus were not destined to live happily ever after. Theseus had to give Ariadne to the god Dionysus. She did not reach Athens. Ariadne, the wife of the great Dionysus, became the goddess. But that is another story...

Theseus's ship 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 was supposed 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 is growing, approaching the shore, and it is already clear that this is his son’s ship, a ship with black sails. This means that Theseus is dead! In despair, Aegeus threw himself from a high cliff into the sea, and the waves threw his lifeless body onto the shore. Since then, the sea in which Aegeus perished has been called the Aegean.

At this time, in the palace of Knossos, Daedalus, whom Minos was holding captive so that he would not leave and reveal the secret of the Labyrinth, was planning his escape. Using artificial wings, which were held together with wax, he flew away with his son Icarus. Then you probably know everything. Icarus, carried away by flight, flew too high towards the sun, the hot rays of the sun melted the wax, and... The sea in which young Icarus died was called Icarian.

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Very close to the modern city of Heraklion, located on the legendary island of Crete, are the ruins of the most famous and popular among tourists monument of ancient Greek architecture, the Palace of Knossos.

Despite the inexorable passage of time, numerous earthquakes, robberies and wars, through the efforts of archaeologists, the ruins of a gigantic building appeared, which is often mentioned in myths and legends. Excavations of the Knossos Palace and restoration work began at the dawn of the twentieth century, led by the then famous archaeologist Arthur Evans.

It is thanks to this man that modern travelers can see the place where, with the help of Ariadne’s thread, the great Greek hero and ruler of Athens, Theseus, was able to defeat the Minotaur and not get lost in a huge labyrinth.

Knossos Palace - history

According to historians, a huge temple in the city of Knossos was built two thousand years before our era. Archaeological excavations show that a settlement of ancient people previously existed in its place. By the way, the temple, built thanks to enormous efforts, lasted only about three hundred years. The cause of its destruction was a strong earthquake, which, except for the “early” Knossos Palace, erased almost all buildings from the island. Immediately after the natural disaster, the ancient Greeks got to work again and built a new, simply gigantic palace, the ruins of which were discovered by Arthur Evans at the beginning of the twentieth century.

The construction of the new palace coincided with the heyday of the city of Knossos and the Minoan civilization.

The Minoan civilization is perhaps one of the most mysterious and little-studied. Even in our time, scientists cannot reliably say what the word “minos” itself means. Some say that this is the “royal throne” and “power” in Crete, while others say that this is the name of the man who ruled the city of Knossos during its heyday, and who built the Palace of Knossos. Alas, the city of Knossos and its luxurious palace were again destroyed by another earthquake, which most likely caused a tsunami that covered the whole of Crete. A detailed study of the ruins of the Knossos Palace led to the conclusion that the main cause of the death of the city was a fire that spread to all buildings. Interestingly, the cause of the fire is unknown.

A more likely version is that the residents of Knossos themselves burned their hometown or knew about the approaching disaster. This version, which is found in modern history textbooks, is supported by the fact that no skeletons of people or domestic animals were found during excavations on the territory of ancient Knossos. The townspeople probably knew about the fire and moved to the coast in advance.

Some historians, relying on artifacts found in Palestine, similar in shape to artifacts discovered in Crete, make a rather bold statement: the first inhabitants of Knossos were Atlanteans. This version is quite controversial, although the very construction of a huge palace, which is about the same age as the Egyptian pyramids, speaks in favor of it. Most likely, this mystery of history will not be solved in the near future; only with the advent of new technologies that allow us to study the depths of the sea in more detail and what is hidden under centuries-old layers, historians will finally give affirmative answers to the questions: “Did Atlantis exist?” and “Where did the ancient Atlanteans live?”

Palace of Knossos in ancient Greek mythology

The Palace of Knossos is inextricably linked with one of the most popular ancient Greek myths, which tells the story of a giant, bloodthirsty bull-man - the Minotaur. This monster, which devoured seven beautiful girls and boys every nine years, lived in a huge labyrinth. To be fair, it is worth noting that this myth appeared when the ruins of the Knossos Palace were already buried under a layer of earth. Theseus, who ruled Athens, was able to kill the Minotaur in a fierce battle, and since then the inhabitants of nearby islands and cities stopped sending their young inhabitants to Crete.

The famous thread of Ariadne helped Theseus find his way out of the labyrinth, which was supposedly located near the Palace of Knossos (or directly below it). From what sources did the ancient Greeks, who passed on the myth of Theseus, the Minotaur and Ariadne from generation to generation, know about the existence of the Knossos Palace and the Minoan civilization, still remains a mystery. Before the excavations, Arthur Evans relied solely on the reliability of this myth and, as time has shown, he turned out to be absolutely right, and maybe there is some truth in the myth of the monster...

Knossos Palace - the greatest architectural monument

It is safe to say that the Palace of Knossos, near which numerous groups of archaeologists can still be found today, is one of the most interesting attractions of modern Greece. Tourists wandering among the ruins often have the feeling that they have encountered something fantastic and inexplicable. Perhaps it appears after reading the myth of the Minotaur, or perhaps the very atmosphere, which is characteristic of the mysterious Crete, puts a person into a state somewhat similar to meditation. Crete and the ruins of the Palace of Knossos are often mentioned in tourist brochures. Not visiting this building, which was once one of the most majestic and, according to enthusiasts, was the palace of the Atlanteans, is an unforgivable mistake.

Nowadays, the palace is a huge number of buildings that are located near the courtyard. Of particular interest is that they were all designed by ancient architects at different levels. Each level was connected to each other by an impressive staircase or corridor. Some rooms are located deep underground; it is not possible to explain the meaning of such a construction and the purpose of the building. Why not the legendary labyrinth of Daedalus? Columns were used as supports for the floors of the palace. Archaeologists say that The palace of Knossos was the home of the ancient king, his wife and retinue. In addition, in the Knossos Palace there was a theater in which about six hundred people could watch the fight of two angry bulls (!).

Surprisingly, among the ruins, experts found perhaps the oldest sewerage system on our planet, as well as a water supply system. Due to the fact that the Knossos Palace was buried underground for a long time and was inaccessible to robbers, it preserved unique frescoes depicting mythical creatures.

Among the ruins, priceless exhibits made of gold and expensive stones were recovered from the ground. It is also interesting that almost all artifacts found on the territory of ancient Knossos depict a bull. By the way, another image that is quite often found on the walls of the building, shards and vessels is a double axe. In Greek this weapon sounds like “labrys”. Most linguists believe that the word “labyrinth” comes from this name. Isn't this another confirmation of the veracity of the myth of the Minotaur?

Despite numerous discoveries, scientists have still not been able to explain which religion was the main one in the ancient and once influential city, and the Palace of Knossos is a kind of labyrinth, one might even say a rebus, which is impossible to solve even in our age of technological progress .

A traveler who decides to see with his own eyes the Palace of Knossos, a place with which so many legends, myths and secrets are associated, should know that entrance to its territory is paid. The price of the entrance ticket by the standards of the European Union is symbolic, and is only 6 euros.

The open-air palace museum is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. On days recognized as national holidays in Greece, access to the Palace of Knossos is absolutely free. Free entry is also available for young people under eighteen years of age. True, as throughout Greece, boys and girls who are allowed ticketless access to historical and architectural monuments must reside in one of the countries that are members of the European Union.

Is the most visited archaeological park of Crete. It is located in the very heart of the island, in region. Surrounded by dozens of legends and myths, the palace annually attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. Want to know more about the history of its creation? Then you are on the right track!

So, there lived in Ancient Greece a certain Minos, the son of the princess of Europe and the god Zeus. When his son grew up, Zeus made him king of the island of Crete, where he himself was once born and spent his childhood.

In turn, Minos married the beautiful Pasiphae, the daughter of the sun god Helios and the beautiful Perseid. Simultaneously with his marriage, Minos asked Poseidon, the patron of the seas, to help him strengthen his power on the island - the Cretans did not particularly welcome Minos. And Poseidon heeded the latter’s pleas, sending a beautiful white bull to Crete, which Minos had to sacrifice to the gods.

And everything would be fine if Pasiphae, the wife of Minos, had not fallen in love with this very bull. And she not only fell in love, but also gave birth to a son from him - the Minotaur. But the child turned out to be not human at all - one half of his body was healthy, and the other was bovine. To hide her shame, Pasiphae asked the architect Daedalus to build a labyrinth in which the Minotaur would be imprisoned until the end of his days.

Daedalus lived at this time in Athens, but at the request of the Cretan queen he moved to Crete with his son Icarus, immediately starting construction of the labyrinth. They say that this labyrinth was so confusing that even its creator Daedalus himself could not find a way out of it on his own!

Seeing the skillful work of Daedalus, King Minos asked him to build a royal palace next to the Labyrinth - Knossos. Yes, yes, this is where you will come on a tour! By the way, Knossos dates back to at least the 7th century. BC, and for its venerable age it is perfectly preserved!

Having finished work on the palace of Minos and the Labyrinth, Daedalus prepared to leave the island. However, Minos decided to make the master his personal architect and refused to let him go free. Well, we think everyone knows about the legend about Daedalus and Icarus - the wise architect made wings for himself and his son from beeswax, and so they fled from Crete together. But the young man rose too high into the sky, so that the sun melted the wax on his wings, and he crashed on the sea rocks. That is why there is such a sea in Greece - Icarian.

But, let's return to Minos and his palace. In addition to the Minotaur, he and his wife also had a common child, a beautiful young man named Androgeus. And one day Androgeus went to Athens for a sports competition, where he was mercilessly killed. The enraged Minos could not forgive the death of his son, sentencing Athens to lifelong tribute - the city was obliged to send 7 of the most beautiful young men and 7 girls to Crete every 9 years to be devoured by the monster Minotaur.

The last myth about Knossos is the story of Ariadne's thread. So, the Minotaur inside the Labyrinth not only lived, ate and slept, but also did things. He guarded the magical golden fleece, which turned everything around into pure gold. The Athenian Theseus decided to steal this fleece and kill the Minotaur, thus freeing his city from a terrible tribute. Then, having gathered the Argonauts, the famous ship Argo, led by Theseus, set off for Crete. Undoubtedly, the young men would have died if not for Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, who fell in love with Theseus and secretly gave him a ball of thread, with the help of which the Argonauts found a way out of the labyrinth. The Minotaur was killed, the fleece was stolen, and Ariadne fled with Theseus from her father's house.

This is what it is, the mythical Palace of Knossos. Don't believe me? See for yourself! Entrance fee — € 6, opening hours 8.00-19.00 in the summer months and 8.00-15.00 from November to May.

Minotaur- An 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 boys and 7 girls were hopelessly lost in his labyrinth, doomed to a terrible death.

The legend of the terrifying minotaur was described in detail by Apollodorus, and it goes as follows: as a result of the “civil war” that took place on 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 protection of divine powers. To do this, he asked Poseidon to send a bull to earth from the depths of the sea, so that he could then be sacrificed for 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 sent a curse to Minos’ wife, Pasiphae, which consisted of 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 quench his animal passion. The master helped the queen, and after that, she gave birth to an unusual child, who was named 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 anyone who gets into it will no longer be able to return back.

Every nine years, the Athenians were forced to send seven young men and seven young women to be devoured by the monster. When Theseus’s lot fell 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 itself rolls to the center of the labyrinth, where the Minotaur was located. Using a guiding thread, Theseus found the sleeping monster. killed the Minotaur and managed to safely find his way back through the tangle of passages in the labyrinth.

The myth of the confrontation between Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the most popular stories of the ancient world, inspiring sculptors and artists to create immortal creations. There are many known ancient vases depicting the duel, numerous poems, novels and even ballets have been created.

The Minotaur, in ancient Greek mythology, is a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, 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 murdering one of his sons and, to take revenge, asked Jupiter to send a plague to Athens. The Athenians turned to the oracle for advice, who told them that the epidemic would end only if they sent seven young men and seven young women 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 people going to Crete. There the hero was helped by Ariadne, 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 the misdeed of the king of the island of Crete, Minos. Instead of making a sacrifice to the god Poseidon, he kept the bull for himself. An angry Poseidon bewitched Minos' wife, and she committed 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 had offended the Cretan king - in order to avoid war, had to supply 14 boys and girls every year to feed the Minotaur.

Girls and boys were taken away from Athens by a mourning ship with black sails. One day, the 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 defeated the monster, then the sails on the ship would be white, but if not, then they would remain black.

On Crete, before going to dinner with the Minotaur, Theseus charmed Minos' daughter Ariadne. A 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 Ariadne's thread to the exit. He set off on the return journey together with Ariadne.

However, Ariadne was supposed to become the wife of one of the gods and Theseus was not at all part of their plans. Dionysius, namely, Ariadne was to become his wife, demanded that Theseus leave her. but Theseus was stubborn and did not listen. Angry, the gods sent a curse on him, which made him forget about his promise 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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