Tradition / Region: Greek Mythology
Alternate Names: Asterion, Minotauros
Category: Cow, Hybrid
The Myth
The Minotaur is a creature born from Pasiphaë, wife of King Minos of Crete, and a divine bull sent by Poseidon. It possessed the body of a man and the head of a bull and was confined within a labyrinth constructed by Daedalus, where it was fed human victims sent from Athens.
After Minos became king of Crete, he prayed to Poseidon for a sign of divine favor. The god sent a white bull, which Minos was meant to sacrifice, but he kept it instead. As punishment, Poseidon caused Pasiphaë to fall in love with the bull. With the help of Daedalus, she entered a wooden cow and mated with it, giving birth to Asterius, called the Minotaur. The creature grew large and ferocious and fed on humans. Minos, following an oracle, had Daedalus build a labyrinth to contain it.
After the death of Minos’s son Androgeus, Athens was forced to send seven youths and seven maidens as tribute to be devoured by the Minotaur. When the time came again, Theseus volunteered to go. In Crete, Ariadne helped him by giving him a thread to navigate the labyrinth. Theseus entered, found the Minotaur, and killed it. He then used the thread to escape and led the others out.
Sources
Theoi Project contributors. (n.d.). Minotauros (Minotaur). In Theoi Greek Mythology, from https://www.theoi.com/Ther/Minotauros.html
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Minotaur – Creation myth. In Wikipedia, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minotaur#Creation_myth