Minotaur

The Minotaur is a monster with human and bull features, tied to Crete, King Minos and the labyrinth. In myth he lives inside Daedalus' cunning structure and receives human victims from Athens until Theseus kills him with Ariadne's help.

Labyrinth and Minos' power

The Minotaur story joins monster, royal guilt, Cretan sea power and Athenian political memory. In art the most common scene is Theseus fighting the monster.

Additional sources and visual checks

The Minotaur is best treated through Cretan context, Theseus, the Labyrinth and vase images, not as a detached 'monster'. A future gallery should use Minoan or Greek visual parallels, not any bull-headed figure.

For source checks: - Perseus Digital Library - Beazley Archive - LIMC online

Related topics

• Theseus
• Greco-Roman Mythology

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