The legend of the Minotaur Crete

The Minotaur is certainly one of the most well-known mythological figures of the ancient world for the history of the Labyrinth of the Palace of Cnossos on the Crete island.

Legend has it that Minos the King of the island, not so loved by the population as not a child of the previous King Asterionus but of Zeus, prayed to the irascible God Poseidon the god of the sea, to send him a bull as a symbol of the benevolence of the Gods towards him as sovereign, promising to sacrifice him to God.

When Minos saw the animal, a splendid white bull, he decided not to give it in sacrifice but to keep it to multiply his flocks. Poseidon, irritated by his failure to promise, transforms the bull into a ferocious creature that fed only on human flesh and makes that Pasifae, wife of Minos, fall madly in love with being to the point of joining and giving birth to a creature half-looking man in the bust and upper limbs and half bull in the head and lower limbs with tail, hooves and fur.

Minosse understands that the fruit of infidelity is a sort of curse thrown by Poseidon and in order not to further irritate the God, he decides not to kill him but orders Daedalus the court architect to build the famous "Labyrinth of Cnossos" full of intricate corridors and fake entrances to lock up the monster so that no one could see it or get there.

The son of Minos Androgeno in the meantime goes to Athens for the bullfighting games but is killed by the Taurus of Marathon. The King at this point threatens revenge and asks Athens every year seven male boys and seven females to be given to the Minotaur as a meal.

Theseus the son of Aegeus King of Athens, goes with the children to Crete with the intention of killing the monster and Arianna daughter of Minos who fell in love at first sight with the Athenian, gives him a poisoned sword and a ball of red wool so ' to be able to enter and exit the maze and kill the Minotaur.